Beautiful Lies (18 page)

I swing the door open and I am suddenly wide awake.

“Rick?”

“Hey, I just wanted to check if you were ok. Jessica said that you fainted.”

“Yeah, I just skipped a meal and I guess I was doing too much.”

“If you need to take some more time off then it’s perfectly fine, I don’t want you to get ill, Paige.”

“No, I’m fine. I promise.”

“Ok. How did your meeting with Alfred go?”

“Before I fainted...great.” I chuckle. “I said that we would purchase three of the artist’s paintings, they were beautiful.”

“Yes, Alfred managed to show me them when I arrived. Good call, I loved them.”

“Really?” I beam.

“Yes, they’re perfect, especially what they stand for.”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. So, how are things at Danny’s?”

“Not bad. A little cramped...I know they need their space so I’m looking for somewhere.”

“Oh.” The thought of him finding his own place makes everything seem so final and it unsettles me in a way that I didn’t think it would. “Well I’m sure you’ll sort everything out,” I add.

“Yeah. I will get the rest of my stuff when I do, I hope it’s ok, it all being here until then.”

“Of course. Look, Rick, we can still be friends, right?”

“I would like that, yes. I’m always here for you, if you need anything, Paige. See you tomorrow, and get some rest.”

“I will. Bye, Rick.”

“Bye.”

I close the door and find myself crying. It’s strange because I’m not crying because I want him back, but just the idea that it’s really over. My life is just changing so much in such a short space of time and everything feels surreal. I decide to immerse myself in the film that I was watching and forget all about the real world and everything connected to it.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PAIGE’S STORY

I
wake up and lie on my bed just staring at the ceiling. I had another dreamless night. I feel frustrated having not seen Taylor in my dreams and unsure of whether or not I’ll ever see him again. I didn’t get to come up with a deal for his paintings since I went and fainted, so he has no reason to see me again now. The thought makes me sad. But he was so different with me yesterday. He almost acted as though he cared, but then he left me again. I groan in frustration and try not to let the confusion distract my day. I look at the clock, which reads
5:55am
. I don’t start work until half nine so I don’t know why I’m awake so early but now that I am I can’t get back to sleep. It’s probably best that I make an early start since I need to get the bus anyway. I’m praying that my car was alright outside of the gallery all night. Rick does have cameras installed so it should be fine.

Once I’m finally ready I slip on my jacket and start making my way out of my apartment building. The walk will give me some extra time to call my dad since I haven’t spoken to him for a little while. My mood perks up when I hear his voice beam down the phone after the second ring.

“Hey, Princess,” he answers cheerfully.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Why do you sound so down?” He knows me too well, so there’s no point in even pretending.

“Rick left.” He doesn’t know about Taylor or my dreams, so it’s all the explanation that he needs.

“What? I thought that everything was ok with you guys?” He says in shock.

“We were just drifting apart. I guess it was only a matter of time.”

“I didn’t know. I’m really sorry to hear that. If you need to stay with me for a while then you know that you always have a room here, right?”

“Thanks, Dad, but I can’t. Rick and I work together. I just need to suck it up and get on with life.”

“I guess, but the offer is always there.”

“Thanks.”

“So, how did your dinner with your mother go?”

“It was really nice. It’s still a little strange, I guess but I’m glad that we’re getting to know her.”

“Did your brother show up?” I can hear the hope in his voice. My dad had forgiven my mom many years ago for leaving him. He just simply said that we all make mistakes. When she contacted us a couple of years ago for the first time, he was the one that encouraged a relationship with her. Liv and I finally gave in but Nate wouldn’t budge. Dad keeps saying that he just needs time.

“No.”

“That boy’s so stubborn. If he would only get to know your mother he’d realize how alike they truly are,” he chuckles.

“Yeah, I guess. He’s just hurting.”

“Yes, I just wish that I could fix it for him.”

“You can’t fix everything, Dad. There are some things that he has to learn by himself.”

“You’re right.”

I’m about to answer him as I step outside of my apartment building but the sight of a silver Mercedes renders me speechless.

“Hello? Paige?”

“Erm, Dad I’m going to have to go. I’ll give you a call soon, ok.”

“Ok, Princess. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I reply, hanging up the phone in shock.

I move slowly toward the parked car and see Taylor grinning up at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask in shock.

“You have no car, remember?”

“Yeah, I know...”

“So, I figured that you could use a ride to work today. Get in.”

I walk around the car slowly, still trying to process what is happening here. This isn’t my definition of staying away.

“I was going to get the bus; you really didn’t need to do this.”

“I’ll take that as your version of thank you,” he grins over at me. I’m so confused.

“Thank you,” I mumble.

“You’re welcome.”

He drives away in silence and I just sit staring at him.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“
This
Taylor...picking me up...helping me.”

He taps his finger against the steering wheel as though he is carefully planning out his answer.

“You want the truth?”

“Of course,” I reply.

“I feel this strange need to protect you.”

“But you told me to stay away from you. You made that pretty clear.”

