Love Maze

Chapter 22

"Wait. Are you going somewhere?"

Anya tightened her grip on the straps of the small backpack she had slung on. "Yeah. Is it okay if we don't talk right away? I was just heading outside."

"Sure," her friend replied doubtfully. "Or I could just go with you and we can talk on the way-"

"No, I really think I need to go out by myself today."

"Okay," Nikki said, still looking slightly puzzled. "I guess I'll see you later."

"I guess you will."

Anya headed to the front door, but stopped in her tracks when her mother called out to her. "An, get yourself some breakfast first."

"It's okay, mom. I'll just eat out."

"Well- fine," Mrs. Brooks sighed at her daughter's pleading eyes. "But avoid the street food, however tempting it may smell. You know your stomach can't handle it."

"Okay, mom, thanks!" She grinned, pushing the door open and heading out into the city alone for the first time.

For the first hour or so, she simply roamed the streets, taking in the sights around her. She'd passed these streets earlier on her way from the airport, but she'd been jetlagged and nervous then, resulting in her not being able to focus too much on her surroundings.

The chaos of people bustling around, hastening to whatever destination they had to reach, was oddly beautiful to her. Her gaze wandered, the artist in her catching sight of tiny details that would have usually escaped one's sight. The patterns and faded hues of the bunting decorating various stores, the little animals and birds carved into the gate of another building, the pretty dangling earrings from a little smiling girl's lobes catching the sunlight and causing them to sparkle.

But her favourite part had to be the graffiti. Every inch of every wall in the vicity was covered in artwork, from beautifully written quotes to important messages like saving water depicted through pictures that had been drawn or painted on.

Back home, the only graffiti she encountered would be abstract designs which, though extremely interesting and eye-catching, didn't really hide any meaning behind the multiple layers of paint.

She raised her head slightly, inhaling deeply as the corners of her lips turned upwards. She needed this. She needed to be alone, especially since she knew the next week was going to be nothing short of crazy.

She caught a whiff of the pleasant fragrance of flowers, and her nose automatically guided her body towards the source.

As she rounded a corner, her eyes widened fractionally. She seemed to have been transported into a valley of flowers, and the vibrant shades of pink, yellow and orange jumped into her vision. It was absolutely breathtaking.

She shuffled forward, her eyes greedily drinking in the sight before her. This place was perfect for sparking her creativity.

She slowly made her way through the flower market, the intoxicating fragrance making her relax. Reaching into her backpack, she quickly pulled out her sketch book and a pencil, planning to draw whatever caught her eye the most.

She ended up doodling a little bit of everything that she saw onto the blank sheets, tracing the delicate patterns of the different flowers with utmost care. She bit her lip, cautiously rubbing her thumb against parts of the sketches to create a shaded effect.

At one point, she came across an old woman holding an enormous basket of orange and yellow marigold flowers all strung onto a thread together. She quickly drew a faint outline of the scene before her, then darkening the drawing and adding details from memory after the woman had passed by.