The air crackled between them. Time stopped and the conference room disappeared into a swirly haze. The sound of drums pounded in Joey's ear and she felt like falling from the sky. She grasped the edge of the table in front of her to steady herself. She realized that the sound of drums was merely her heartbeat booming in her chest.
Mr. Cuevas cleared his throat. "Uh....you two know each other?"
"Yes." Adrian's voice was hardly a whisper. Suddenly remembering his manners, he squared his shoulders and formally introduced the two. "This is Jay Cuevas, my business partner........and this is Ms. Joey Vazquez....my uh..." He shifted on his feet. "Uhm...we go a long way back."
Jay stood agape as he grasped what was unfolding before his eyes. Joey. So this was THE Joey! Whistling under his breath, he patted Adrian's shoulder and made his exit while muttering something about privacy. The ex-lovers hardly heard a word he said. One was holding on to the table for dear life. The other stood by the door, wide-eyed and petrified.
Damn it, say something! Adrian lowered his gaze to the floor to get his bearings straight. Seeing her again at such unexpected circumstances inside the confines of the tiny room was simply too much for his mind to process now. Joey stared at him with his eyes downcast, seemingly in deep thought. She felt a dull ache creeping up her chest as she took in his white long-sleeved polo, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, hanging freely over his faded denims whose ends disappeared into his swanky black boots. His round spectacles coupled with a semi-mohawk 'do gave him a geek-meets-tough-guy kind of air. She held on to the edge of the table, fighting the sudden urge to fling herself onto him. His stance wasn't exactly welcoming, thanks to her. What is he thinking? Is he still angry with me? Will he walk out the door?
Suddenly filled with remorse, she braced herself for his anger. If he threw hurting words at her now, she knew she deserved them for letting her cowardice take over. She had long wanted to make peace with him, but she was always putting it off, telling herself that she wasn't ready. But fate has a way of exacting payment for past emotional debts when you least expect it. Prepared or not, in the same room with her now, in the flesh, was the person she hurt.
He lifted his head and let out a lopsided grin. "Sorry about that.", he waved off his momentary lapse. "Please, have a seat."
Surprised at his crisp, businesslike tone, she slowly lowered herself onto the chair without taking her eyes off of him. Adrian took the seat opposite her and interlocked his fingers across his tummy.
"So, Joey....it's been a long time.....what brings you here?"
Why am I here? She almost forgot. Ah, the painting. She looked around for the duplicate receipt and found it crumpled in her hand. Quickly smoothing it, she laid it out in front of Adrian and just as quickly, placed her hands on her lap to stop them from trembling. Being in the same room with him after more than two years felt so unreal and so awkward. She watched him reach for the slip of paper to study it carefully. He looked so formal --- so cold --- as if she was a stranger. Her heart sank.
"What's this?", he asked.
She squared her shoulders. Back to business. "I had an exhibit at Shangrila.....and that painting was sold by mistake."
"By mistake?"
Joey nodded. "It's not for sale."
His eyes widened ever so subtly. Oh no! Joey's nails bit into her palm as she realized, with mounting panic, that he could be the buyer. But she still had that tiny sliver of hope that he wasn't.
