"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked her. His eyes lingered down to the tight hold she had on his jacket, her fingers almost white from the pressure. Geet's eyes glazed over the building, and a feeling mixed of anxiety and fear swirled in the bottom of her stomach. She felt nauseaous and what she really wanted to do was to jump into Johan's car and speed off as fast as she could, without a second glance back.
"I'm fine," she replied, taking a deep breath to compose herself. Johan understood her nerves and patted the hand which clutched onto his arm for dear life.
"They love your work, and they've been pestering me to bring you along ever since your first exhibition. You have nothing to be nervous about, trust me."
They walked along the cobbled steps to the entrance of the venue. Small fairy lights illuminated the way, the building surrounded by cherry blossom trees. A magical sunset gave the place an ethereal, golden glow. She was awed by the sheer serenity; her muscles relaxed themselves almost instantly.
A valet driver passed them by on their way in, to whom Johan handed his car keys and asked him to bring a painting around the back entrance.
"Usually, I ensure the painting is displayed before the onlookers arrive," he explained to Geet, leaning in so that his voice caressed her bare neck. "But I thought it would be more momentous if you were there to witness the unveiling."
She smiled in response, putting Johan at ease. Although they had only become acquainted a few months ago, he felt as if he had come to understand her creative yet introverted nature - not just through her behaviour, but through her artwork. Although the majority of her pieces were simply replicas of everyday objects, one sensed that she gave away a small section of herself into her art, thus displaying it for the world to see.
They arrived at the entrance and made their way in. Geet was startled by the sheer number of people who had decided to attend. Johan was keen to introduce her, but she exchanged a few polite smiles and greetings before wandering off to admire the other works that illuminated the walls.
She was inspecting a particular piece, which appeared to be an abstract portrait of a man and a woman in an intimate embrace. The sheer beauty and magnitude of the painting took her away to another world, and it was a tap on the shoulder that brought her back to the present.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt," she was met with the face of a graceful lady, whose wrinkles shone when she smiled and her grey hair almost transparent under the soft lights. "I'm Rosa Cruz, I've always admired your work."
"Thank you," Geet was always bashful when it came to compliments; a feature that didn't go unnoticed by the lady.
"You are too modest." Her face lit up as she looked past Geet and appreciated the painting by which Geet had been so transfixed. "Ah, it is a breathtaking piece. A story of two lovers, grasping onto what remains of their sanity."
She turned back, her eyes glazing over the picture of delicacy and love that was represented. "I couldn't agree more."
"Which leads me nicely onto something I have always wanted to ask you." Geet turned back to Rosa's curious expression. "I notice an illegible scribble of initials in the left corner of every single one of your paintings."
Geet licked her suddenly dry lips and swallowed thickly.
"Whose initials are they?"
***
A/N: The painting which captures the attention of Geet and Rosa.
Edited by Kalam. - 11 years ago
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
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