Illicit Canvas: political romance and stand alone romance Read Free

myself not to look back. I lose the battle with my hardcore subconscious, and when I open the door, I turn back to look at him. Ethan is looking back at me with that same deliciously sexy smile.  
    I widen my eyes in panic and leave the gallery, almost bumping into another person on the way. I don’t even know what I’m doing walking back to the campus. I must have been in that gallery half an hour tops. Normally I stay for hours, walking around and admiring art. For the first time in my life I left not seeing every single piece.

Chapter Two
     

Arwen
     
    Ten minutes later I’m back in the park where I said goodbye to Colin earlier on, going over and over what happened in the gallery. Then that strange conversation from years ago comes back to me. One of my girlfriends said that I would always know if I were attracted to someone, that the feeling would be like a storm that comes in unexpectedly, wrecking everything on the way. One big, huge explosion of emotions.
    I sit there remembering these words and I know that this is exactly how I felt in the gallery. Lost within the river of heat. That man, Ethan—made me feel everything she described. My guilty conscience reminds me that I have Colin now, and Ethan was just some stranger that I will never, ever see again. Plus he was old enough to be my father. Laughing at my own thoughts, I find my phone and check the time. I still have at least two hours before another lecture. Maybe there is another gallery or museum somewhere nearby.
    When I met Colin, there was a kind of spark of attraction between us, yes, but the feeling was subtle; nothing like I felt with Ethan. I can’t go crazy over this. Even later on when I get home he is still in my head and I realise that maybe it wasn’t just my imagination; maybe he felt it too.  
    Several hours later in the evening, Colin arrives back at our flat bringing curry with sticky rice. He hasn’t been living in Belgium long. He moved here a couple of weeks ago to study, just like me. His parents are divorced and he has been living in London with his mother since he was twelve.
    “All right, ladies, chicken tikka masala, korma and lamb biryani,” he announces, grinning like a schoolboy. “And I have a few extra surprises for dessert.”
    “Yummy, I’m so glad we didn’t have to cook tonight,” states Maja, looking at all these dishes that Colin puts on our table. I had to tell him that Maja was going to be in. She met Colin briefly a couple of days ago, but like me, Maja doesn’t know anyone on campus. Yesterday she cooked some amazing Swedish meatballs for me, so I thought that I should return the favour tonight, having her join us. I noticed that Maja is quite nervous around strangers, especially men. She stays in her room mostly, reading and studying. She might be shy. Either way, we get on really well.
    Colin serves each dish onto three plates, and we all sit around our miniature table that can barely fit two people, let alone three. I’m still not used to how small our accommodation really is. We have a tiny living room with a bog standard kitchen. Colin looks up and raises his eyebrows, probably wanting to know how the food is.
    “You’ve done well, Colin. This is delicious,” I say with my mouth full.
    “Yes, thank you,” Maja adds. “Hey, did you guys know that there is a party on Saturday in Saint-Gilles? We should all go. Apparently it’s for freshers.”
    I look at her, amazed and surprised. Since we’ve been living together, she hasn’t been out at all and now all of a sudden she seems to be up for it. I guess I have a lot to learn about her.  
    “Hell, yeah,” Colin says. “I started playing for the local football team and all the boys mentioned that party. I think we should go. You won’t meet anyone if you keep sitting behind these four walls, Arwen. Listen to your roommate.”
    I smile and Maja goes red instantly. Colin likes to party a lot. He always talks about the clubs in London. I