Holliewood (Completed)

chapter twenty-five

People strolled in the semi-silent building admiring all the displays on the pristine white walls. Many of them were captivated by the art and even went as far as analysing their own interpretations of each painting.

The Halo Art Gallery, a prestigious venue showcasing some of the finest modern art I had ever encountered, was a coveted platform for artists. Being selected was a dream for many, but only a few succeeded.

I was here with Zara to see the artwork of one man. Day, of course. This was a moment for him and I wasn't going to miss it for the world.

Zara and I casually walked around, hoping to easily run into Day. He had texted me in the morning informing me that he'd be at the gallery in person. It was now my duty to find him.

I hadn't seen him since our picnic and after my talk with Devon, I found myself turning down some of his offers to meet up. Despite my reluctance, it was necessary. I had spent most of my time curating relationship content with Raymond that would land us in the blogs. If it meant boosting my album sales, I was going to do whatever it took.

"My dad would've loved this place. He's forever collecting paintings like chess pieces," Zara said, looking at some of the paintings in admiration.

"Oh, for sure, maybe you should gift him one," I suggested, "I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"You could be on to something," she pointed her finger at me.

"Ladies," I heard Day's voice from behind us.

I turned around and we locked eyes. He wore a casual suit and his watch adorned his wrist. I loved seeing him wear it.

I suppressed the urge to go in for a hug and instead gave him a small head nod instead. What I really wanted to do was tell him how much I had missed him.

"You have no idea how long we've been looking for you," Zara exaggerated.

"You know damn well it was only about five minutes," I kissed my teeth at her, "don't listen to her. She's a drama queen."

"Girl, I was just playing. Take a joke," she informed me, "anyway, Day, Congratulations on your big break. This is huge! And I mean like super huge!"

"Thank you," he smiled at her, "It means a lot to me."

"No need to thank me, you deserve it," she shrugged off his words, "You know what they say hard work pays off."

"Yep," he agreed with her.

There was a brief silence among us all. He observed me and I quietly stared at him, fiddling with my fingers.

"How have you been, ma? I haven't seen you in a while," he finally spoke, not hesitating to lowkey call my behavior out.

Zara awkwardly cleared her throat and looked around, "Let me go look at your artwork for a bit. Where can I find it?"

Day pointed in a specific direction, "It's that way, you can't miss it. It will have my name on it. Don't hesitate to take pictures if you want to."

She smiled at the both of us, "Okay, thank you! I'll be right back, you two."

And just like that, she left the both of us alone. I stood with my hands interlocked in front of me.

"I'm guessing you've been very busy,"
He spoke in a soft tone. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Uh, yeah," I agreed, "You know, my album launch is in two weeks, so time is not on my side honestly."

"You never told me about your album launch event," He folded his lips. I could see that he had more to say, but it looked like he had decided otherwise.