TWO | THE TRUTH HURTS

    "You can place that easel over there," She pointed to a far corner of the room.

Mykel nodded as he moved the easel. Nef stood up and dusted off her hands right after giving herself a good stretch.

   "Now, is there anything else you need help with Remi?" Nef asked looking around. 

   "No. Not right now." Remi placed her finger on her chin and looked around.

   "Good, because I have to get to work." She grabbed her purse and headed out.

   "Okay, bye." Remi waved as she left.

   "Where do you want me to put these canvases?" Mykel held up an armful of blank canvases.

   "Just place them on every easel." He did as he was told. "Thanks Kelly, you're the best." She called him by his nickname and he smiled back a little. 

   "You're welcome. But, my question is... How come your husband couldn't do this for you?"

   "He's not my husband just yet." She rolled her eyes."... And I told you guys, he's busy. He won't be back until tonight."

   "Lucky for him," Mykel held his back. "He doesn't have to do all this heavy lifting."

   "The canvases arent that heavy. They don't even weigh over fifty pounds together. You're just weak," She replied.

He looked taken back by my statement, but it was true. They all knew it was true.

   "I'm here! I'm here!" Kenji exclaims as he ran in with buckets of paint in each hand. "I'll put them down... They're so heavy." He let them go and the bottom of the metal containers hit the ground, making a solid and sturdy noise. Droplets of paint flew from the cans and hit the floor.

   "Thanks Ken," Remi smiled.

   "You're welcome, Remi." He fixed his round glasses. "Can I go now, I should get to studying."

   "You're free to go guys. I can handle everything from here." She stood before Mykel could exit the room and said, "But, where is Aaliyah? Why didn't she or Dario show up to help?"

   "You know how they are. They want to avoid work as much as possible." He stretched his back. "I guess I should go now. Unless you want me to stay."

   "It's fine. I know you probably have something better to do."

   "Ok, call me if you need anything." He left, leaving her alone with her paint and art pieces.

She poured the paint into individual jars and placed the caps on them.

She swept and made sure everything was clean before she opened up that day. Remi was hanging one of her paintings up to dry when she heard the windchimes cling against each other, meaning that someone just walked in.

She thought Mykel locked the door behind himself, but she was surely mistaken.

   "Sorry. We're not open yet," Remi looked in the direction of the door but had not seen who entered. She got up and approached the guest. "Come back in an hour..."

   Her train of thought was thrown off of it's tracks and everything stood still. She didn't know how to respond.

   "This is a nice place," he said looking around.

   "Seven?" She gasped. "W--What are you doing here?"

   "I just came by to say hi," he smiled. His hands shoved into his pockets as he looked around. 

   "Oh... Um... Hi. I haven't seen you in... Years. What made you come back now?" She backed up as he came closer.

   "Oh, I just got out of jail." He shrugged and replied sheepishly. My back hit the wall. "Why are you backing away from me? Did you think I'd hurt you?"

   "Uh... N-- No. It's just... I'm really surprised to see you."

   "You don't trust me?"

   "No. I do trust you," She stammered when she bumped into a rack of paint brushes. She held out her arms to keep the brushes from falling onto the floor.

   "I'll help you." He insisted as he knelt beside her to clean up the mess. His hand lightly grazed hers and quickly she pulled it away and stood up.

   "So... Seven... What made you come back after all these years, and how'd you know this was my store?"

   "Dario, told me about your store, and I heard that you're getting married soon." He gave a small yet fake smile.

   "Yeah... You heard correct."

   "Oh," he pursed his lips and averted his gaze towards the floor. "Well... Why didn't you send me an invitation?"

Is he serious right now? She thought. For five years, he went awol. No one would have known if he was alive or dead if it wasn't for Dario, giving us updates on his well being. I was so annoyed, and nervous. Nervous because he seemed like a completely different person five years ago. Who knows why he came back.

   "Why would I?" She scowled.

   "Huh?"

   "I haven't heard from you in ages! Now you walk in here and expect everything to be fine and dandy, like you can push the pause and play button like everything will continue from where it started off," She vented. She couldn't believe she had said all of that, and to his face. He looked sorry for himself and she instantly felt sorry.

   "Remi..." He scratched his nape. "I--"

   "Your arrival was just unexpected. Please just leave." She turned around to place the paintbrushes back in their arranged order. She could still hear his breathing behind her, she could sense his presence too. She turned back around. "Leave or I'm calling the cops."

She hurried to the back room. She sat down on an upside down bucket and took a few deep breaths. Her heart was racing, it was hitting against her ribcage and she could hear the deep, low pounding in her ears.

What happened to our friendship? Why'd he have to leave one day and not return until years later. Why did we have to meet under these circumstances? She thought

She could see her hands trembling right before her eyes. They wouldn't stop as she had the sudden urge to throw up. Her stomach did flips, cartwheels and backflips. She hated that she had been so mean to him. He had already gone through jail.

I should have welcomed him back with open arms. But, instead I just pushed him away.

She stepped out of the room to see if he had left. Not to her surprise, he did. The door swung slightly, hitting the chimes above the door. Remi let out a deep breath. Now, she could get back to work.