33. Arya

I wake up with a jolt the day of the exhibition. With my hair sticking to my sweaty forehead and eyes wet with remnants of stray tears, I peal myself out of bed. I hadn't talked to Seth after my slight panic attack yesterday and he isn't replying to any of my texts either. A bad feeling winds through my core but I have to ignore it in order to get ready for the day.

If the past two days were exhausting, today is going to take the cake, smash it to the ground and then rub my face into it!

There is absolutely no time to waste as Alex is already on my case about getting everything done. Even now as I have managed to drag myself into the bathroom to get ready I can hear him pacing around in the living area, giving orders on the phone. There is way too much to do still and not enough time to get it all done. If I could, I would split myself in half and try to get twice as much done as a single me ever could.

Knowing that I'll probably be working all day and not get a single minute to freshen up before the exhibition, I scrub my body viciously, use a bit too much hairspray to force my curled hair into submission and apply an extra layer of make-up. I make a mental note to put my deodorant and face powder into my purse and take a deep breath before joining Alex in the living area.

He acknowledges me with the hint of a nod, listening intently to whomever he's talking to on the phone. I grab my purse off the coffee table and quickly shove all the necessities for the day in. Next to my purse there's a to-go cup of coffee and a croissant waiting for me. I gratefully accept the coffee but can't even think about eating as my stomach is in knots.

"Are we ready for the day?" Alex asks, shoving his phone into his jeans pocket. For a second I wonder how he manages to squeeze his phone in there as his dark jeans are that sort of skinny that looks like it would allow no room for a huge smartphone.

"Arya?" He snaps me out of it and I realize I must have been staring at his crotch with a confused expression.

"Sorry. Yeah, I'm ready." My voice comes out cracked and shaky as I blush. Alex lifts one brow at me but shakes his head and turns toward the door.

"We should really get going. They're waiting for us at the gallery already."

"Wait, Alex," I stop him before he can open the door. "I've been thinking about what you said... about staying here."

I now have his attention as he fully turns towards me and crosses his arms in front of his chest. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for what's to come.

"I'm not staying. I really appreciate the offer but I can't stay here." I am prepared to go into detail, apologize and make sure that he doesn't get mad at me but he cuts me off with a sigh and another shake of his head. I'm not sure if it is annoyance or disappointment on his face but whatever it is, I can tell that my answer is less than satisfactory.

"Well, I'm not making you stay. Your flight leaves tomorrow morning as we discussed. Be ready. I'll have a car pick you up and drive you to the airport so don't worry about that but now we really have to get going."

As I enter the hotel lobby, I catch of glimpse of the outside world. I had been too busy getting ready that I hadn't looked outside at all. It snowed! Although I thought it impossible, it's even colder outside than it was yesterday. The buildings are covered in white. Light penetrates the slight flurry and this couldn't be more beautiful. A true winter wonderland. 

There's a loud honk and I jump. That was a clear sign:

Stop enjoying yourself and get the hell to work!

I scurry into the car, trying not to slip on snow and ice.

Once I am inside, Alex is all business. The whole day is spent organizing, talking to the other artists and adding the finishing touches to the gallery. I am exhausted but the later it gets, the more adrenaline pumps through my veins. Any worried thoughts are banned from my brain and I try to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that something's wrong. For once I need to ignore my intuition and just do as I'm told.

When five o'clock rolls around, Alex approaches me and tells me that it's almost time to open the doors. I escape to the toilet for a few seconds to make sure I'm not a complete mess. I also take a peek at my phone only to be disappointed. Quickly, I dial Seth's number, praying for him to pick up. To my surprise he still doesn't answer the phone and the fact that he hasn't tried to comfort me at all has my heart beating with pure anxiety.

Not only that but the fact that Alex pitched an idea for the exhibition to me last night almost drives me to insanity. I would be the center of attention all over again. I would depicted as something that would rile people up. This might go really well or really, really badly.

There's a knock on the door.

"One second!" I shout and stuff my face powder, phone and lip balm back into my purse. I run my hands over my hair, trying to slick down the fly-aways.

When I burst through the door, Beatrice greets me with a brilliant smile. She wraps her arms around me, pulls back and places feathery kisses on each of my cheeks.

"Belle, there you are. Look, they are all here for you," she exclaims excitedly, hooking her arm under mine.

People are slowly entering the gallery. Alex is at the entrance, greeting each one of them. He looks completely in his element. Like this is what he does every day.

