Chapter 249:
Beyond the Canvas
Chris’s Point of View
I never thought that one day I would stand in an art studio with working canvases and the smell of paint. Yet, here I was, standing next to Megan as she was engrossed in the scene unfolding before her, with Max putting finishing touches to his latest piece. Very representative, it portrayed Megan in a way even I had not seen, laying her strength and vulnerability bare on the canvas.
Megan turned to me; her eyes had softened. “What do you think, Chris?”
I turned back to the painting, then back to her. “It’s beautiful. He really captured you.”
She smiled, and something shy was in the expression. “I think so too. It’s like he sees parts of me that even I didn’t know existed.”
Max stepped back from the canvas, wiping his hands in a rag. “It’s easy to see when you look hard enough. Megan, you have layers. And Chris, you’ve got your own story to tell.”
I nodded, feeling a little self-conscious. “Thanks, Max. Your work is incredible.”
Max waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not about me. It’s about you two. There’s a connection here that’s undeniable.”
Megan’s gaze turned to mine then, her eyes boring into me. “We have been through a lot, haven’t we, Chris?”
I nodded. The thought of how much we’d done and gone through did cross my mind. “Yeah, we have. And we have come out stronger on the other side.”
She took a deep breath, as if summoning her nerve for whatever it was she wanted to say. “Chris, can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure,” I said, trying to lighten the tone in my voice. “What’s on your mind?”
“Not here,” she said, her eyes ranging around the studio. “Let’s take a walk.”
We stepped outside into the nipping evening air, though the city came alive with activity; it felt like we could have been in our own little bubble, away from all the hustle and bustle.
We walked for some time in silence; the air thickening between us. Finally, Megan broke the silence. “Chris, these days I have been thinking about us a lot. About everything that went down.”
“Yeah?” I pushed her on, trying to keep my voice steady.
She turned to me. “I know this started off as a relationship for convenience. A way for both of us to get what we needed. But somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling fake to me.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Megan.”
“No, let me finish,” she said firmly. “I know I’ve been sort of a nuisance to you sometimes. I have chased you away because I was scared. Scared of getting hurt again.” But you have waited patiently. You never gave up on me, even when I tried to push you away.
I took a step closer toward her. “Megan, I stayed because I care about you. More than I ever have about anyone.”
The tears now welling up in her eyes, she replied, “Chris, I love you. I don’t want this to be pretend anymore. I want it to be real.”
Overwhelming relief and elation poured out of my emotions, and I said, “I love you too, Megan. I have loved you for so long.”
She smiled through her tears. “So, what do we do now?”
I reached out and took her hand. “We make it real. We face whatever comes our way together.”
She squeezed my hand, shining eyes all determined. “Together.”
We walked on further, hand in hand, light of feet, which we hadn’t done for a long time. As we approached a park, I turned her to sit down on a bench. I still held her hand in mine.
“Megan, there’s something I need to tell you too,” I said, very low.
She turned her face toward me; her eyes inquired of what it was.
“It’s about your book,” I began. “I have been working on it, and I realized one thing: your story is not about being a professional boxer. It is about the journey, troubled times, and successes. And it is finding yourself.”
She nodded, her eyes closed, reflecting. “I never looked at it that way. I always thought it was just about the fights.”
“It’s so much more than that,” I persisted. “And I want to make sure the world sees the real you. The person I’ve come to know and love.”
She leaned forward, kissing me softly, languidly, full of meaning. “Thank you, Chris. For everything.”
We just sat there for a little while, enjoying each other’s company. The lights of the city twinkled around us, and I felt more calm than I had in a really long time.
After a minute, Megan spoke again. “So, what’s next for us?”
“Well,” I said, grinning back. “Why don’t we start out by finishing that book of yours? Together.”
She giggled, a bubbly sound that spread warmth through my chest. “Sounds like a plan.”
We walked back to the studio, and I could feel the excitement growing. We had so much work to do, but for the first time, it felt like we were really in this together.
At the studio, Max was gathering his supplies. As we came in, he looked up, peering intently at his face, a knowing look in his eyes. “Everything okay?”
Nodding, Megan still held my hand. “Better than okay. We’re ready to move on.”
Max nodded. “Good. You both have a lot of potential. I won’t let anything drag you down.”
“We won’t,” I said, feeling the determination rise in my belly.
The moment we left that studio, things were far from complete. Many more challenges lay waiting for us out front, but then again, we had each other-and with that, everything’s possible.
Megan squeezed my hand, her eyes filled with so much love. “Let’s do this, Chris. Let’s make our story one for the ages.”
I smiled back at her; hope and excitement for what was to come swelled inside. “Let’s do it.”