Who Am I To You?

Luca

I held the paintbrush between my thumb and index finger and moved it across the canvas, making a copy of the beautiful couple that sat a few meters away from me on the grass, enjoying the beautiful evening. This was the only thing that helped me relax. The gentle movement of my brush, the way all the colours mix together and finally form exactly what I want. After a few minutes, my painting was complete. It was perfect. The painting itself was filled with love and care. I decided to give the painting to the couple, to show them

When I handed the canvas to them, the two boys look at me with shock.

"You drew this now?" One of the guys asks me. I nod in reply while giving them a nervous smile. I couldn't tell if they actually liked it or not. "This is beautiful. Thank you so much. Please keep up the great work. Honestly, this painting means a lot to us."

"I am relieved that you like this. I really think you both make a wonderful couple and when I saw how you both were so loving by the tiniest gestures, I thought that your love would help to make my painting with the love that I was looking for. I wish you a very happy life. Good day sir."

The two boys smile and continue to admire my painting. I walk back to my bench and pack my art supplies and start walking back home. I lived in an apartment with my best friend, Rose, which was just a few blocks away from my college. Every day, after my lessons, I would go to the park right in front of the college and practice my drawings by making sketches or paintings of the people that visited there. I have made some regular friends at the park too but most of the time I would make paintings of complete strangers. On my way home, I stopped at the café Rose worked part-time at. This was my usual routine. I would sit there till eight, doing my homework until she was done with work and we both would walk home together.

"Good evening Mr Kim. How have you been?" I greet Rose's boss. He was the sweetest person in town, well one of them. I think Mr Kim is somewhere around seventy years old. I have never asked him anyway. He and his daughter had started this café but after her unfortunate death, a few years ago, he decided to close it down but our Rose came to the rescue and persuaded him to keep going and she has supported him ever since.

"I am doing great my dear Jennie. How was school?" Yeah. He thinks I am still a schoolgirl. I have told him a few times that I am a college student but he keeps forgetting so Rose asked me to just let him believe that I was just a sixteen-year-old student.

"Oh, it was great. Couldn't have been any better." I say as I sit in my favourite place in the café. The corner table right next to the window. A few minutes later Rose comes to me with a cup of espresso, my regular order.

"How was school, Jennie?" Rose teases while sitting down in front of me. "Did you ask about the project from Mrs Rodriguez?" I nod while taking out the project file from my bag. I place it on the table and she takes a look. "Oh god, we have to get all these done?" 

"Yep. We have about a month to get everything done so let's take our time and get everything done." I say while doing my literature homework. Rose goes to get her books and comes back and we do our homework until eight. In between, she would have to go and serve to the customers. The café was never crowded. Mr Kim's café only had a few customers at a time and it was always the usual customers since the café was very old fashioned most of the customers went to the other café that was larger and better looking than this one but obviously, Mr Kim's coffee is the best in the whole universe. 

After closing the café, Rose and I walk back home. The streets were very dark as usual so Rose and I always go home together. The neighbourhood is very friendly but still both of us being just twenty-one, we like to be careful. I throw myself onto the couch as soon as I entered our apartment. Rose goes to take a shower and until then I started cooking dinner. 

Rose made money for our daily expenses. My dad agreed to pay for both of our college expenses and for our rent as help for Rose. She lost both her parents in a car crash when she was just fifteen and has been living with me and my family ever since. We moved in together and Dad has been supporting us. He asked Rose not to work but she insisted on paying for our food and other small expenses. 

Since I did nothing I convinced Rosie to allow me to do the chores in the house. I prepared pasta for dinner and placed the pot on the table. I placed our two plates and two drink cans. We have dinner together and I go take a shower. I change into a large tshirt and a pair of shorts.

"Shall we watch a movie?"Rose asks as I return to the living room. I agree and grab some snacks from the pantry and sit beside her on the floor and place my head on the couch. Halfway through the movie, both of us fell asleep.

I felt something soft brush upon my arm. I open my eyes to see a white fluffy cat brushing her fluffy tail on my arm. I smile as a lift the cat onto my lap and stroke it gently. Just then it struck me that we never had a cat. How did it get in? I get upand look around the room with the cat still in my hand who was now purringloudly.

I tiptoe towards the main door and see that the door is open. I check all the roomscarefully to see if someone broke into our house but there wasn't anyone otherthan Rose and me. Just then I hear a voice outside from the corridor.  The voice belonged to a man and was deeper than the ocean. "Luca? Luca?"

I look at the collar on the cat that I am holding and see that he happens to be Luca too. I walk out of our houseand into the corridor and see a man wearing a long black coat, a black turtleneck, black leather pants, black boots and he also had a black headband pullinghis fluffy hair back. He gave me mafia vibes but in a good way, if that makes sense.

"Luca! There you are."He says as he walks towards me in a hurry. I slowly hand Luca back to his rightful, extremely handsome owner. "Thank you." I nod and walk back inside and close the door shut. I place my back on the door and take a deep breath. I felt my cheeks heat up.

 "Jennie! Come back to reality! He is a complete stranger besides, God knows who he is. What if he actually is a mafia?" You shake your crazy thoughts away and go back to the living room and wake Rose up.

"Rosie. Go sleep in your room or else you will have a sore neck tomorrow." We both go back to our rooms. I switch off my table lamp and lie down on my bed. I can't sleep with the lights off so Rose attached glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. It really helped. I would stare at them until I fall asleep.