Masterpiece [h.s]

thirty

Everyone in the room is staring and waiting for her to answer. Her heart says yes and her mind says no. Carter can't breathe.

The words fall from her lips before she can stop them, her heart winning the war against her mind. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

Suddenly the room bursts out in cheers and claps and there are tears falling from her eyes. Harry slides the beautiful diamond ring on her finger and stands up to pull her into his arms and kiss her deeply, making it ten times harder for her to breathe.

His hands move to her cheeks and he's smiling against her lips. She can't help but to smile too even though her heart is threatening to leap out of her chest and her lungs are ready to collapse.

He pulls away and she practically gasps for air. Harry does something similar, but far less dramatic and his smile rivals the light from the entire city outside as he tells her the familiar three words that he's been telling her for so long now. "I love you so much."

Carter grins and shuts out the negativity in her mind entirely as she rests her hand on his cheek. "I love you too. And the fact that you listened to me and didn't wear those weird prints just to spite me."

The two burst out in laughter, "I actually wasn't planning on wearing them tonight anyway, but for the record, they still aren't weird."

She laughs loudly and leans into his embrace, "Shut up."

* * *

Carter rests her head on Harry's chest. She's wide awake and the sun will come out soon.

They went back to their hotel room around midnight after Harry finished his business at the gallery, which included showing off his new fiancée.

Of course, their neighbors were pissed about their noise level earlier in the day and shouted at them the moment that they entered the hall. And of course they ignored them to go inside and get right to the slow and passionate after-engagement sex.

Now, hours have gone by and she's still wide awake with her head on his chest and his heartbeat and soft snores filling her ears.

Her mind is racing at a thousand miles an hour and her body is at war with itself. She desperately wants to stay and she desperately wants to leave because she's entirely overwhelmed.

Harry's sleeping soundly with a soft smile on his lips, he's even happy in his dreams, and small snores escaping every so often.

He's beautiful and he's everything that she's ever wanted, so why is she so conflicted because he's asked her to marry him?

Has she settled down too soon? Is this the right choice?

Carter's in a constant debate with herself as she gets out of bed and starts to get dressed. Harry's still sleeping when she leaves, and she hopes that he'll be alright because she really does love him, she's just not ready for this yet and she doesn't have it in her to just tell him that.

The morning sun peaks through the curtains in warm rays. Harry wakes up to brightness behind his eyelids and the absence of warmth in the bed beside him.

He doesn't panic though because sometimes Carter gets up before him to make breakfast, or to use the bathroom, or to tattoo a special client somewhere, so it's not exactly common or uncommon. It just happens sometimes.

It's freezing outside, but it's warm under the blankets and it's almost lulling him back to sleep.

Harry turns over on his side, a small smile on his lips as he sees the imprint that she's left in the mattress.

Moments later, his heart drops and his lungs stop working.

Her engagement ring is on her pillow, gleaming in the morning light, and a ripped piece of paper is beneath it.

With trembling hands, he picks up the ring and the paper, tears already streaming down his cheeks like steady rainfall.

I'm sorry.

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read, voted, commented, or all three on this book! You're support means so much and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading this little spurt of my imagination.

DON'T PANIC: THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL.

The sequel will be called The Artist and will be posted as soon as I get the first chapter written and, for those of you that go on to read the sequel, thank you so much and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it :)

ALSO: Along with a sequel, I have created a book for 'deleted scenes' that is titled EXTRAS. If you would like to read more of Masterpiece (the sequel as well), then that's the place to go!