Lingering Kisses

"Thanks a lot Mr. Lowell for the extension." Paul said glancing at the curator at the Art Gallery. "No problem at all, Paul. Your parents would be proud of you if they knew how far you've come." Mr. Lowell said as he admired the paintings that were on the wall, "I like this painting. But too bad you're not selling it. This painting must be pretty special, huh?" the curator added while looking at the painting of a smiling woman with brunette hair.
Paul cleared his throat and chuckled, "Well, after this exhibit... I'm gonna give it to someone special as a birthday gift." He stared at the painting and smiled to himself. "Let me guess, to the model of the painting who is currently the one you're in love with, am I right?" The old man stated. The young artist couldn't answer at first then he said, "Yep, she's a very special."

"Who's very special?"

When Paul turned, he saw woman with long curly blonde hair and blue eyes who he was very familiar with. The woman walked towards him and kissed his cheek. "Long time no see, Paul." The woman said.
"Samantha?" Paul muttered. He stared at the blonde woman in shock.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked as she smiled at him. "I'm good, Sam. When did you come back?" Paul cleared his throat and smile. Sam giggled while she took his hand in a very romantic gesture, "I wanna talk to you, Paul. Let's talk about us." She said.



"So, she's trying to hook up with you again? That makes no sense." Tyler said as he place the tray in front of Paul and Anna. "She was the one who dumped you, right? So, why now?" Anna began nibbling on the big burger in her hands.
Paul chuckled and said, "I don't really care what she wants. I already have someone special."



"Charlie, remind me again how will we celebrate your birthday?" Chuck asked as he scanned Psychology reference books in her office. "Nothing special. I'll cook a feast then you, me, Paul, Anna, Riley and Tyler are gonna celebrate it without any drama, got it?" Charlie said.

Chuck stared at his little sister who was frustrated with the manuscripts piled on her table. "Shit, where the fuck is my editor when you need her!?" she blurted out.
"Hey, bad-mouth sister. Calm down." He said then walked towards her and helped her sort out the pages, "Where is Ellie? I haven't seen her since last week." he added.
"She's doing some job hunting. Her contract with the company is gonna end three months from now and right now, I'm sorta...trying to figure out who my next editor will be." Charlie sighed and leaned back to her chair when she finally finished sorting the thick manuscript.

Chuck patted her back and said, "Relax, sis. I'll get Riley to help you sort out the manuscripts, alright? I'll try getting Anna and Tyler as well. Do you want Paul to help out too?"
"Not Paul. He's busy with his exhibit and I've been bothering him too much because I'm invading his workplace already." She stated as she picked up the phone and dialed some random numbers.



The next day, Paul checked on Charlie next door and saw that she wasn't there. He went to her office and found her sleeping on the office chair. He slowly walked towards her and picked her up. She slowly opened her eyes and found Paul carrying her towards the couch. "Hey..." she called for him. Paul smiled at her and said, "You should've called me when you needed some help."
"Nah, it's alright. You have a lot of things going on with your exhibit as well. I can't bother you with my manuscript sorting." She said while trying to get up. She looked like she needed more sleep. "Shit..." she cursed under her breath.
"Anna and Riley already cooked breakfast. They're waiting for us downstairs..." he stopped as he noticed how tired his 'girlfriend' is, he took her hand, "You shouldn't over-exert yourself, Charlie." he added. Charlie wrapped her arms around Paul and pulled him close, "Don't worry. I'll be fine, Paul. You're such a worrywart." she said.
Paul and Charlie stayed like that for a moment. He didn't want to let her go at all because he knows that she'll be doing the same thing over and over again until she can't get up anymore. And he didn't want Charlie to overwork herself.



At the Gallery, Paul found Sam waiting for him again. "I already told you that there's no more chance, Sam. I'm already over you and so should you." he said.
"What if I'm not? C'mon Paul. Let's drink some coffee at the cafe across the street. Let's talk, please?" She said as she took his hand and dragged him out of the Gallery again.

He found himself in the same situation once more. Sam was sitting across the table and him on the other side. She smiled at him, "Give me another chance, Paul." she said.
Paul sighed and groaned, "I told you I can't. I already have someone else."
"Who is she then? What is she like?" She suddenly asked. Paul, on the other hand, was getting frustrated as he rolled his eyes, "Her name is Charlie and she's very beautiful. That's it." he said as he stood up and started leaving the cafe.

Sam followed him and when they got outside, she grabbed his head and pulled him into a deep kiss. After a quick moment, he pushed her. When he was about to cross the street, he was looking into familiar eyes across the street. It was Charlie and she was with Riley who was shock about what just happened.

At the other side, Charlie gasped as she felt tears streaming down her face. She immediately wiped the tears and started to walk at the opposite direction. Riley followed her to the car and they drove away from the scene. They saw a glimpse of Paul trying to go after them but she just left.

She sobbed as she held the steering wheel tightly, "It hurts..."