"They're not all here for me." I try not to sound too pessimistic. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I've been giving. I just wish I could watch it all as a bystander. "There are other great artists here."

"You are very humble... but you are right, I suppose. Everyone here is either very talented or very talented at finding talent." Beatrice laughs and steers me towards the entrance and Alex. Once he spots us, he immediately waves us over.

"There she is! My very own prodigy." I blush when Alex takes my hand into his and pulls me towards him.

The elderly couple that stands in front of him eyes me curiously. If I'm not wrong, I would say they are both in their sixties. The woman dressed in a fashionable red costume and the man in a sleek navy suit. They both have an air of superiority to them but wear pleasant smiles as Alex introduces me to them.

"Well, young lady," the man speaks up, "We are all very interested in your work today. A lot of us have come for you. We may look like shriveled up prunes but trust that we have our eye on fresh talents! We are not as conservative as some might have you believe."

I blow out a relieved breath.

"That's really good to hear," I mutter.

"Oh dear, don't be nervous! It's going to be fine, I promise. We'll love it."

"Thank you so much. It was really nice meeting you," I say politely as Alex urges me towards the next person.

The next few hours I spend by Alex's side. We talk and talk and talk all night. Sometimes about the displayed art, sometimes about my story and sometimes even about my life back home. Most people are at least polite if not ecstatic about meeting me. To say that all of this is overwhelming is the understatement of the century. I've never in my life seen so many wealthy people in one place!

Finally I get a few free minutes to myself and I go to the bar that has been set up near the entrance. I get myself a tall glass of ice cold water and chug it down. I haven't eaten since this morning and barely got a chance to have a drink so this feels like heaven.

Fishing my phone out of my purse, I notice that I have one missed call.

Sam.

I decide to call him back now. He might be able to tell me if something's up with Seth. I make sure to tell Alex where I'm going and put on my winter coat before exiting the gallery. The fresh air is a blessing and clears my mind before I press the call button next to Sam's name on my phone.

"Arya, hi!" He answers the phone.

"Hey! Sorry I couldn't call back earlier. I'm still in the middle of the exhibition and I get the feeling that it's not going to be over any time soon."

"Oh don't worry. Tonight's your night. I didn't want to disturb you," Sam explains and I chuckle.

"You're actually giving me a good enough excuse to take a break."

"Glad I could be of service. So how's everything going over there? Are you rocking those Yankees asses?!" I laugh again and shake my head.

"They seem to be liking me. They haven't seen my painting yet... so I couldn't be too sure. They might see it and run and then tomorrow all the newspapers will be ripping me apart." Just the thought of it mixed with the icy New York cold has me shivering. I wrap one arm around my torso.

"Oh shut up. They'll love it. No doubt. You're in New York. Those guys love crazy shit. They'll for sure love your insane scribbles." Sam mocks and I can only imagine the smirk he's wearing.

"Gee, thanks, cuz."

"You're welcome," he sniggers on the other line but gets serious again. "Hey listen, once you get back home, I need to talk to you about something so I'd really like it if you could come over here first. It's kind of a big deal and I want you to hear about it from me first."

"Now I'm worried. Did something happen?" I try to keep the panic from my voice but know that my cousin knows me well enough to realize that I've already picked up on his own discomfort.

"No, not in the sense that you're thinking. I just want to have a talk with you and I'd really like to see you once you get home. I'll pick you up from the airport if you like." That brings me back to the main reason why I called back Sam.

"Um, sure, okay. I'll have to talk to Seth first, though. He might want to pick me up as well. I just want to make sure that he knows that you're picking me up," I explain. "Hey, speaking of Seth. Have you seen him lately?"

"No. Haven't seen him since he left my apartment. Why? Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. He hasn't been answering my calls and hasn't texted either."

"Hm, don't read too much into it. He's a guy after all. He might just be busy." Sam is probably right. I should just give it some time. Seth wouldn't try to hurt me on purpose. There's most likely a good enough reason for his silence towards me.

"You're right," I admit with a sigh.

"Of course I am. Now go enjoy your night. Have your big reveal and text me when you're getting on the plane. I don't want you to wait at the airport."

"Aww, how sweet," I tease.

"Shut up. See you tomorrow, Arya."

"Bye!"

I hang up my phone and rush back into the gallery where it's nice and warm. As soon as I get back inside, Alex rushes towards me. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he helps me out of my coat.

"Are you ready? We're about to reveal your piece!"

