When She Remembered |✔️

Eleven

"Its been too long"

O N W A R D S;

His building had nineteen floors to it, the whole nineteenth floor being his office and sanctuary. On his way through the floors, there were wide eyes and hushed whispers from his employees at seeing their boss back but Caleb only smiled politely at them all and bid them good morning. His footsteps stopped in front of the boardroom door and he took a moment to gather himself. Brushing his blonde hair back and fixing his grey Armani suit, he entered.

The board consisted of nine persons and one of those persons was Michael Saunders whose back was to him at the moment. Caleb's  eyes narrowed into slits at the sight of him and as he closed the door behind him all small talk seemed to cease.
"Good morning everyone." At the sound of his voice the whole board took went silent before everyone began to answer.

"Huh? Finally the C.E.O decided to show up to work after taking his holiday." It was Michael who spoke up.
Caleb nodded, a wicked smile coming to his face, "Well someone has to run this company and it sure as hell ain't you Michael."
There were snickers around the room at the moment and Caleb saw Michael visibly tense, but that didn't stop him from opening his mouth again.

"But tell us Caleb, I know most, if not all of us have seen the headlines about you? It tends to have one questioning whether you're reliable with your secret baby on the way?"
Caleb suddenly laughed out loud, "Michael, Michael, you should know that not everything the press releases is true, mhm? Or at least that's what you told us when there was a picture of you cheating on your wife?"

Caleb saw his fist tighten in anger, "I didn't come here to tell you about my personal life so why don't we get to business and close some deals, shall we?"
Harry who was also seated in the room gave him a court nod and began speaking.

~*~

It was six o'clock in the afternoon when Caleb left his building and pulled up to his pent house. Unlocking the door he stepped inside to see that it was exactly how he left it, clean and precise. The marble tiles shone brightly which gave away the fact that his maid had recently mopped the floors. Caleb sighed and headed into his kitchen and opened the cupboards to prepare himself some dinner.

He ate alone and suddenly he wondered what Georgia was doing at this exact moment in time. Was she thinking of him? Caleb hoped silently to himself as he washed his dishes and went to the couch. He flipped the tv on and scrolled through the channels, settling on sports. Caleb rolled his eyes at the keeper who missed the goal and suddenly the small closet closest to the television caught his eye. Unable to prevent himself from going over to it, he opened the doors and his hands latched onto the canvas.

It was a portrait of her.

She was wearing a yellow sundress and her hair fell onto her shoulders in thick curls. Her smile was bright as she stared at him. Caleb ran his fingers against the paint and sighed. Her beauty could not be captured and put into a painting. And as he stared at her, he remembered what it felt like to hold her and kiss her and love her and it was feeling he had never been able to top. He remembered how much that day she didn't want to sit still for the painting, how it had taken him literally an half an hour to get her to finally choose a pose.

But suddenly three knocks to his door dragged him out of his thoughts as he quickly placed the canvas onto the couch not intending to be at the door long. He opened it never expecting to see Daniella with a grin to her lips.
"I heard you were back, so I decided to come see you." She kissed his cheek as she forced her way inside his house.

Shit, "Daniella, um," she rested her Prada purse on the counter as her eyes tore across his house.
She smiled cheekily at him, "I stopped at the pharmacy before coming here, I picked up a pack Trojan. I know you like those...." she trailed off.
He needed to get her out of his house before she saw the painting but she had the made up mind that she was spending the night.....

"Daniella..." she cut him off again.
"How did work go today, did you—" there was a long pause and it was then that Caleb knew she'd seen the painting.
He looked up to see the canvas in her hands and her eyes raking it over, it was as if she was judging its every brush stroke. Her eyes never wavering from it, "Caleb, who is this?" Her voice came out as a murmur.

Caleb didn't know how to answer that, it was Georgia; but when he didn't answer her voice came out louder, "Caleb who is this!"
He ran his fingers through his hair, "Her name is Georgia."
Daniella continued to stare at the canvas and then suddenly with the canvas still in her hand she rushed to where his wallet was and opened it.
Instantly Caleb knew what she was looking for and as the whipped it out, she stared at the two pieces of evidence in her hand.

The painting in her right and the picture he kept in his wallet in her left.
"Tell me the name of the girl in the hospital you've been visiting Caleb?"
"Daniella, this isn't..."
"Tell me now!"
Caleb gulped, "Georgia."
Daniella suddenly let out a small chuckle, "I remember the first time I saw this picture in your wallet. I hadn't meant to find it," she paused and shook her head as if the memory she was now recalling was so far fetched, "I went into your wallet to see if my picture was in your there, kinda stupid when I think about it now but imagine my surprise was I saw her picture in there."

Daniella suddenly looked up at him for he first time in awhile, "I waited for you to tell me about her, you never did. I knew she had to be something special because this picture was dated back even before you met me." She scoffed.
"This is the girl in the hospital you've been seeing," she studied the canvas.
A gasp suddenly escaping her lips, "Wait! Did— Did you paint this?"

Her eyes were locked into where he had signed his name in black paint at the bottom of the painting.
He nodded his head, "I did."
Daniella's eyes suddenly grew wide and Caleb felt guilty, "You never told me you painted." There was pain evident in her voice.
"Do I even know you!" She suddenly shouted, "All this time I was wondering what had happened to you? All this time I thought there was something wrong with me! But, but that's not the case it is? It's her." There was a hint of malice in her voice.

"She's the problem, isn't she?" Daniella scoffed, "Do you still love her? Is that it?"
Daniella suddenly dropped the canvas in anger, the board rattled against his marble floor. She kicked the canvas across the room to where he was standing and Caleb clenched his fists staring at Georgia on the floor.
"What happened with her?" She suddenly asked.
"Hmm? Why can't you just let her go!"

Caleb closed his eyes, "It's none of your business!"
"Oh really!" She chuckled, "I think I deserve to know why you've been thinking of her for all these years when you've been using my body!"
Caleb clenched his teeth together, "I think it's time for you to go," he said harshly.
"You know what fuck you Caleb!" She huffed.

He waved his hand dismissing her as she slammed the door on her way out. When she was gone Caleb picked up the canvas from off the floor and flung it at the wall. He ran his fingertips through his hair and swiveled his heel and went to bed.

~*~