From Grief We grew (Only On Wattpad)

Chapter 44 Teagan

“Hey, is everything okay?” I look around. “Where is Hayden?”
 
   “He got a call. I was feeling dizzy. I’m fine now,” Bea replies.
 
   “You sure?” She nods. “Do you want to see the paintings?”
 
   “Okay.”
 
  I hold her hand and walk around the building for the second time. Suddenly Bea stops abruptly. “I need to use the washroom. I’ll be back,” Bea tells me and turns around sharply.
 
   I grab her hand. “Wait. Are you okay? Shall I come with you?”
 
   “No, it’s okay. I just need to pee.”
 
   I let her go. She quickly walks to the staircase at the right corner and goes upstairs. “This one is my favourite I think,” Lucah points. It’s a painting of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. I look at the name below. Mira Fernando. Half of the paintings in the room belong to her. “She's the artist that gained sensation overnight. It was in this very place that her art career took off.” I absent-mindedly listen as my attention goes back to the staircase. I have this gut feeling that something is wrong which I can’t seem to ignore.
 
   Fiona and Haley join us and start talking about another painting. They drag us excitedly, squeaking about how they are glad this place has representation. They point at a painting of four naked women. Their bodies are sharply outlined and rounded. They don’t seem to be looking at each other.
 
   “I wonder what they are doing,” Fiona asks.
 
   “Bathing,” Lucah replies.
 
   “Ah yes! I thought this looked familiar. This is similar to The Turkish Bath by Jean Ingres. Can’t remember the guy's middle name...” Haley trails off.
 
   I study it closely. I’ve seen this. Mmm. “I think the original artist was a predecessor of Ingres. I remember doing an assignment on nudity in art. I’ve seen this but I can’t remember the artist.”
 
   “Group of Four nudes by Tamara de Lempicka,” Fiona answers.
 
   “Girl I thought you weren’t “art smart”,” Haley says air quoting the last two words.
 
   Fiona chuckles, “Yes but I am phone smart.” She shows us a browser page with information about the drawing. “I just scanned it with google lens.”
 
   I look back at the drawing to see who recreated it. Michael Mint. That’s a funny name. I chuckle. My phone beeps and I take it from my pocket. I find a text from Hayden. A slight change in plans. Bea’s step mum is sick. So Bea needs to go. I’ll be back in 30 mins. Then we'll proceed with the plan. I reply okay back to him. Then inform the group that Bea went home.
 
   We end up waiting for Hayden in a coffee shop. While we sit and have coffee, I excuse myself to the washroom. I call Hayden. He doesn’t pick up in the first two rings making me worried. On the third ring thankfully he picks up. “Teagan I’m almost there.”
 
   “Hayden, is everything alright?”
 
   “Yeah uhm, I think. Bea said she’ll tell me if anything happens.” I can sense the tension in his voice.
 
   “Hay you don’t need to come back. I'll-“
 
   “Bea insisted I do as planned. She also told me to apologize to you.”
 
   “Hey, it’s okay. We'll start the plan soon as you get here. The sooner we finish the sooner you can get back to Bea.”
 
   “Yeah, I already picked the cake up.”
 
   After everyone inquires and makes sure Bea is okay, My plan kicks off into action. Hayden grumbles saying he has a difficult assignment. I immediately volunteer, saying Lucah and I will help. As I surmise Lucah offers to go back to his house to help Hayden. Hayden asks him if he has the necessities for making a sculpture. Luckily Lucah doesn’t. I say that I do and that we can go to my house and collect it. Fiona and Haley sadly express that they gotta go home and Hayden volunteers to drop them off. I tell Lucah we can go wait at my house meanwhile. Agreeing to all this, we say our goodbyes and part.
 
   Lucah and I walk back to his house. Lucah doesn’t stop talking about the paintings we just saw. “I hope I can exhibit my art like that one day,” he says and I assure him we will.
 
   Three blocks away from my house I abruptly stop the car. “What happened?” I shrug and get down. I open the bonnet and pretend to check the engine. “Teagan what’s wrong?”
 
   “I think we are out of diesel,” I tell him and check the tank. Right then Hayden calls me. Right on time.
 
   “Hayden, where are you? I was just about to call you,” I say in distress.
 
   “Teagan we have a minor situation.” Fuck.
 
   “Okay. Okay. Can you buy diesel and come?” I say trying to stick to the plan.
 
   “The cake- those idiots spelled his name wrong.”
 
   “Yes, I’m here a few blocks away. The car stopped suddenly,” I reply instead.
 
   “Ah, we'll fix something. Don’t worry. You come over.”
 
   “Okay thank you. Bye.”
 
  I ask Lucah to stay in the car and wait for Hayden. Then I sprint off to my house. I run inside to find them all in the kitchen. “What happened?” I ask as I pant. Hayden turns around and replies, “They wrote L-u-k-a.”
 
