Their Parallel Universe ✓

Chapter 26

It feels and looks like nature. Cozy, full of earthy colors, and easy on the eyes.

The ivory paint on the wall complements the furniture's shades of light blue. Indoor cacti and shrubs in ceramic flowerpots are arranged on wall shelves on either side of and above the flat-screen television.

In the corner near the door to the dining room hangs a painting of the sky that depicts the day and the night. It's an image of sunshine on the upper left and a full moon on the lower right. He recalls seeing this one on the painter's art page.

The artist titled this particular creation 'Le Soleil et La Lune.' However, their friends teased him and advised him not to be embarrassed about showing his love for his sister. They claimed to know that the painting's real name is 'Helios and Selene.' And yes, this piece was Poll's birthday gift to Tem last year.

Eujae lets his eyes travel around, scanning the other displays in the area. He had been in this place one time when he had to finish a group presentation with Risa and Tem for one of their major subjects, but he didn't get the chance to survey the general appearance of the room then.

His eyes are drawn to a big portrait picture of a family of four that hangs above the long sofa. Scrutinizing the frame, he tries to estimate the canvas's dimensions. It is around one and a half feet wide by two feet long. As he continues to stare at the painting, Eujae wonders how long it took for the artwork of this size to be finished. A significant amount of time and dedication must have been invested in it.

He shifts his gaze downward and catches sight of the little inscriptions in the bottom left corner of the picture. With the urge to get a better look at it, Eujae approaches the painting. Nevertheless, once he begins to examine the script, he realizes that the proximity is futile. Even with his contact lenses on, the scribbles are impossible to read.

It is not as if he needs to decipher the illegible cursive letters to know that it's Poll's signature, but what he is curious about is the date written underneath it. He wants to know how old Poll was when he painted this piece.

Right on cue, the answer is given by someone behind him, "Amazing, isn't it? My boy painted it when he was fifteen."

Fifteen. That was five or six years ago, and Poll was probably in his tenth grade at that time.

Turning around, Eujae greets the mother of the Torres twins with a smile. "It is, Auntie. It must have taken Apollo some time to finish it."

"He did," Amelia confirms. She looks up at the object of the conversation and takes a few steps to stand next to the young man. "This took him more than half a year to finish in between school and the few art commissions he accepted. It was also the first portrait painting that he created. He used to only draw those cartoon characters he loved to watch or paint landscapes and objects."

The gratification in her voice is unmistakable, a telltale sign of her pride for her son.

Eujae glances at the older woman before he goes back to studying the piece. Given he doesn't have any talent for drawing, he is by no means qualified to comment on its technical aspects. But he can at least say that the artist must have loved making this one. Through the image, he can sense how much Poll cares for the subjects of this particular creation.

Like any other artist, creating art must be one of Apollo's outlets and love languages. The male Torres twin can indeed be awkward at showing his feelings sometimes, especially when it matters the most, but there is no denying that he doesn't hold back once he expresses himself through his artwork.

"Apollo's talented, isn't he?" Eujae mutters and then gives his friends' mother another smile. "And I have to say that a large part of it must be thanks to the support he got from his parents."