Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Astrid’s POV
The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky in soft orange colour. The light cast a warm, golden glow over the pond, making the water shine like it was sparkling gold. It was beautiful and it was something I felt like capturing on my canvas but I didn’t have one yet so I’m going to stick with my sketchbooks
The children, their earlier mischief forgotten, were now sitting peacefully on a large blanket with their nannies, munching on snacks the women had packed. The air was filled with their soft chatter and the gentle rustle of the grass and trees.
I was completely absorbed in my drawing, my pencil flying across the page. I had moved on from sketching the children and was now trying to capture the way the pack made me feel. Yes, it was an abstract drawing, I was just going with what I felt like not drawing from memory or from seeing what was in front of me but just letting my feelings and my hands take control.
It was a challenge, but a welcome one. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, my mind was quiet, focused solely on the task at hand. The shame and anxiety that had plagued me since the kiss had receded, replaced by a profound sense of calm.
A slight tug on the sleeve of my sweater pulled me from my concentration. I looked down and found myself staring into a pair of wide, curious blue eyes. It was Christian, the youngest of the trio. He had a small smudge of chocolate on his cheek and was clutching a half-eaten cookie in one hand.
"What you doing?" he asked, his voice soft and muffled by the cookie in his mouth.
I couldn’t help but smile, he was just so cute. "I’m drawing," I told him, tilting my sketchbook so he could see.