Back To You

Chapter 30

"I'm moving these canvases to the back room!" Sophie called out.

"Okay but make sure you don't put them somewhere I can't find them," I answered. I took a step away from the painting I was gazing but I couldn't keep my eyes off it. It was beautiful. Now, calling ones own work beautiful might sound vain to a lot of people but I stopped caring about a lot of people a long time ago.

"It really is your best work," Sophie said from behind me and I turned around to give her a thankful smile. She had been the biggest help in setting my gallery space up with me, I couldn't have done any of this without her.

"I almost want to hide it away in my apartment, keep it all to myself." I said, earning a chuckle from Sophie.

"People deserve to see it," she replied.

"Maybe," I murmured, a part of me- a very big part of me was possessive about this particular painting, and why wouldn't I be? This seventy by fifty inches of canvas and paint held all of my pain.

"I heard he's in town," Sophie said softly.

"Who?" I knew exactly who, but I wasn't quite ready to admit it just yet.

"Colson," Sophie replied and my heart skipped a beat. I had avoided that name for five straight months, I'd left that name at an airport in Sienna and never looked back.

"Oh," I said. Not knowing what else to say. So he was in town, he had a house here, of course he'd be here.

"Do you think he'll come to the opening?" Sophie asked and I shook my head.

"I don't know,"

"Did you send him an invite?"

"No," But he never needed an invite to show up.

"You should've," Sophie argued.

"Well I didn't," I replied, "Now please go home, we have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay," Sophie rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, "Aren't you going home?"

"I will in a little bit," I turned back around to face my masterpiece, I needed more time with it- just me and the painting before hundreds of people come in tomorrow and make it theirs- project their opinions, their feelings, their pain on it. Right now it was raw, it was all mine.

"Goodnight," Sophie called out and left, leaving me alone in the wide expansive gallery. My brain took me back to five months ago. Five months ago when I came back home and painted. I locked my phone in a drawer and I painted, nobody heard from me for months. I only saw Sophie and my mother occasionally but that's it.

I thought about him. A lot. More than I'd ever admit to anyone. But it didn't matter, nothing mattered now, nothing but my work- this gallery and my paintings that I'd poured my heart, soul and hurt into.

Deciding to call it a night I put some of the last bottles of wine out for tomorrow and switched all the lights of the gallery off. It was even prettier in the dark, with the golden streetlight pouring in from the large windows. I took a deep breath and gave myself a pat on the back, I had done good. I was proud. 

As soon as I got to my apartment I threw my heels off and flopped down on the couch. My eyes fell on the magazine sitting on my coffee table- "MGK and Camilla's relationship: An inside scoop" it read. I winced at the picture- me and Colson making out in a car. My mind went back to the tour- to all the kissing and emotions. To where I left him- on a balcony in a hotel room in Sienna. And I hadn't looked back since, and I wasn't going to start now, I grabbed the magazine and threw it in the bin.