   “Ugh.” I stomp to the counter and see Fiona dipping a stick in chocolate. The cake only has L U on it. The K A is missing. She carefully uses the stick to make a see on the cake. I look back at Hayden who speaks again, “Go get the poppers. I couldn’t find it.”
 
   I walk into my room and look at the 4th shelf where I hid my gift and the part poppers for Lucah. I push a chair close to it and climb on top of it. I take his gift and accidentally push the roll of confetti causing it to roll further behind. I groan and get on my tip toes. I try reaching out for the object when my chair sways. By the time I can react, the chair tilts back. My hand goes to the first thing it can grab for grip and catches something that I also pull with me. I fall behind with a yelp. My heart skips a beat in fear. I close my eyes but I don’t hit the ground. Instead Strong hands catch me saving my fall.
 
   “Couldn't you call me?” I look at Hayden who is carrying me. I look back at the shelf and find an empty space. My focus shifts to the floor and I see papers scattered on the floor. The door hinges creak. My head snaps in the direction of the person who walked Into the room. My whole body freezes. Hayden puts me down. I think my body forgot how to function because I fall to my knees immediately. I just stare at the 3rd person as fear paralyzes me.
 
   “Teagan.” The sound of someone's voice makes me spring forward. For a moment completely forgetting Lucah is in the room, I start collecting my drawings, holding them to my chest. Only when I see his hand over a paper that I reach for, reality hits me again. My eyes travel back to him. He has my book opened in his hand. The very same one I forbid him to see. Now everything was open to public view. Zayden's pictures lay around everywhere.
 
   I don’t know how long I sat there just looking at him. Someone gasped from behind. The sound knocks us back to reality. Lucah calmly keeps the book down and stands up. He doesn’t even dare to look at me. I see Fiona and Haley standing by the door. Haley frowns in disgust as she looks at the drawing close to her feet. Part of me wants to lung forward and shield Zayden from everyone. But I ignore that urge. I find the strength to get up and run after Lucah.
 
   “Lucah wait!” only when the words leave my mouth does my body fully process the situation. I burst into tears as I grab his hand. I feel guilt tugging on its strings and pulling my heart to the deep ends.  
 
   “Let me go!” He looks at me. His eyes are bloodshot. He pulls his hand and starts walking again.
 
   “Lucah please wait. Listen to me.”
 
   “There is nothing left to say Teagan. It’s clear.”
 
   “No! It’s not what you think it is,” I tell him.
 
   He takes a sharp turn and crosses his arms. “Then what is it?” he snaps.
 
   “That’s not Hayden. I swear that’s not Hayden. Nothing is going on between us.”
 
   “Then who is it?”
 
   A lump forms in my throat and I can no longer speak. I just stand there crying and feeling miserable.
 
   “You think I’m a fool? I find you in his arms and I see drawings of him and you tell me it’s not him!” now he’s yelling.
 
   “B-because it’s not,” I whisper.
 
   “Don't lie.” He scoffs, “So this is why you didn’t let me see your book. You were scared I’ll find out your little secret. Is this why he joined Fanshawe too? To be with you?”
 
   I shake my head frantically as I cry.
 
“Okay then let me hear it. Tell me why you have drawings of him in your book. Why you made me wait in the car for him when he was already home?  Why did he join Fanshawe?”
 
   “I can't. I just can’t tell you who that is. Not right now. Please believe me it isn’t him,” I grab his hand and beg. “Please try to understand. Trust me.”
 
   “I'm done trying to understand. I can’t trust someone who has so much to hide. I just can’t. You either tell me everything now or I’m leaving.”
 
   I just say silent and cry. He snatches his hands from mine. “I’m done.”
 
   “Lucah wait. We- Teagan wanted to surprise you for your birthday,” I hear Fiona say.
 
   He scoffs, “This is the best surprise I ever got.”
 
   With that, he walks away. But then he stops and walks back. I almost have hope he changed his mind but he just pushes my car key in my hand. “Lucah wait!” I hold his hand.
 
   “Gimme one reason why I should.” He looks at me and squeezes my hand. He waits and searches for an answer. I give him none. I just wince in pain and he lets go of my hand. He starts walking away with Haley following behind. I simply watch as I fall to my knees.
 
   “Because I love you,” I reply in a whisper but I’m late. It’s no use. He can’t hear me. I sob as I bury my face in my hand. I hurt him really bad this time. It’s all my fault. There is no going back. I lost him. The more I think the harder I cry. I feel someone touching my shoulder and telling me something but I push them away as I scream, “Leave me alone!”
 
   Despite my protest, someone hugs me. I sit on the road crying bitterly while that person sits with me. They pat my back while I cry and vent, “He’s gone. My Lucah is gone. I screwed up. He won’t come back.”