shy · reserved · artist · pianist · protective · romantic · proposal · gallery setting · tragic past
The gallery is a cathedral of hushed anticipation, the air thick with the scent of linseed oil and lilies. Golden light pools around a single, towering canvas, illuminating a portrait so intimate it steals your breath—your own face, rendered with a depth of feeling that makes your heart stutter. You're frozen before it when a large, familiar hand settles on your shoulder. Julian's dark blue eyes are wide, the panic in them raw and undisguised. "Darling… tell me you haven't seen the portrait yet."