CAPTURE THIS (Updating regularly)

Chapter 17

It had been weeks since the meeting with the board and Amber was beginning to accept that her painting would be returned to her in the mail any day now. 

Alex had done his best to console her but a part of her wished he hadn't arranged the meeting in the first place. She wasn't ready. Perhaps if she had been a couple of years older. More experienced. 

Well, there was no point dwelling on it, she had told herself after a week of silence from the gallery. 

Her relationship with Alex was getting to the stage where both of them had become very comfortable with each other. Alex's apartment had became Amber's second home. They had spent countless nights doing absolutely ordinary things. Amber would sit on the floor and spread her school work out on the coffee table, finishing her homework or studying for a test whilst Alex sat on the sofa grading work. They would occasionally pause to have a discussion about something that had happened to one of them that day or discuss a piece of school gossip. Then, they would have dinner and Alex would drive Amber home before Mr Riley returned from work. 

One evening, Amber sat at the small dining table that was only a few feet away from Alex who was watching the TV whilst creating a lesson plan on his laptop. She was stuck on her English homework and glanced around the room for some inspiration when her phone's shrill ring rang across the room, making Alex jump, looking like a deer caught in some headlights. 

Amber laughed at him and clicked the answer button her phone. 

"Hello?" 

"Amber? It's Amara from The Hollow Paintbrush." Amara's merry voice reverberated against every corner of Amber's mind. She was so taken aback to be hearing from anyone associated to the gallery that she had almost dropped her phone. 

"Oh, hi Amara. How are you?" It wasn't the question wanted to ask. She was desperate to ask about the state of her painting. Why had it taken them so long to return it? Were they hesitating because it had gotten damaged? Amber's heart sank in her chest at the thought. 

"I'm good, thanks! What about you?" 

Amber bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from blurting out questions about her painting. She didn't want to be rude to the woman in possession of her art - no matter what state it was in. "I'm fine, thank you." 

It came out more hostile than she had ever meant it to. Even Alex looked up from his laptop and frowned curiously at her. 

"Well, I wanted to call you about your painting. I'm afraid we've been having a bit of trouble at the gallery." 

Oh God, Amber thought to herself, this is it. I've lost my painting forever. I should have hung it up in my room. It deserved to be appreciated. 

Before she could mourn her painting, Amara began speaking again. 

"I want to arrange another meeting with you and Ruthie. You met her at the last meeting we had - she's the Artist Liaison." 

How could Amber forget Ruthie? Her mother's living doppelganger. It would be a comfort having her there. 

"Another meeting? I don't understand. You arrange meetings when you want to feature a painting at the gall..." 

As she trailed off, it finally dawned on her why she had not seen her painting. 

"Oh God," Amber whispered. "Oh God. Oh my God!"

Her voice rose in volume and pitch, this time fully arousing Alex's attention. He shoved his laptop aside and walked over to her. 

"What's going on?" He asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to interrupt her conversation.