Page 58 of Elite Connections: an LGBTQ Romance Charity Anthology

“Everything okay?”Raven asks.

It was a good day at the winery with her.

No.

A great day.

I find that the more time I spend with her, the less this thing starts to feel fake between us.

Raven can put anyone at ease. We’ve met a few of the other couples that are here to try and buy the company. They are fine. Nothing that would make me want to give my company over to them.

Maybe I’m biased, but Raven should be a lock to get it. No one else has the personality that she does to run this company. Or maybe it’s the passion. Either way, she’s perfect for it.

But it doesn’t make it any easier to be away from my sister.

This was why I struggled with leaving. As much as this would help our living situation, it’s hard to leave Avi. With so much upheaval in her life already, the last thing I want to do is feel like I’m leaving her behind.

I read the email from Avi again. Another issue with one of her teachers over some petty reason. It seems no matter what she does, they are going to have an issue with her. I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t come from a traditional family, but I do everything I can to make school easier for her.

A fruitless effort it seems.

“Sorry. Just missing home right now.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Raven drops onto the couch in our living room next to me. It’s funny how over the course of our time here, this hotel suite has started to feel like a home away from home.

“Not really.”

Raven’s gaze is assessing, trying to figure out what could be the cause of my change in mood tonight. Because who could possibly be upset after spending the day in the Italian countryside drinking wine?

I’m not ready to tell her about Avi. She’s the most important person in my life, and not something I use to gain sympathy.

“Want to get out of here?”

“And go where?” Darkness has settled upon Milan. We didn’t get back until late, tipsy on wine and full of the finest foods Italy has to offer.

“I have an idea. Give me a few minutes.”

Patting my knee, Raven taps on her phone before putting it to her ear. She paces in front of the terrace. Lights from the city filter in. With the soft glow of the lamps in the hotel room, she looks like an angel.

One that has been sent to whisk me away from my real life.

No matter how brief of a time.

“Let’s go.” She ends the call and holds out her hand to me.

“Go where?”

Her laugh is soft and sweet. “I promise, you’ll love it.”

I can’t help but eye her suspiciously. When your younger sister comes and lives with you, you can’t help but be wary of situations where you don’t know what’s coming.

I wish I weren’t, but it’s hard not to be.

“Okay.”

Raven gives me a beaming smile as I take her hand. We exchange few words as we head down to the lobby and get into a waiting car.

Even though it’s dark, I can see that people on the streets are dressed for the clubs.

“You better not be taking me to a club.”

Raven rolls her eyes, turning to face me in the backseat of the car. “Blair, please. I know you by now.”

“And?” I question.

“And the last thing you’d want to do is go to a club.”

“You’re right. So where are we going?” I cross my eyes, letting my knees bump with hers in the back of the car.

“We’re here.”

The car slows to a stop as Raven points to an older building in a quiet square. A small café has a few patrons under sidewalk umbrellas, but other than that, it’s empty. We’re away from the main tourist attractions here.

“What exactly is here?”

Raven ignores me as she grabs my hand—sending shockwaves through me—and leads me to a small side door of a brick building. After she exchanges a few words with the guard there, he smiles and then leads us inside.

“Raven…”

“Just wait,” she shushes me.

Her smile is lighting up her entire face as the security guard opens another door and points us down a hallway.

“C’mon.”

Raven tugs me after her in what gives way to a cavernous space. That opens up to Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

“Raven.”

The painting takes up the entire wall before us. Dropping her hand, I get as close as I can. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so beautiful in my life.

People come from all corners of the globe to see this painting, and somehow, it’s just the two of us.

The room is empty. Not a single person is in here. It’s so quiet, you can hear a pin drop.

“It’s stunning,” I whisper.

The air feels different in here, like if I breathe too loudly, it’ll upset the painting. I want to give it the respect it’s due.

Without hordes of people, we get an up close and personal view of the piece.

The brush strokes.

The details of each person.

The imperfections.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“Me neither.”

I turn to face Raven, but her eyes are on me. The way her eyes are seeing me—truly seeing me—has my heart stuttering in my chest.

It shouldn’t be like this. Not with someone who isn’t my girlfriend. Not my real girlfriend anyway.

“How’d you know I would want to see this?”

She only shrugs a shoulder. “I thought it might be on your list.”

Closing the distance between us, I wrap her in a hug. Being with her here calms every anxious nerve I was feeling earlier. Which is no easy feat.

Raising Avi on my own basically guarantees I’m on edge all the time.

Except now. Right now, all I have to think about is Raven and the gift of peace she’s given me in the form of a painting that’s hundreds of years old.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Her breath ghosts over my neck, sending shivers through me. God, every move this woman makes has me yearning for her that much more.

“How did you make this happen?” My voice is in awe as I absorb every detail of the painting.

“With a large enough donation, anything can happen.”

Raven continues to surprise me. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

“You deserve to see everything you want to on this trip.”

I want to kiss her. To shower her with the passion she deserves from a woman. Because as much as Raven has said her work is her life, she deserves someone that would put her first.

I wish it could be me. I wish I could give Raven every part of me, except I can’t. God, I wish I could.

Most people wouldn’t go to so much trouble to see some old historic painting. But Raven did.

Within a few days, she’s learned what I like and dislike. And nothing could take my mind off missing my sister like this.

Pulling back, I stare into the deep brown depths of her eyes. There is nothing but sincerity there, wanting to make my own pain go away.

“Seriously, thank you for this.”

“Again, no thanks needed.”

Our voices echo in the quiet of the hall.

I shrug a shoulder, staring at the painting in front of me. “I never would have gotten to see this in person if it weren’t for you.”

Raven’s eyes are fierce as she holds my stare. “I would give you the world if I could.”

And for a moment, I believe her.

Because Raven would be able to make that happen.

If only it were a world I existed in.