This Was Meant To Be

Chapter 5

“Harrison, stop that!” hissed Leigh, but there was no conviction behind her words.

She was giggling.

“People are staring!”

Harrison grinned, delighted to see Leigh so carefree.

“Well, I think it does look like the artist himself trying to shove a pineapple up his ass. You can’t tell me you don’t see it, too. Why, where’s your artistic sensibility!”

Leigh went off into another fit of giggles.

“Harrison!” she admonished, but she didn’t sound too stern.

Harrison had been coming up with deliberately absurd interpretations of art. That would’ve been an entertaining afternoon at home, but they were both dressed to the nines and at an opening that Anna had decreed needed his personal attention.

The artist was holding forth among a group of wide-eyed people who were nodding along, but Leigh thought everybody looked ridiculous.

And really, if she tilted her head to one side, it did look very much like the artist himself shoving a pineapple up his ass.

Or at least, as Harrison had pointed out, trying to do so, but hopefully unsuccessfully.

Boy, it looked painful. She couldn’t help clenching.

“Do you think he knew what he was doing? I know I’m not very enlightened, but most of this really looks like he was trying to see just what he could get away with. What’s the point of any of it? I can’t believe Anna thinks this would be a good investment. Wouldn’t it encourage the man? I don’t think he should be encouraged, for the greater good. I mean, what will the aliens think when they find us and see this kind of art? What will our future generations think of us? They will see the progression from Monet to this and think that evolution went backwards. Then they’ll try to figure out how it happened and waste so much time and energy on pointless research – all because I paid him a…”

Harrison checked the price, discreetly labeled beneath the painting.

“Holy sh*t, a bloody insane amount of money on pineapple-ass-shoving!”

Leigh went off into fits of giggles again, trying to hold it in and ending up snorting inelegantly.

“Harrison, people are staring!”

“I don’t think they can see anything. If they think this is art and buy it, I’ve got a bridge I can sell them. It’s a steal. And honestly, compared to this, a far better deal.”

Leigh shrugged.

“I don’t know, maybe you’ve got to have a different kind of aesthetic to appreciate this. I mean…”

Leigh tried to come up with something nice to say, and failed, pathetically.

“All right, all of this seems pretty bad. And a lot of it reminds me of murder scenes. None of his explanations seem to have anything to do with murder scenes. Do you think this entire exhibition is an artistic interpretation of Dexter?”

Harrison pondered, making a show of considering the question deeply.

“Well, I think that’s still a more plausible explanation than his own. Metaphysical exploration of the psyche of nature in all its forms, my ass. Without pineapple.”

Leigh laughed again, and this time, she didn’t try to hold it in. It was good to laugh.

For the last three weeks, she had been leaning on Harrison very heavily, and this was the first time she’d gone out other than for a quick bite to eat, or work.

She wouldn’t even have gone out to eat if it hadn’t been for Harrison. He had been gently insistent that she take care of herself, and he had done a very good job of it.

First, Leigh had cried a lot. She hadn’t even heard from Carl after he left. He’d come and packed up all his stuff when she was at work.

When she came home and found that, she’d cried some more.

For the first two weeks, she was either working or crying, or so it seemed.

But in the last week, she had slowly started acknowledging that she was beginning to find peace again, or at least some form of it. It was a relief to not have to constantly factor Carl into every decision she made, small or big. She was only now beginning to realize just how much she had done that.

Harrison had a way of giving her space, but not enough space to let her brood too much. He’d given her brooding time, too.

He just knew her so well that it was a pleasure to spend time with him. It had taken her a couple of weeks to stop feeling guilty about that.

She had spent so little time with Harrison partly because of the veiled animosity she had always felt between Carl and Harrison. Now, she was finally beginning to see that Harrison might have had good reason for it.

“What do you say we get out of here and go eat something?” suggested Harrison.

“You haven’t bid on anything. Or bought anything. Or even talked to the poor artist, not after you glared at him as if you’d shove a pineapple up his ass personally if he didn’t shut up,” pointed Leigh.

Harrison grinned.

“Much as it looks as if he needs help in that worthy endeavor, I don’t think I’m going to volunteer. And after this show, I need something very down to earth and simple. How about cheeseburgers? We’ll go and have beer and cheeseburgers. What do you think? Does that sound good?”

Leigh grinned and felt reckless.

“Why not?”

So she would have to hit the gym again. Well, maybe that was a good thing. It would get her out of the house. She did need to start living again.

She was not going to hide at home all the time, avoiding everybody. So what if so many people would ask her about Carl? She would have to handle it at some point.

For once, she was very glad for Facebook. She had changed her relationship status to ‘Single’, and knew that everybody would have seen it.

Anybody who asked her about it now would only be being nosy, and she didn’t have to indulge that.

Maybe it would be a good time to know if she had any real friends.

If only Emily would come home! She had been delayed, and she had only known about the break-up when she saw the change on Facebook, too.

She had tried to Skype with Leigh immediately, but it hadn’t quite worked out. Emily had an extremely sketchy connection. But Leigh loved her, so much, for trying.

She tucked her hand through Harrison’s arm, and it felt natural as they left – sneaking out, really, to avoid being waylaid by the artist or his eagle-eyed agent – and found the valet, who brought them the car quickly enough to justify the extremely hefty tip he got.

She hopped in and felt comfortable. She couldn’t really remember the last time she’d felt so comfortable.

She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t depressed.

It was a relief, and a surprise. She’d thought she would be heartbroken for far longer if she and Carl broke up.

But there she was, going on with her life.

She was quite proud of herself, really.

“You know, I really am hungry now. And that white wine they served at the gallery was really horrible.”

“Beer it is,” said Harrison, cheerfully, as they drove to a little hole in the wall that she knew served excellent cheeseburgers.

She attacked her food ravenously.