Blank Canvas

●Chapter 21●

I rummaged through the kitchen cabinets to find something eatable. I grinned instantaneously when my eyes fell on the Oreo packets along with a jar full of dates. The combination might seem weird but whenever there's a lot going on in my head, I tend to do that a lot. They are my personal favorites. 

During such stressful times, I happen to hog almost about everything without taking so much as a pause. Eating more than required makes me feel a bit better, lighter and anxiety free.

Leaning against the counter, I munched on the Oreos furiously with a scowl permanently etched onto my face. 

Last night's events played in my mind on repeat. Especially the look Atlas had given me when I'd stomped off dramatically from the exhibition. It was like he was hurt but I waved the thought off.

My thoughts wandered back to when he'd bought my painting. 'What if he just bought the painting for the heck of it and sold it to the third party before the auction had even begun? But why would he do that?' It didn't even make sense.

I was not even popular in the art world. Kris was right. When a guy asks you to hangout with them, it's nothing more than a friendly gesture. And here I thought that maybe, just maybe, he's got feelings for me too. 'Wishful thinking, ha!'

I sighed wearily and continued stuffing my mouth with the dates and Oreos while glaring at the wall in front of me. I was already on the second packet of Oreos when my gaze suddenly fell on the newspaper placed carelessly on the kitchen countertop. 

I furrowed my brows because the headline of the news was what caught my attention. Curiously, I picked up the newspaper and re-read the headline.

Painting creates buzz amongst bidders!

My eyes widened when I saw the familiar painting - my painting - to be more specific alongside the article. My heart pounded frantically inside my chest and my jaw slackened. I quickly read the article and every time my eyes bounced to the next sentence, I was even more flabbergasted than before, if that was even possible.

"This can't be," I mumbled with growing indignation towards myself. "How can I be so stupid?!" I groaned in frustration and tossed the paper back on the counter. 

I was about to head upstairs to my room but my mom decided that exact moment to waltz inside the kitchen. When her gaze fell on me, her eyes lit up like thousand bulbs. 

"Ari, sweetie. Oh, my God, I didn't know that you'd put up your painting for the auction. Daniel read me that article." She jabbed her finger towards the newspaper. "Was it a surprise, hon because I'm just so happy for you!" She exclaimed and continued going on and on about it. 

I ignored her and headed outside the kitchen. I was at the foot of the stairs when I heard her shouting, "Did you just finish two packets of Oreos and an entire jar of dates?"

'Uh-oh.' 

"I had stocked those for..." I didn't wait for her to finish the sentence and made my way towards my bedroom.

Once inside my room, I staggered around to search for my phone. I bit my lip and pinched my eyes close. 'I acted stupidly yesterday, didn't I?' 

I heaved a heavy sigh when my eyes fell on my phone placed on the bedside drawer. Picking it up, I saw tons of missed calls and messages.

The missed calls were all from Kris and Atlas. I was surprised that Atlas had called because we both have never talked or texted on the phone. My fingers would always hover above the keyboard to just type off a 'Hey' and send it but I couldn't bring myself to do so. Neither did he. It was the first time he had ever tried calling me.