My eyes lit up with curiosity as an anticipated look hung on my face.
"Another one?" I asked as an expectant smile fell on my face, a hint of excitement laced my voice. "What is it this time?"
"Just close your eyes first," he repeated, his eyes gleaming with amusement and the same excitement that was already brewing within me. "You will find out soon."
With the smile still lingering on my lips, I let my eyes flutter shut as my heart raced in my chest and my mind buzzed with thoughts. What could it be this time? I wonder why he would surprise me out of nowhere… but I guess I can't be complaining.
"Put your hands out," he said and I obliged, extending my arms as his voice jolted me back to reality.
My hands remained in the air for a while until I felt him place something on my palms. It was light, almost weighing nothing. I immediately knew what it was even with my eyes still shut, it was paper, a piece of paper. I opened my eyes and sure enough, my gaze flickered down and I found myself staring at a plain piece of sealed envelope.
I looked back up to meet his dark eyes that were swimming with excitement and anticipation. "Open it," he said with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"You are being suspicious, what's in this envelope?" I eyed it with caution in my eyes.
A low chuckle left his lips. "There's nothing suspicious about it, just open it and you will know."
I carefully tore the envelope open and pulled out the piece of paper from inside. My eyes glanced down to scan the document I was holding in my hand.
"Dear Aurelia Wilder…" I read out loud, my voice trembling with excitement. "We are pleased to have your artwork displayed at our upcoming art…exhibition…?!" My eyes grew wide as realisation dawned upon me and my mind finally registered what I had just said.
There was a moment of silence that lapsed between the both of us.
I looked up and my eyes fell on him. "Wait… are you serious?" The words left my lips in a high-pitched voice of excitement, disbelief written all over my face. "You are kidding, right? How? How did you…" my voice trailed off.
He let out another amused chuckle, unable to hold back the smile that was starting to spread across his lips. He nodded. "I'm serious. A hundred percent," he reaffirmed, a look of certainty crossed his face.
I put the paper aside, letting it lay on the dashboard. With a huge grin that was stretched across my face, I leaned forward and threw my arms around him to pull him into a hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I repeated through my smile, feeling immensely grateful at this opportunity that I didn't dare to dream of. My heart felt as though it was bursting at the seams, filled with warmth and joy.
He laughed, pulling back from the hug and we locked eyes. "Don't thank me, thank yourself. I only showed them how good your artwork is. The credit is all yours," he began with a smile. "And I knew how much you love doing your paintings, so when I heard of this exhibition, I immediately thought of you. I guess you could say that this is my gift to you, to celebrate our reunion, you could say."
A soft giggle escaped from my parted lips, my cheeks were tinged red as shyness overwhelmed me.
"Well, yeah… but without you, I wouldn't have gotten this opportunity. So, thank you, Xavier."
I watched as the corners of his lips twitched upwards into a slight smile.
"Anything for you."
***
"I want to thank Mr Jones personally and explain the inspiration behind my work."
That was what I told Xavier not too long ago and before I knew it, I found myself in one of those fancy restaurants where chandeliers decorated the exquisite interior while the soft classical music played in the background.
Xavier had helped to arrange the dinner for us.
We have gotten one of those private rooms for just the two of us, tucked away at a quiet corner of the restaurant, with only the waiters walking by occasionally. Mr Jones was sitting opposite of me, dressed in a black long sleeved button down shirt and long black pants with his dark hair gelled back.
He was this middle aged bearded man, probably in his late 40s or early 50s. I could see that some strands of his dark hair were starting to fade to grey, some even starting to turn white. His dark brown eyes met mine and I watched as his lips curled upwards into a slight smile that was etched onto his face.
"I'm impressed, really," he began, his deep voice reaching my ears. "Your art, I have seen it. It definitely deserves a place at our exhibition."
I let a smile grace my lips. "I'm flattered, Mr Jones. I couldn't thank you enough for this opportunity," I said, my tone was genuine.
The smile on his face grew wider as he kept his gaze steady on mine. Leaning forward, he placed his hand to rest on mine. "Call me Henry," he said, his hand lingering on mine a second too long.
I cleared my throat audibly but he didn't seem to notice or care at all.
A feeling of unease settled over me in an instant and I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with each passing second. But I didn't want to overthink it, he was probably just being friendly, it was a normal gesture. So, I shook that thought off my head and kept the smile on my face.
A low chuckle emerged from his throat this time. "And absolutely, it's my pleasure. No need to be so formal," the words rolled off the tip of his tongue smoothly and his voice broke me out of my little reverie. He leaned back into the chair this time, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, I'm intrigued. Tell me more about your artwork, what was your inspiration behind your art?" He asked, his dark brown eyes burning with curiosity and anticipation laced his voice.
Whatever happened earlier, I have forgotten about it. My mind was only focused on his question, I was more than happy and excited to share more about my art. After all, it is not often that someone would actually ask you.
I let a smile fall on my lips as we locked eyes.
"Well…" I began my voice trailing off. "I would say that I love Claude's work," I paused, letting a soft laughter slip through the gaps of my fingers.
"Cliche I know…" I continued, mumbling under my breath. "But his works are one of my biggest inspirations, it's like a breath of fresh air. I love working with nature and bringing in pops of colours into my works, with just a bit of my own twist to it."
"Good…" he murmured. "That sounds good…" he said as he leaned forward, extending his arm to rest on my thigh this time. His thumb was rubbing against the fabric of my long black dress in a suggestive manner as his eyes were glazed with lust.
A frown appeared on my face in a split second, and just as I reached to shove his hand off my body, a shrill voice pierced through the air.
"What are you doing?!"