By Chance

Chapter 3: The Café

"Oh, really?" He gains interest. "Which one?" He stuffs his hands into his dress pants' pockets.

"The studio down on Park Ave. You know? The one across from the science museum." I look down the main road of the city where Park Ave's sign is seen a few blocks down, near where my apartment is located.

"You'll have to tell me more about it sometime." He goes on, his eyes following mine down the city.

Smiling, I look down at the stairs, probably looking like a psycho grinning at the ground. I crane my neck to look up at the building before me, shadows seeming to loom in every window.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Da Vinci." He salutes me with two fingers and makes his way up the stairs, disappearing behind the tall doors.

My eyes scrunch together.

"Da Vinci, huh?"

A grin spreads across my face.

Making my way back to the street, I cross the lanes swiftly as I make my way back to my humble abode. The smell of soap and shaving cream fills my nostrils as I make my way closer to the barber shop located beneath my apartment.

"Caleb!"

My eyes shut just as I'm about to pass my least favorite store. Looking through the open doors, the flower boutique situated next to the barber shop, I hold back a grimace as Lacey makes her way over to me.

It's not that I hate flowers, quite the contrary to be honest, but Lacey always ruins my trips to the sweet smelling shop. If it wasn't for her gossiping, condescending personality, she would be a nice acquaintance.

"Hey, Lace." I say, pushing my lips up into a grin. "How's it going?"

"Fantastic."

Oh, and she drags out her words constantly for unneeded emphasis.

She sweeps her hands towards the open store with a few customers browsing the area. Even outside in the wonderful fresh air, the scent of lilacs carry in the breeze. Mother Nature has been so generous in giving us a pleasant May.

"How are you, Caleb?" She sings, pulling back her blonde hair into a slick bun.

"Good, I suppose." I shrug. "Been busy with work."

"How is the studio coming along? I heard Janine was taking pictures and selling them to a guy for double the price so he could replicate them and make an even bigger fortune on them."

Yep, there it is.

My grin falters slightly. If she wasn't so focused on her own words, she would have seen the twitch.

"Oh, I don't think so. Janine is such a sweet lady."

"I wouldn't be so sure. She was seen a few nights ago at the clubs getting handsy with a younger gentleman."

This time, I slip up, a chuckle escaping my lips. "I don't think any 'gentlemen' visit the sort of clubs you're talking of."

Her beady eyes bare into my own and she waits for me to fix my mistake of joking on a rumor. But, like the charming fool I am, I stare back at her.

"Did you cut your hair? It makes you look ten years younger!"

Her expression immediately slips into the easy grins she possesses. With a sweep of her hand, she pushes some of her smaller hairs away from her face.

"Yes, I have." She grins up at me.

Phew, I'm in the clear.

*****

"This would look fabulous next to the statue of Alexander the Great, wouldn't it?" Janine asks, sweeping her hand towards the bare wall near the brazed statue of a modern version of the resilient Macedonian hero.

"I thought we agreed on it standing out beside the piece on the elements?" I question, turning to face the older woman.

Janine, the owner and manager of the art studio, stands next to the previously said statue of Alexander, with a slight frown on her otherwise beautiful features. Her grey eyes hold a sort of happiness and joy when speaking of art and her auburn hair is constantly in a messy bun with a few pieces pulled out to frame her light skinned face.

"Well," she begins, tapping her chin. "The colors in your portrayal of the umbrella in winter would really contrast against the statue's finishing color."

I sigh in response, holding the canvas firmer in my grip. The yellow umbrella covering the woman in my painting would look nice beside the statue, but, I can't help but stand my ground with this one.

"No, I like it much better beside Nolan's Elements." I finish with a nod of my head.

Janine's eyebrows raise in shock, most likely because I never usually fight for where my designs are located. Her chin lifts up and she clears her throat, the noise louder than normal in the quiet room.

"Very well, then. I'll get Pierre to hang it next to the Elements piece."

"Thank you, Jan." I smile down at her.

With one final nod, she waves over her assistant, Pierre, who takes my painting and disappears to the back storage room. Along the way, I notice him look down, admiring my work with a simple grin and head nod.

"Would you like to sell this one?" Janine grasps my attention once more.

"Yes, I would." I scratch the back of my neck. "Rent is due in a few days and I can't be late or else the landlord will have my head on a wooden stick hanging out of his apartment window."

She doesn't sense my sarcasm in what I said, reaching her hand out cautiously.

"Is everything alright?" She whispers.

"I was kidding, Janine." I state bluntly. "I should get going. I'll need to get started on my next piece."

"You should take a break, Caleb. It's not good to work twenty four hours a day and seven days a week." Her eyebrows scrunch together in worry.

"Don't worry about me, Jan. I'm fine." I wave at her as I exit the studio, leaving the half empty white walls to be filled in the future.

*****
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