Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Faith walked next to Ryan, their footsteps echoing slightly in the vast room of the museum. She was entranced by everything she’d been seeing. Picturesque displays were paired with innovative interactive exhibits, and she was drawn in by everything. She always felt a kind of hushed peacefulness when she was in museums, as if time stopped there. She never felt rushed in a museum, and now that she’d been taking care of herself and had so much more energy overall, this museum experience was particularly wonderful for her.
It was so sweet of Ryan to take me here, she thought as she gazed up at a spinning globe, on which the cities of the world were lighting up and then dimming, over and over again as the globe spun, performing a kind of visual dance of lights. This place is amazing. It makes me feel even more at home in my new life.
The special exhibit that Ryan had brought her to was particularly fascinating. It had captured her attention the entire time, and she’d moved slowly through it so as to be able to read everything on the displays.
She’d been amazed by how high-quality the museum was, despite the fact that it wasn’t in any kind of a large city. It came very close to being the same quality as the museums in Boston.
As they moved past the spinning globe, she caught sight of her and Ryan’s reflections in a skyscraper model made out of mirrors and glass. Seeing the way he was trailing behind her slightly made her realize with a jolt that she hadn’t been paying much attention to him during their time in the museum. She’d spoken to him now and again and they’d shared a few smiles, but for the most part, she’d been wrapped up in her own little world. She always felt a little reverent in museums, and she’d been wandering from exhibit to exhibit almost in a trance.
She turned around to look at him, wanting to apologize for her unintentional rudeness. She certainly hadn’t meant to ignore him, but it had happened by accident. She didn’t want him to think that she wasn’t interested in him. She’d loved knowing that he was near her as they went from room to room. It had made the whole experience sweeter, knowing that he was close by and that he had brought her there because he knew she would love it.
As soon as she turned around, however, she froze. He was watching her, his eyes on her face with an intent expression. It was clear from the look on his face that he was more than just a little attracted to her. Her face heated as she fully recognized his deep interest in her for the first time.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. I’m just so thrilled by everything.”
“Are you?” He stepped closer to her, smiling. “I wasn’t sure. I was really hoping this place would make you happy, but you’ve been looking very serious.”
“I have?” She laughed. “I guess that’s just my thinking face. I am really happy.”
“Good.” He looked down at her, his eyes glowing with a tender look.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she said, “Thank you, Ryan. This really means a lot to me, that you brought me here.”
“Anytime,” he said, and slipped his hand around hers.
Butterflies ignited in Faith’s stomach. She squeezed his hand, and they continued their walk through the museum, pausing to look at the displays together. He didn’t let go of her hand, and she loved feeling his rough, warm fingers around hers.
They stepped into the next room, and Faith gasped. It was dark, but on the ceiling overhead was a majestic display of the constellations. Artificial stars glittered above Faith and Ryan like magic. Slow, ethereal music played over the loudspeakers, and Faith felt as though she was in some kind of wonderful dream.
“Let’s sit,” Ryan whispered, gesturing to some comfortable seats placed in the middle of the room.
They went together to a kind of couch, shaped almost like a bean. They sat down together on it and leaned their heads back, looking up at the ceiling. The couch was incredibly comfortable, and Faith felt a rush of relaxation go through her. Ryan didn’t let go of her hand.
“It’s amazing,” she murmured. “You can expect one thing, but then suddenly everything around you changes. I expected a dark ceiling, and now here we are underneath something so much beautiful than that.” She was talking about more than just the museum, and Ryan seemed to know, because he squeezed her hand. She was thinking about how her life had turned out so differently from how she’d expected it to, but it was so much more wonderful than what she’d once planned for herself. She was healing, and at peace with herself. She had more energy and self-assurance, and now she was sitting with a handsome man who was looking at her as if he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked softly.
She nodded, and he brought his lips to hers. Her heart swelled with happiness, and as soon as they pulled away from the kiss, they both smiled at each other warmly.
“I know what you mean,” he said. “About things turning out differently than how you’d expected. I think we get too cocky, thinking we know best about how to live our lives. But life is so much bigger than us.” He gestured to the ceiling. “There’s a better plan, something we just need to let ourselves fall into sometimes, instead of clinging too tightly to our own agendas.”
She nodded, agreeing with him. She didn’t know where her life was going to take her next, or where the plan that was not her own would lead her, but in that moment, she felt nothing but hopefulness and a sense of joy about the future.