Chapter Fourteen The Memory
For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then Colette clapped her hands together."Okay, everyone. You may begin."
The room came to life. Paint bottles opened, rushes were picked up. Conversations started around the room.Camille looked down at her blank canvas. Then up at Simone. Simone was already sorting through paint colors. Camille narrowed her eyes.
"What part are you painting?"Simone laughed.
"No.""Come on.""Colette just said no peeking.
" Simone said, trying to be serious but laughing.Camille pointed her brush at her.
"Do you always have to follow the rules?
""This is exactly why we skipped that day, you’re a bad influence.
"Camille laughed so hard, she couldn’t paint.
Every time she tried, she would just laugh, because it was true, it was her idea not to go to school that day.
Simone was laughing now."I just want a hint.
" Camille said"No.""A tiny hint.""No."Camille sighed dramatically.
"You're no fun."Simone laughed."That's rich coming from you.
"Camille shook her head and looked down at her canvas.
Senior ditch day. Out of all the memories they could have chosen, they had somehow landed on the same one.Across the room, Colette watched them for a moment before smiling at herself.
Some things, apparently, didn't need to be explained.Finally, Camille dipped her brush into paint.
And the memory came rushing back.Colette moved from table to table, offering advice, answering questions, and occasionally making people laugh.Every now and then, her eyes went back toward Camille and Simone.
Neither of them noticed. They were too focused on their canvases.And each other.Camille carefully added another stroke of paint before looking up.
"Can I ask you something?"Simone looked over.
"Depends."Camille laughed."Why senior ditch day?
"Simone smiled."What do you mean?""Out of all the memories we have.
"Camille dipped her brush into paint."Why that one?
"Simone looked back at her canvas. For a moment, she smiled.
"It was a really good day."Camille nodded.
"It was.""We had fun.""Yeah, we did."Camille looked up again.
"But what made it so important?"Simone's brush paused.
"It was our last week of school."Camille narrowed her eyes.
Simone kept painting."But why was it important?
"Simone opened her mouth. Then closed it. Because she couldn’t tell the truth.
Thankfully, a familiar voice appeared beside them.
"And how are my favorite troublemakers doing?
"Both women looked up. Colette stood beside their table, smiling.Camille laughed.
"Favorite?""Of course."Colette placed a hand over her heart.
"You chose the same memory in less than thirty seconds.
"She pointed between them."That has never happened in one of my classes.
"Simone laughed."Really?""Never."Colette looked at their canvases.
"I am very interested to see how this turns out.
"Camille angled hers away."No peeking."Colette laughed.
"Don’t worry."She held up both hands."I would never.
"The three of them laughed together as the sounds of brushes and conversation continued around the room.
Colette walked away.Camille dipped her brush into the dark blue paint and carefully dragged it across the canvas.
Slowly, the sky began to take shape.The memory felt surprisingly easy to paint.
Almost like it had been sitting in the back of her mind all these years, waiting.She could still remember that night.
The two of them stretched out on the beach long after sunset.Talking about everything and nothing.
College. The future. Where they thought life would take them.
Then, Simone looked over and smiled. Then said something Camille had never forgotten.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be here.
"At the time, it had felt like something a best friend would say.
Twenty-three years later, Simone had kept that promise.
Every single time.Camille smiled at herself.
No matter what was happening in her life, Simone always showed up.
When things were good. When things were bad.When everything felt like it was falling apart.
She was there. Camille's brush slowed. Her eyes lifted from the canvas.
Across the table, Simone was focused on her painting.Completely unaware she was being watched.
Was that why this trip felt different? The thought caught her off guard.Maybe it was because of how attentive Simone had been.
Or the way she always seemed to know what Camille needed before she asked.Or maybe, Camille looked at her again.
Maybe it was the way she'd been looking at her lately.
And she'd noticed herself noticing it.Across the table, Simone carefully blended orange into the edge of the sky.
The sunset was coming together exactly how she remembered it.
The sound of Camille laughing somewhere beside her. The waves. The breeze. And she could still see all of it.It was one of their best days. No responsibilities. Just the two of them. For hours, they had wandered the beach talking about everything that came to mind.
She remembered sitting there, watching Camille talk.
Watching her smile. Watching her laugh. And suddenly thinking something she had never thought before.I'm in love with her.Back then, the realization had terrified her.
She'd spent weeks trying to convince herself she wasn't. Months, if she was being honest. But the feeling had never gone away.Not then.
Not now. Simone's brush slowed. Because there was another reason she remembered that day.
Later that night, sitting beneath the stars, she'd made Camille a promise.One she had never broken.No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you.At the time, Camille had smiled and accepted it like it was the easiest promise in the world.
For Simone, it had meant something more.It had meant forever.
Whether Camille knew it or not. Whether she ever felt the same way or not.
Simone would always be there.The trip was making it harder to ignore.
The smiles. The looks. The way Camille had been seeking her out.The way she kept moving closer.
Simone lifted her eyes from the canvas. And froze.
Camille was already looking at her. Not away.
Not distracted.Looking directly at her. For a second neither, looked away.
Then Camille smiled.Soft. Almost shy. Simone felt her heart stumble.
And despite every effort not to, she smiled back.For the next hour, the room filled with the sounds of brushes against canvas, quiet conversations, and occasional laughter.Camille and Simone painted.
But mostly, they talked."Do you remember how nervous I was?
" Simone asked.Camille looked up from her canvas.
"About skipping school?" "Yes."Camille laughed.
"You almost backed out.""I did not.""You absolutely did.
"Simone pointed her brush at her."I was being responsible.
""You were scared."The couple at the next table laughed.
"I was not scared.""You called me three times that morning.
""Okay, maybe I was scared."Camille laughed.
"See."Simone shook her head."I blame you.
""For what?""You were a bad influence."The couple beside them laughed again.
"I was an excellent influence.""You convinced me skipping one day of school would somehow improve my grades.
""It made you less stressed before finals.
"Simone thought about it. "That's actually true.
""Exactly."Camille smiled and returned to painting.
For a few minutes, both focused on their canvases.Then Simone laughed.
"What?" Camille asked."Remember when we got lost?
""Oh my God." Camille dropped her head."That was the worst part of the day.
" Camille said. "We knew where the beach was.
" Simone said"But I think we got off at the wrong exit.
"The woman at the next table laughed."How long?
"Simone looked at Camille.“Over an hour.
"Camille pointed her brush at her."That's because you wouldn't ask for directions.
""I was seventeen.""You were stubborn.""I still am, that part hasn't changed. "Camille laughed."No, it hasn't."
The conversation drifted from one memory to another. Some funny. Some embarrassing. And somehow, every story led back to the same thing.The two of them. Always the two of them. Eventually, Colette clapped her hands together. The room slowly got quiet.