Page 64 of All That We Are Together

“This place is precious, though,” Bega said.

“It is,” Axel agreed.

“You never know,” Bega mused, and I couldn’t help but notice my brother’s surprised, even hopeful expression.

For the rest of the meal, I didn’t talk much, preferring to watch and listen and retain that moment in my memory. After dessert, Daniel uncorked a bottle of champagne, and once he’d assured us the exhibition would be a success, he raised his glass to toast.

“To family,” he said proudly.

53

Leah

I hugged Landon before he could shut the car door. He smelled of the same cologne as always. His body and mine merged just as they had eight days before, even if it felt like it had been far longer since I’d seen him, a month at the very least.

“You’d think I’d been off fighting a war,” he joked.

I laughed and separated from him. Landon bent over and gave me a soft kiss. I wished I had taken the initiative, that should have been my first impulse. I stood on tiptoe to reach his lips.

“Am I on time?” he asked.

“Yeah, there’s still a couple of hours to go.” I’d left lunch early to meet him before the exhibition. “You feel like taking a walk? I’d love to show you everything. You know what? I don’t know why I never came back before. We should have done it together. Come here, spend a day on the beach, eat the best ice cream in the world…”

“Breathe, Leah,” he remarked sarcastically.

“Sorry, I’m excited. And nervous.”

“Everything will be fine. I promise.”

Even though Landon didn’t know a thing about art, exhibitions, or anything else related to them, I believed him. Because unlike Axel’s promises, Landon’s had always been real; he’d always made them with a serenity that left no room for questions.

“Thanks for being here.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I smiled and tugged him after me.

“Come on,” I said.

Night had started to fall when we reached the gallery. I wanted to show up late, when the public was already there, so I wouldn’t have a heart attack every time I saw someone come in, or, just as bad, see the rooms sitting empty. So we spent the afternoon walking around, and I told him stories about my childhood that he listened to with interest, and we shared an ice cream cone. Then we went to the hostel so I could change clothes.

“Ready?” He squeezed my hand.

“Not even close.” But still, I put one foot in front of the other till we were on the stairs outside. “If I ever look like I’m about to puke, try and help me make it to the bathroom.”

His giggling calmed me down.

“Consider it done.”

I didn’t tell him that, apart from my nerves, I was anxious about him meeting Axel. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to imagine them together, but still, it irked me. Something about it just didn’t work. And that made me feel guilty, because Axel wasn’t mine anymore and I’d need to learn to live with that without every situation awakening slumbering memories.

There were people inside. Lots of them.

I was terrified as I walked through the rooms. And then, I recognized the surprise Axel had mentioned to me the night before. Or better said, I heard it. The surprise I’d forgotten because of everything I’d been feeling.

A Beatles song was playing softly through the speakers scattered throughout the gallery. And when it finished, the notes of the next one rose up amid the voices of the visitors chatting loudly, unaware that I was about to break down. In some way, thanks to the paintings and the music that had been my life’s soundtrack, I felt my parents were there with me, accompanying me in memory.

“Leah, are you all right?” Landon asked. He seemed worried.