River disappeared into a room down the hall and came back with a bunch of art supplies and placed them on the glass table.
"What's all this?" I asked, and I had a terrible feeling I was wrong about the intentions of his invitation.
"We have to work on our project." He stated, laying out all of the printed photographs we took.
"Are you serious?" I scorned tucking a loose curl behind my ear and folding my arms. "You know what, it's fine, let's just get started so I can go home."
I couldn’t believe he dragged me halfway across Paris to work on a project we could do in class, I thought he was finally ready to apologize, but I guess I was wrong. I wasn’t going to ask about it, I allowed my mind to focus on the work in front of me for a while.
We started by glueing the scrapbook's pages together, which River did the most of because I don't know how to use a glue gun without permanently glueing my fingers together. Then I began to stick the photographs into it.
"You can't paste the photos so close together. I need the space to write." River protested,
"Just shut up and paint the cover, River. Okay, I have my responsibilities, and you have yours." I hissed, and River stayed silent.
I knew I was being impossible and irritable, but I was mad, and I had every right to be, so I was going to pick a fight with him.
"Don't use yellow. That's not very Paris- esque."
I instructed, and River dropped his paintbrush.
"Is something bothering you, Armani?" River asked, placing a hand on the table. His hands were slender and steady. They were an artist's hands. There was a silver ring on his index finger.
"Nothing in particular." I chided,
"Nothing in particular yet something enough to get under your skin so intently?" River persisted, and I could feel the anger building inside me.
"You're insufferable." I retaliated, and River's eyes danced with mischief,
"Am I?" He smirked.God,he was gorgeous.
"Enough!" I exclaimed, getting up and nearly knocking over the pot of paint onto our project. “Enough mind games, Kennedy I’m serious.”
But River reached for it just in time, my breath hitched, and he paused for a second, looking up at me slowly, so slow...until his ravishing penetrating blue eyes met mine in a warning. Just then, he got up and grabbed me by the arm and led me to the balcony. His stare was electric and unforgiving. I was molten under his touch.
"What's the matter, Armani?" He asked impatiently,
"I've been nothing but patient and understanding with you, River." I expressed. My voice was almost inaudible.
"Where is this going?" He asked. The very thought of an honest conversation terrified him.
“I overheard your conversation on the phone at the farmers market, okay?” I admitted, and he seemed entirely perplexed,
“What?” He asked, sounding slightly English there for a second and it startled me.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I refuted, “You said that I was incompetent and expressed how horrible it was to have to work with me.”
“Tu as tellement tort que c'est ridicule.” He refuted, rolling his eyes.You are so wrong. It’s ridiculous.
“I’m not stupid, River.” I scoffed,
“I wasn’t talking about you. Why the fuck would I be talking about you?” He told me, “I was talking to my father about a problematic agent at the bank.”
“You’re lying—” I began, but he cut me off,
“If I was, you wouldn’t be able to tell.” He assured me, glancing the length of me up and down. “Why are you so interested in me anyway?”
“Because I…God, even I don’t know. Maybe I just want a chance to really know you.” I confessed,
