“Yes, I am. Now, my question remains. Are you going to trust me?”
Courage ~
Tonight didn’t go very well.
My parents arrived at my uncle’s two nights ago. They made a “special” trip in order to meet the man I had moved in with. They wanted to meet Phillipe, so we went over to Uncle Beau’s home.
I’m so annoyed right now because I feel like it has somehow put a wedge between us. He didn’t say much at all when we got home, and right now—well, I don’t even know where he is. He left around ten minutes ago and told me he needed to go for a walk.
He’s never justleft. I suppose this is our first fight. I keep reassuring myself that couples do that…right?
All I can think about is how upset he was.
“What do you want me to say, Chantel? That didnotgo well,” he told me.
“I’m sure they didn’t mean to make it sound the way it did,” I tried to reassure him as we made our way into the kitchen,but honestly, I knew that my parents weren’t being very welcoming.
“They accused me of brainwashing you, and you just stood there.”
“I did not!” I replied while I tried to convince myself that I hadn’t.
“I hardly think ‘Mom, I wanted to go’ was very convincing, especially after I just told them that I would look after you and I couldn’t help but want you close to me.” He sounded defeated. “How could you let them make you question us, Chantel? They basically told you to leave, and when you said nothing—well, you might as well go and pack your bags.”
“Phillipe—”
He brushed by me. Suddenly, I felt more alone than I ever had before.
“Yes?”
“Don’t leave like this,” I begged. I hated that he was feeling this way, and I hated that I couldn’t express how I felt.
“I just need to be alone for a while. I’m going for a walk.” His voice softened as he asked me, “Will you be here when I get back?”
How could he think to question it? How had I made him question me?
“Of course. Where else would I go?”
I never received an answer. Instead, all I heard was the kitchen door as it slammed shut, making me jump where I stood. Why hadn’t I told my parents everything I felt? I didn’t understand my own reluctance, and that annoyed me. Maybe it was because I didn’t want them to judge me—judge me like they had him. That didn’t seem fair.
It makes me wonder what kind of coward I am. I’m an adult. I’m a grown woman who found a man she loves. Howdare they make me question that, and how dare Iletthem make me.
I need to find him. I need to go and find him and bring him back.
Bring him back to me, to us, and to the world we belong in. I need him to come back and paint me as I am—strong, courageous, and brave.
Armor—that’s what I need when I deal with my parents from now on. I need a suit of armor and the courage to stand behind my convictions to fight for what I want. And what I want is Phillipe.
I can feel my bare nipples harden in the cool air. They almost seem to be begging for attention, like they remember what they received earlier, and they want it again. I slip my fingers into my panties and slide them down over my hips, all the while keeping my eyes on the silent man across from me.
I concentrate on Phillipe as he makes his way to the shelves on the wall. He crouches down to reach into the bottom. I’m so focused on his broad back and amazing ass that I don’t even notice what he is holding in his hand until he stands. It’s an old instrument case.
Almost instantaneously, it feels as though the oxygen in the room has been removed. I can’t breathe as he stops at the desk just a few feet from me and gently places the case down. Immediately, I know what is in there. He doesn’t have to tell me. As I stand there silently staring at him, my brain is screaming,Why? Why on earth does he have Chantel’s violin? How?
It has been reported that the astronomically expensive Stradivarius, passed down for years through the Rosenbergfamily, was never recovered. It is still reported as missing to this day.
I have no idea how he has it, but I know that the instrument inside that case is a violin. I know it is Diva.
I’m also very aware of what he’s going to ask me to do. I have seen the collection and studied each piece for hours on end.
