Understanding You *Completed*

Fifteen

Jocelyn huffed as she hopped around her apartment with one heel on, her hands occupied fastening a diamond necklace. She was running late.

Work had quickly consumed her time causing her to return home at 9. Since she'd be running late, she told Miles to just send her the address of their date rather than waiting for her.

"Come on!" She huffed as she tripped, pain spreading across her ankle and up her calf.

Deciding against doing anything else, she placed on her other heel then grabbed her clutch. Jocelyn pulled her dress down to cover her ass before taking one last look at herself in the mirror.

"Okay. This is fine." She convinced herself despite the outfit being a last minute change after she managed to rip her first dress.

With a final spray of perfume, she left her apartment and quickly made her way to the parking garage. It was nearly 10pm meaning she had less than 30 minutes to get to the location before she'd be late.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." She mumbled, inputting the address while pulling from her parking spot.

"Fuck me, of course it's a 45 minute drive." An exasperated sigh was all she could produce as she picked up speed once she merged on the highway. Pushing her Mazda to 100 mph, she kept an eye out for police.

30 minutes later, she hurriedly pulled her car up to the venue. A gasp fell from her lips as she finally realized where she was- The Voena. It was one of the most esteemed galleries in the country and Jocelyn knew she was severely underdressed.

Panic filled her stomach at the thought of embarrassing herself, but it was pushed down as she smiled brightly at the valet. "Thank you."

With a final deep breath, she headed up the grand stairs, marveling at the beautiful designs littering the brickwork. "Good evening."

"Good evening, ma'am. May I have your name?" The man standing at the door smiled politely.

"Um...J-Jocelyn Major." She stuttered, a heat creeping on her cheeks at the thought of being rejected entry.

"Perfect. Here you are. Enjoy your evening." A simple plastic covered slip of paper was given to her with a series of numbers underneath a barcode. Unsure of what it was for, she placed it in her clutch before entering the building.

Immediately her eyes shifted from left to right as she took in the massive space filled with million dollar works of art. The room had massive ceilings covered in murals of historic figures done by historically esteemed artists.

There were people standing everywhere either lowly socializing or analyzing pieces. Jocelyn immediately felt the color drain from her face as she noticed everyone seemed to be dressed in black and white with only hints of color splashed in accent pieces.

The soft pink dress and Marley twists hanging down her back made her stick out like a sore thumb. Pulling her phone out, she quickly sent a text to Miles letting him know she'd arrived before attempting to escape the subtle judgement.

People were polite, sending her bright smiles when they made eye contact before returning to whisper lowly with their colleagues. Jocelyn focused on not tripping as she tried to navigate to a less crowded space.

"Jocelyn." Miles' voice caused her to turn around. The put together appearance and well fitted suit made Jocelyn's head spin.

"You neglected to tell me there was a dress code." She smiled as she strut to meet him halfway.

"Because there isn't. The elitist just feel better in black and white." He laughed as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're absolutely breathtaking." He muttered as he scanned her face.

"Thank you." She shyly looked away from his intense gaze. Miles never failed to make her feel like the true piece of art in the room.

"Come on, let's see what you know."
...

"It doesn't matter what it actually looks like," Miles laughed as they stared at a mess of colors in an expensive frame, "what does it make you feel?"

"Ummm, the gold along the edges are pretty. Kind of reminds me of summer but the rest just looks like a happy accident." Jocelyn waved to the painting.

"Close your eyes." He smiled brightly before moving to stand behind her.

"Why?" Jocelyn questioned despite closing her eyes anyway.

"Imagine rain." She jumped lightly at the feeling of his hands running down her arms before lifting them to face her palms to the ceiling.

"The way rain hits your skin before sliding between your fingers and catching along your fingertips. Think about the moment each drop hits your palm, each of them faster than the last until they blend into a puddle. The twinkling of those drops, each unique in their own way, coming to form a homogeneous entity."

The mutter in her ear painted a vivid picture in her mind. Her fingers twitched as if she could feel the rain he described.

"Now open your eyes." He released the hand he held under hers.

Jocelyn's eyes followed from the gold edges, similar to the description of rain, before trailing to the blended colors in the middle. "Oh!"

"Yeah?" The excited look on his face made her feel even happier.

"God, you've got to have a pretty imaginative mind to think of that from this. But I get it now." She smiled as they continued to the next piece.

"Art is all about interpretation. It's what you want it to be."

There was a certain look on his face that told Jocelyn he truly was passionate about art. As they ventured to other installments in the gallery, she often couldn't see what he saw in his mind; however, each time she struggled he'd take the time to describe that feeling to her.

Nearly an hour later, they'd finally made it to the last section in the gallery. Jocelyn could see this artist took real subjects and drew them based on the interpretation they had in their mind.

A painting of a pair of hands had been blurred by sharp lines of red and yellow to the point where the hands almost seemed nonexistent. Jocelyn couldn't keep her eyes off of it, the work somehow calling to her.

"This one is nice." She muttered as her eyes followed the lines. "It feels...chaotic like someone's running out of time or they're running out of time with that person at least."

"Go on." Miles tilted his head before moving to stand behind her.

"I don't know. Yellow is usually a happy color but here it feels...." The words tumbled from her mouth as she internalized the painting.

"Like an insecurity." He filled in.

"Yeah, like insecurity and anger smothering what the two have."
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