YOᑌ ᗩGᗩIᑎ

Chapter 4

I watched her clear her throat. Her grace, her beauty, her appeal was still very much raw and she had every person in the room at her feet. I watched the way she walked while introducing herself. I watched how she proudly removed the red cloth from her worldwide famous painting and how she looked at it. She was in love with it. She looked at it as if it was a human she was in love with, I knew because she used to look at me that way. And now she doesn't. I watched how she called out Normani on stage who gave an opening speech for the Maritza Petrova. And I saw how she was so proud of her best friend.

But everyone in the room waited for only one thing, Allison Marie. The only twenty first century's painting in the world which won tons of awards and was wanted by everyone but she wasn't going to let go of it. She made it for herself to keep and the world to only see. Allison Marie was her life. I watched the crowd giving the two girls a round of applause before the time finally arrived. The art lovers in the room waited impatiently for her to speak about the famous painting. The painting was special, it might not be appealing to those who didn't have an eye for art but for those who did, they found that painting the best of all. The simplicity won everything.

I watched how she slowly picked up the microphone once again and walked towards her painting. The crowd gasped when she ran her long, slender fingers through the painted hair of Allison Marie. Something that she always did. For some people it was a surprise, but for me it was nothing but knowing that it was the way of her showing affection. Lauren's ways were different, always were. She didn't kiss to prove her love or found the need to be sexually active. She did that stuff for fun. Her ways of showing affection were always soft touches and running her fingers through hair. And that was what she was doing, she was showing the world her love for Allison Marie.

“Before you people find me creepy and boring, let me tell you that I am not. I am just a crappy artist who play video games with her nephew and eat absolutely anything all day long,” she began, a small smile appeared on my face as people around me cheered and laughed. Neither of them said any rude remark and for that I was grateful.

“And Allison Marie is my first love.”

She looked at the painting once again as the crowd applauded for her. I remember how she used to call that painting her first love and how I used to feel so jealous of that stupid art. But when I started to see it through her eyes, I fell in love with it too. I watched her tearing her gaze away from the painting and meeting her eyes with the crowd. The confidence oozed out of the girl which made me fall for her even harder.

“Well, let me start off by giving you an example. Do you have a weird dream about one certain person and when you wake up your whole opinion on them changes and you look at them a different way? Whoever felt this way, raise your hands.”

I looked around, people were raising their hands and I found myself raising mine too. Even though I dreamed about kissing my nanny once and then made it so awkward for myself around her. She didn't even have any idea and I was only eight but she was my first crush after it. I totally relate to Lauren's point. The more people raised their hands, the more I saw the grin on Lauren's face grow.

“Very well. Now it would probably be easier for you to relate. Anyways, Allison Marie here is the most beautiful girl in my life. And this is the story of how she was born.” she looked at the painting and began once more.

“I used to be the worst painter in the University of Cape Town. I was young and my teachers gave me a lot of shit for not being a great artist. I mean, I don't blame them though, I would probably give shit to my seventeen years old self too.” she chuckled and the crowd laughed, I found myself smiling too.

“It wasn't like I could not paint, because I was an amazing painter but I was lazy as hell. All I drew were Suns and stupid flowers. And the only change I made for my favorite teacher, Mr. Michaelson, was an addition of a horizon with a sun setting but the sun was there nevertheless.” she laughed again.