The Girl In The Louvre - Chapter 30 A Rueful Smile

There was a lot of food so they did not know if they could finish it with just the two of them. That did not stop them from trying though, as they talked about art, food, and their lives, they continued to eat peacefully. Slowly, the quiche and stir fry disappeared into their stomachs and all that was left of the wonderful meal was some coconut rice.

As for two of them, they were relaxing in their chairs stuffed. The sun drawing closer to the horizon and they were both quite tired from a whole day of standing up painting. Using all her willpower, Zhi Rou stood up and picked up her plate. “I will wash the dishes then? After all, you made such an amazing meal for me.”

Looking at the woman in front of him, Zhang Wie suddenly thought of imprisoning her in in his house. That way she would always be there to eat with him. Just as fast as the thought filtered through his brain, it was also kicked out again. ‘Why would I think of something so stupid?’ Pretending nothing was wrong, he nodded to express his agreement.

There were not that many dishes as Zhang Wie cleaned up while he cooked and so Zhi Rou was finished in less than ten minutes. After pulling off the rubber gloves, Zhi Rou went outside to say goodbye to Zhang Wie. “I think the classes for today are done, don’t you?” smiling as she asked him, Zhi Rou went over to the hallway to grab her shoes.

“Yo-you, do you want to come over tomorrow?” Zhang Wie looked slightly flustered as he asked her. Leaning against the door frame he tried to hide his slight blush by looking away.

Actually, there was no need for him to hide, as Zhi Rou couldn’t see him from her bent down position. Picking up her shoes, Zhi Rou sat down on a stool and thought it over. “Sure, but how long do you think you want to take lessons for? I have school the day after tomorrow, so if you would like more tutoring sessions I think we should plan them ahead of time. ”

‘How long?’ this question stupefied Zhang Wie. When he first hired her, all he was looking for someone to tell him that he was actually a genius. Now though, he did not know what he wanted. Someone to fix his only flaw? Or someone to eat dinner with? Whichever it was, what was apparent was that she had to be with him. On that part, he was unexpectedly firm. “I don’t know, it seems like I will need a lot of tutoring.” Frowning deeply, he pretended to ponder over it while thinking of how to get her to stay as long as possible. “Maybe… A year?”

‘Whatever it is that I am feeling, I doubt it will elude me for a whole year.’ Thought Zhang Wie as he tried to understand his unusual behavior. ‘Besides, even if I don’t understand it by the end, these feelings might just go away.’ Unfortunately he did not know that these feelings that he thought would just “go away” would keep him up on countless, restless nights.

“A year?” taken aback, Zhi Rou was slightly startled by his answer. “Are you sure you want to invest that much time into painting?”

“Yes,” replied Zhang Wie firmly.

“Ah, okay. Even if you don’t want to spend that much time in the future we can change the arrangement whenever you want.” Standing up, Zhi Rou turned to say goodbye. “So, when do you wish to start lessons tomorrow?”

Walking her to the door, Zhang Wie thought about it. “I will be up by five, so any time after five-thirty is fine.”

“I will come around eight then, is that ok?”

“Hmm, sure.”

By now they were both standing just outside with the door open. It wasn’t dark out, but the sun was starting to go down. The light was much softer than the brilliant mid-day sun and the shadows grew longer. “I’ll be off then,” said Zhi Rou slightly awkwardly. Turning around quickly, she walked down the path toward the gate.

Watching he figure walk off into the distance, Zhang Wie stared thoughtfully. It was rare that he could connect with someone, and it was even rarer that he could connect with a girl. In the past, there was only one other. When his mind drifted towards the shadow in his mind he swiftly closed that part of his mind. ‘Sometimes, feelings should be kept in boxes,’ thought Zhang Wie. ‘At least, that way when you can hide them far away.’

Turning away from Zhi Rou’s figure, Zhang Wie looked in the direction lot five. Hidden by the high hedges was a mansion that, like the Zhang’s, was silent. The garden and house were still kept immaculate by the staff, but there was nobody home.

Forlorn, Zhang Wie whispered.”Hey, when will you come back. It was my fault okay? So please come back.” The only thing that answered him was the wind. Clouds slowly covered the sun, blocking its gentle rays as a storm brewed.

Glancing up at the changing atmosphere, a small tear flowed out of the corner of his eye as Zhang Wie smiled ruefully. Shaking his head, he walked back inside and closed the door. Without any of the joy that was apparent earlier, the halls and rooms of the mansion seemed to lose the glow from before. Once again the estate was silent.