“That was before yesterday.”

“What changed?” I ask in confusion.

“I don’t know. I don’t get it. I just...seeing you lying on the ground...I had the chance to protect you, to make sure you were ok.”

“Why do you care? Why is it so important to you?”

“It just is.”

“Why?” I push never taking my eyes off him.

“It’s like a second chance,” he almost whispers.

“A second chance?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

“To get things right.” He looks sad when he says the words and it all clicks into place.
Marie.
This is about her. I don’t say anything.

“Ok.”

“I’m sorry,” he says gently.

“What for?”

“Because I know that I’m confusing you. It’s not my intention.”

“I know.” I don’t know how I know, but I just know.

“Good.”

The rest of the journey is silent. He turns the volume of the music up slightly and I close my eyes as a collection of instrumental songs play.

“None of them have words,” I say, suddenly noticing for the first time.

“No,” he smiles. “Music inspires me. Sometimes I want to just imagine the words that would go with the song. I try to imagine the story. That’s usually how I come up with a painting.”

“What is this one about?” I ask as the slow strumming of a guitar fills the car. I close my eyes and listen to the way that the melody comes together as one. It’s beautiful.

“There’s a woman, and for some reason she is running. She is leaving behind everything in her past. All that she has ever loved and known, she is giving up to run away. She’s sad. Her heart is breaking for everything that she has abandoned, but there is a man involved. She is running because of him. She loves him but he is on the wrong side of the law. She is sacrificing everything for him, for a life on the run. Her heart is torn because she loves him so much that she would run away with him, but she hates everything that he does because it has caused her to leave everything that she loves behind. They are at the border. It could be Mexico and it is her last chance. If she crosses, then she can never come back, and this is the last chance to change her mind.”

I’m so lost in his story that my eyes fly open when he stops speaking. “What is her choice?” I ask, as our eyes lock. I realize that the car has stopped moving but my eyes don’t leave his.

“What do you think she chooses?” He asks in a raspy voice.

“I think she crosses the border.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because a life without him is more unbearable than every sacrifice that she’s had to make. She’d rather live a life hating him than live a life without him.” I breathe.

He watches me intently and my breathing increases.

“We’re here,” he says causing me to look out of the window. I see the gallery and take a deep breath. I feel like I just woke up from a dream and I am trying to focus on some form of reality.

“Yeah, thanks for the ride.”

“No problem. Have a good day.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, before slowly stepping out the car. He holds my eyes with his, before driving away and leaving me alone once again. I feel like the woman from the story...only the choice to cross the border isn’t mine.

* * *

The day goes by pretty quickly and I am glad to say that Rick and I managed to make things as amicable as possible. It still felt strange but we were both making the best of a bad situation. Him coming to check on me yesterday, after I fainted definitely broke the ice a little.

The day as a whole went very well and I even managed to meet with a few clients downstairs and sell three pieces of art. It doesn’t seem like a large amount but it is when they each wear price tags between $850 and $1500.

I even managed to make some important calls that I had fallen behind on over the past week. Luckily, I was able to get everything sorted before the end of the day and my ‘to do list’ officially no longer exists.

Jessica’s shift finished half an hour before mine so just Rick and I are currently left behind. Once I am finished doing all the things that I need to do, I gather up my things and make my way out of the office. I knock gently on Rick’s door before I am about to leave and step inside when he calls for me to do so.

“I have finished. Here are the papers for today’s sales. As you know, I also arranged the sale of three pieces with Alfred. I am sure that I can handle it alone but would you like me to send you more information regarding the sale, once he contacts me?”

He stares at me for a while as though he has never met me before. “No, I trust you to handle it, unless you would like me to assist you with it?”

“I can handle it,” I answer. “If that’s all, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes.”

“Goodbye, Rick.”

“Goodbye.”

* * *

I decide to get a takeaway on the way home so that I can just spend the evening relaxing. Today went much better than I anticipated. Being around Rick for an entire day was nowhere near as awkward as I thought it might be and things were getting as close to
normal
as possible. Being around the paintings and the environment that I love meant that I was able to shut out all of the problems in my personal life. The distraction was great and the day went by in a blur.

I’m sitting on the couch, hair wet from my shower and watching a re-run of Friends, when the sound of my phone going off distracts me. I pick it up and find a text from an unknown number.

How are you feeling today?

I know that it’s Taylor instantly, but I try to stay calm. Why would he message me? How did he even get my number? I know that whatever is going on with Taylor and I will be limited. He isn’t ready to offer me what I want but the idea of not having him around now that I know that he exists, feels like torture. I begin typing.

Much better, thanks! Not to sound rude, but who is this?

His message comes back pretty quickly and causes me to smile.

Guess...

Kermit the frog?

I smirk at my sarcasm.

You’re so close.

Mmm...erm...is it someone that is supposed to be staying away from me?

This is long distance communication...I would say that I’m doing well, right?

If you say so. How did you get my number?

Alfred. Do you mind?