Soul of the Cerberus [NEW]

Chapter 3 - It takes three to tango

It took me three weeks to finish seven of my paintings. Only three more to go, I thought to myself. It took a little longer than I have planned at first, but in the end, I was pleased with the result. I was delighted that I would finally start my shifts at the store, allowing my mother to focus more on her handwork and less on store managing.

Besides, I really needed my well-deserved break from all the rancid smelling paint smudged on my face.

June has gone by so fast, leaving behind only humid air and foggy weather. It has rained almost the whole month, leaving me no choice but to paint inside of my bedroom. At least it provided melancholy atmosphere, an inspiration I gratefully soaked in. But now, it was time to get the hell out of the house.

It was nine o'clock in the evening, when my cell phone rang, almost giving me a heart attack.

I frowned as I assessed the unknown caller. "Hello?" I spoke.

"Korina?" A well-known loud, enthusiastic voice broke through the other side of the line.

My whole face lit up as I recognized the person speaking. "Lena? Oh God! Where are you? How have you been? Are you home?" I literally attacked her with my questions.

"Slow down, will you? And yes, I've just got here." She said.

"I've sent you like dozen massages, you didn't respond on any of them!" I snarled at my phone.

"Calm down scrawny! My old phone broke, besides, I have some news." She sounded ecstatic.

"I am not scrawny. Ok. Spill. Don't keep me waiting!" My mouth curved into a smile. I couldn't be angry at my friend for a long time after all.

"I was in Spain for a month or so." She beamed.

"All right. Were you on holiday or something?" I didn't really understand where she was going with this.

"No. I've met someone here, a few months ago. We couldn't be apart as he left back to Spain, so I kind of followed him there."

A muscle twitched in my jaw. Now I knew exactly where this was going. My friend was hopeless. A never-ending line of lovers she insisted she loved profoundly, never able to live without them. I felt something breaking in my heart for Mark. He didn't deserve this‒no wonder he left so far away, just to get away from her.

"Lena-" I started.

"-Aren't you happy for me? I really like this one, I think." She said with a clearly dubious voice.

"Is he here?" I should've been happy for her, but I didn't feel an ounce of guilt when I wasn't.

"No, he's back in Spain. You should have met him, you would like him. He is sweet and kind, and his family is loaded." She said dreamily.

So, this is what this was about‒the money. I sighed out loud, forgetting she was listening to me.

"This isn't fair you know, I don't have a choice like you or Mark do. I have to stay here, working at my parents' place my whole life. I need those possibilities. I am not like you, thinking of my family at every step of the way, I am selfish Korina."

"You are not selfish." I understood where she was coming from. Lena dreamed of leaving this place since she was fifteen. But we were not fifteen anymore and things have changed.

"I am and you know it. I am afraid of moving forward on my own, grow personally. Instead, I am looking for alternatives that are outright absurd." She whined.

"So stop running Lena. Embrace your future and go for what you want."

"If I do that, I may lose myself in the process." She whispered.