Then pressed it gently against the white canvas.
A perfect handprint remained.
"There."
"I'm officially part of someone's masterpiece."
Ethan looked at the paint.
Then at her.
A mischievous smile spread across his face.
"What?"
Before she could react...
He lightly dabbed a tiny streak of yellow paint across the tip of her nose.
She gasped.
"Ethan Harrison!"
He laughed.
"It suits you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, you're going to regret that."
Moments later, she returned the favor with a streak of green across his cheek.
The children erupted into cheers.
"Again!"
Again?"
"No," Ethan laughed.
"We're adults."
One little girl crossed her arms.
"You don't look like adults."
Ophelia burst into laughter.
"You heard the expert."
By late afternoon, they sat on a wooden bench overlooking the river, each holding a cup of coffee.
The crowd had begun to thin.
The breeze carried fallen leaves across the water.
For a while, they simply watched the boats drift by.
Then Ethan spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You've already asked me several."
"This one's different."
She nodded.
"What makes you happy?"
She looked out across the river.
"The little things."
"Like?"
"A child laughing."
"The smell of books."
"Rain against my window."
"A good painting."
She smiled softly.
"And conversations that don't feel forced."
He looked at her.
"I like those too."
Silence settled between them.
Not awkward.
Comfortable.
The kind that only existed between people who didn't feel the need to impress one another.
As the sun dipped lower, they began walking back toward the parking area.
Neither noticed the man standing near a coffee stand.
A camera hung casually around his neck.
He raised it.
Click.
Another photograph.
Click.
This time, he zoomed in on Ophelia's face.
Then on Ethan.
He lowered the camera and slipped into the crowd before anyone noticed he had been there.
That evening, after dropping Ophelia home, Ethan remained in his car for several minutes.
His phone buzzed.
A message from her.
Ophelia: Thank you for today.
He smiled.
Then typed back.
Ethan: Thank you for saying yes.
She read it almost immediately.
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
Ophelia: I think today was the first time I laughed without remembering I was supposed to be grieving.
Ethan read the message twice.
He didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he looked up at the night sky.
Then he typed carefully.
Ethan: You don't dishonor the people you love by smiling again. Sometimes, smiling is how we honor them.
Ophelia stared at his message for a long time.
Then she whispered into the quiet of her apartment,
"I hope you're right."
She didn't know it yet...
But somewhere else in the city, someone was pinning the photographs of her and Ethan onto a board.
And above them, written in thick black ink, were three chilling words.
WATCH THEM CLOSELY.