The Colors of Your Soul

Close Company

(Part 3)

"Woah..."

"Hehe. Looks like someone's breath has been taken away."

"Could you blame me? The arts look absolutely gorgeous!" Eliana gasped in astonishment, walking over to one of the paintings that was being displayed, the only thing separating was the glass between that and the world.

"That's the—"

"Mona Lisa. Painted by Leonardo De Vinci" I answered before she could ask the question. She looks at me with an annoying look. Oh no—

"I told you before to stop interrupting me when I'm speaking." She expressed with controlled rage as she created a stinging sensation to my cheeks. Her quiet rage really scares me sometimes... "Alright Alright! Stop pinching my cheeks, it hurts the more you squeeze them!"

After a few minutes, she finally let go as she walked ahead of me. My cheeks were burning red as the stinging sensation slowly disappeared from my being. I manage to catch up to her soon, seeing her standing upon another painting. "Hey Y/n." She calls out, pointing at the portrait in question, "What is that?"

"Just a contemporary painting. The meaning is whatever you want it to be."

"...Looks like Jesus and the devil having a boxing match—"

"NO. That is definitely not it— Why did you even think of that!?"

"Hm... Then what about that one?" She then pointed at another painting. The painting depicts a man holding on to his dead son desperately with his eyes widened with a horrorstruck look.

"Ah... Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan painted by Ilya Repin. The story was quite... Sad." I solemnly said, looking down at the floor as I sigh with a slight heavy breath. Eliana seems to look at me with a raised eyebrow, stepping closer to my side as she locks my arm around hers.

"Sorry, just remembered how the story goes." I chuckled softly, easing the atmosphere I accidentally created. "It's alright. Looking at the art, even someone who doesn't like art would know it has a sad backstory."

"Isn't that sad compared to something like my life—" I felt a strong strike to my head, before it was replaced with a small caressing movement that eases my pain. "Sorry, I felt like hitting you to get you out of the depressive episode again."

"You know me so well." She hits my arm again, this time much softer, like a playful attack from your pup, letting out a one sided smile as we walk side by side of the corridor of the gallery. "You know a lot about Art don't you, Y/n?" I scratch my cheeks, an awkward laugh left my lips as she said that.

"Yeah well... Someone in my life before was an artist themselves, so it kinda molded into my life without me noticing, I guess..."

"Oh? You never mentioned this before with us. Who was that someone?"

"I... I can't tell, sorry. I have my reasons as to why I didn't. But, I should say that the person was incredibly skilled with the paintbrush." I couldn't deny the fact, she was the best at what she did. But mentioning her even without saying a name still aches my heart.

We continued our date with no setbacks as I toured her around the museum, Though a lingering feeling was still there. Like outside, as if someone was watching us. Each time whenever we stumble upon a new display, I take a peek from behind to see anything that might give the impression of stalking.

But because of the museum being a hotspot for tourists, as well as the surge of people walking in the building, it became hard to distinguish who was looking at us and who just had their eyes wandering about.