"I'm ready," I smile confidently and I really do feel ready. I've spent all of yesterday preparing for this one moment and now it's finally coming all together. The fact that I can't share this with Seth right now gnaws at me but I push that thought out of reach and follow Alex to where we've stored the materials.

As I glance around, I notice Beatrice standing by the bar, microphone in hand. A single spot light finds its way onto her, illuminating her.

Alex squeezes my shoulder as I put on my gloves and then he disappear in the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention," Beatrice calls, her French accent so much clearer over the microphone. "Tonight we find an array of a brilliance displayed in Mr Baumgold's honor. We have many new artists who get to show us their talent here tonight. There is one in particular that my friend, colleague and inspiration Mr Alexander Crawford has hand picked just for our pleasure. She is a young woman and she goes by the name of Arya O'Brien. A lot of you have met her but most of you haven't heard her name before tonight.

"I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that after tonight, you won't ever forget her name. She is rebellious and strong at the same time. We can all learn from her art. Admire it for what it is and look at it with unprejudiced eyes. Let's put our hands together for Ms Arya O'Brien."

The whole crowd turns towards me, applauding me and I blush, waving at them. The spotlight finds me and I put my hands together, bowing to the crowd in thanks.

"What you're going to see in mere moments might shock you," Beatrice continues. Now Alex has joined her by the bar. "It might be overwhelming at first but let me ask you to take a moment. Really look at the picture and remember the girl you have met tonight. Remember her gentle being, her polite almost shy soul. This is no vandal. This is a strong, brave and inspired woman who has taken her own art to a new level."

My heart pumps in my chest like a jackhammer against concrete. Everyone's eyes are on me.

Alex takes the microphone from Beatrice and even from across the room I can see the smile on his face.

"Arya? Are you ready?"

I give him a thumbs up and brave another smile. Someone in the crowd giggles.

"Three, two, one!"

A large canvas screen, about three times the size of my painting unravels next to me. On it is the spray painted version of my painting that I worked on all day yesterday. Some people gasp as I pick up my spray can. I shake it a couple times, the clanking sound of the metal ball inside the can ripples through the room. Eyes burn into my back as I step in front of the picture and raise my can.

My arm moves on autopilot as I add the red details to the characters in my picture and finally sign my name at the bottom of the canvas. Red paint drips down, giving the whole thing more edge than expected.

The impact on the crowd is obvious as noise erupts around me. I'm not sure if it's positive or negative so I just drop my spray can into the basket next to the painting and walk straight into the crowd. No one really seems to notice that I'm walking past them as their eyes are glued to the picture in front of them.

Once I reach Bea and Alex, I know that this stunt had the effect they wanted.

"You did great," Alex assures me.

"Thank you. I hope they like it." I am already grabbing my coat again, shrugging it on.

"Are you leaving already?"

"I want to get some sleep before my plane leaves in the morning," I explain, earning myself disappointed looks from both Beatrice and Alex. "I know you think I'm ruining my chances here but I need to go home. I need to see my family. I can't stay here."

Alex puts aside the shut off microphone and steps towards me.

"I'm supposed to be mad at you but... if this is really what you want; you should go."

"A woman with your talent will always find her way," Beatrice gives me a hug and I am grateful.

"Thank you two... for everything that you have done for me. I couldn't be more thankful. I don't know how to repay you." I sling my purse over my shoulder and reach for my phone.

"Don't worry about that. You've got these people buzzing. That's payment enough for now." Alex holds out his hand for me to shake and I accept it. "Now get yourself to bed. You don't want to miss your plane. You'll be hearing from me soon."

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

I step out of the gallery, ignoring someone shouting after me. It's snowing again and as I breathe in the icy air and feel the snowflakes fall onto my face, I realize something. All I want to do is go home. This adventure felt like an eternity and I can't wait to be back in Seth's arms. I miss him. I miss him more than anything and now that the distraction of work has subsided, I feel the whole inside my chest grow with every passing second. I wish I could just press a button and fast-forward to seeing him again. I want nothing more in the world.  

*****
I bet you thought this one would be dramatic, huh? Well, guess what... I love torturing you guys! So you'll have to wait for the drama ;) 

By the way, I've recently been getting criticized about my upload schedule (despite me being very clear about hating when people do this). I have been called arrogant for defending myself and honestly, I'm not here for that. I LOVE writing so much and I don't mind spending my rare free time on it but do not criticize me when I upload at least once a week because... you will get blocked. 

To everyone else who is patient and lovely, thank you so much! You are the best <3