"The party is downstairs."She noticed his clenched jaw and the ominous look in his eyes. Taking an audible gulp, her hand remained on the doorknob behind her as she asked him how he knew Geet.
He remained nonchalant, explaining that he recognised her from an exhibition years ago. When Pari stated that she rarely attended exhibitions, he turned the questioning back to her and asked why she was so curious.
Pari claimed that she knew they were hiding something from her.
Maan shrugged his shoulders and gestured for her to return downstairs.
She had left the party straight away.
***
"It wasn't so bad, right?" Johan asked as they sped along the freeway. It was one of those beautiful summer nights where the skies were clear, the stars were shining and the temperature was the perfect setting of humid. Geet had been enchanted by the night as soon as they had left the gallery, commenting on how it reminded her of her childhood back home when she and Pari would sleep under the stars with their mother.
"It was fulfilling," she smiled, her hands clasped together on her lap. "The opinions and compliments of admirers really meant more to me than I could have imagined."
"Will you be making another appearance soon?"
She laughed lightly. "Don't push your luck, Johan."
Geet leaned back into her seat and recalled her encounter with Rosa. She had sensed an infinite wisdom in the woman, from the way her eyes turned wistful to how she paid attention to every minor detail.
Rosa had been the first person to ask whose initials they were. Everyone had assumed it was Geet's unique watermark, and she hadn't corrected them otherwise.
She saw glimpses of herself in the woman, and smiled to herself as she hoped she would be as wise and mysterious one day.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked as he pulled up outside their apartment.
"Nothing, just something I remembered." She glanced briefly at her apartment and the apartment adjacent to it, then looked away. "I'd better head inside. Thank you for a lovely evening."
Geet turned towards the door, but a soft hand on her shoulder made her turn back. The unexpected closeness of Johan and the familiar look in his hazel eyes unnerved her, and she knew where this was leading.
"Johan, I-"
"Please Geet, let me finish for once. Every time I try to express my feelings, you cut me off."
"You know the reason why, I just-"
He placed his palm over her lips, effectively silencing her. "I'm in love with you, and I know you don't feel the same. I'm not expecting anything from you. I just wanted an opportunity to let you know how I feel, in the hope that perhaps one day," he smiled wistfully. "Once in a blue moon maybe, you would return my feelings..."
Geet closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them and pushed his palm away gently. "I really am sorry. You shouldn't be wasting your time on me."
Johan leaned back into his seat, shifting away from her and running his hands through his hair. He sighed as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.
She sensed his need for privacy, and bid him a quiet goodnight as she gathered her purse and stepped out of his car. He drove away as soon as she had closed the door shut, and she felt her heart squeeze painfully as the aftermath of her rejection sunk in.
Geet began walking towards the spiral steps of her apartment when she stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide.
He was waiting for her, sat at the very last step.
***
A/N: The interior of Johan's car.
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