My home studio was going to be completed and I couldn’t wait to see it.
I had wanted it to be a surprise so I had avoided looking at it or even supervising it. All I did was give the interior designer an idea of what I wanted and told her to go all out as her creativity would let her.
Apparently, my husband had told her not to worry about the amount and to make sure she got only the very best materials for me since she was not only going to be designing the room but was also going to be getting my painting materials too.
I didn’t have any particular drawing items that I had an attachment to so I didn’t mind her getting supplies that she felt would fit the aesthetic of the room.
I was excited now that it was finally done, much more than I did at the beginning of the whole thing.
It was almost evening so the workers were wrapping up with whatever they had left. I sat as still as I could in the living room and Lily’s blabbing was not helping at all.
She had been to the studio a million times and would not shut up about how amazing it was even when I threatened to fire her.
Now with all the hints I had been getting from Lily and the satisfied glint in the eyes of the decorator, you can guess how much I was trying to hold myself back from running into the studio so I could get my own feel of the place.
My legs kept shaking rapidly, something that happens a lot when I was extremely nervous and though my legs were hurting from the constant movements, I made no effort to stop it.
The sound of footsteps approaching me made me look up and I saw the interior decorator walking towards me with a wide smile. She had this satisfied look and it made me relieved.
I knew there was no way she would do something I didn’t like since she came highly recommended but this was where I would be spending most of my time so it would be a shame if it was a space I couldn’t stand.
“So we are done with the whole room and you are free to check it out. Do you want me to come along in case you need to make any changes?” She asked me with a warm smile. I was about to tell her that there was no need to come along but I may need to change one or two things.
“Sure you can come along. After all, you designed the place but I don’t think I would need to change anything”
“You are too kind. Shall we?” She gestured towards the hallway where Atticus’s home office was located.
There was a room just after his office that had been vacant and he had offered it to me because it was situated in a quiet part of the house and I won’t be disturbed by any noise of sorts when I was in there.
I was more excited about having a studio beside his home office than the actual studio and I felt stupid for that.
He may not spend as much time here than his main office but whenever he was home, he was always in his office.
Since we had breakfast together that day, I made sure to always have breakfast and dinner with him.
I know he was probably confused by my actions but he was choosing to not ask questions and let me do whatever it was I was doing.
I entered the group and was amazed by how much the room had transformed. What I knew as a wide, empty space now looked like an old art studio that had been In use for a while. It felt personal and comfy so much that I felt like I was intruding on private property.
I had told her that I didn’t just need a pretty space but rather I wanted something that looked homely, comfy and used rather than something that looked new and unreal.
I walked further into the room not believing how amazing it had turned out. Jasmine really was the ace of her time. She took my idea to a whole different level and I love it. I could see myself spending hours here and getting so immense in what I am doing and even forgetting the time.
“Thank you so much. I love it” I was beaming with happiness when I faced her. She let out a relieved sigh that I didn’t even realise she had been holding.
“So there is nothing you would like to change?” She asked me.
“No. There is nothing I want to change. It’s perfect, even more than I expected it to be”
“That’s a relief. I am so glad we were given the opportunity to do this for you”
“It was nice working with you” I gave her a handshake and she saw herself out of the room.
I stayed behind to admire the room. I was really impressed with this space. I had not given up the idea to do something career-wise but while I search for something that I would like to do long term, this would serve as an amazing time killer for me.
When Atticus comes home, I am definitely going to drag him here and also thank him properly for doing this for me but I wonder what I could give him as a thank-you gift. It is only right that he gets something from me after giving me something like this.
I told Lily not to disturb me unless Atticus was back home so we could have dinner together. I decided to paint something to kill time. Since the studio was ready to be used, there was no need to not use it.
I didn’t have anything in mind to paint so I picked up my brush and let my emotions guide me. I don’t know how long I sat there letting my brush lead the way but by the time I stood up, I couldn’t believe what I had painted.
“I am coming in,” Lily announced softly before entering the room. She gasped when she caught sight of the painting that I was also studying.
“Wow, you painted this? It looks so real, ``she exclaimed in amazement. I specialised in realistic artwork so the woman on my Canva staring back at us with her face that looked like it was shattered glass looked so real that it could be mistaken for a photograph.
“This has to be my best work yet. I am also amazed at how well it came out. I think I should thank the atmosphere of the studio” I told her. I still don’t know why I painted this. It was so fascinating and held so many messages that I could not yet interpret. I could have seen an image of something similar before and my brain couldn’t exactly remember but it looked really good and I was proud of myself.
“I didn’t know you were so talented. You could make tons of money with this”
“I don’t know about that and I’ve never even thought of doing this as a career”
“Why? You are better than some artist I have seen online and yet they charge a lot for their artworks”
“I am still considering it”
“What if you put this up for sale and we see how it goes?” She suggested.
“No. Maybe the next? For some reason, I don’t want to sell this. Anyways, what are you doing here? Is it time for dinner already? Is Atticus back?” I asked and I didn’t like the expression on her face all of a sudden. She looked panicked for some reason.
“About that, it’s past dinner time.” She scratched the back of her head and her eyes wouldn’t look up from the floor.
“Why didn’t you call me? Did he have dinner already? I was supposed to thank him for the studio and also show it to him so he could see how it turned out” I said, getting mad at her already. I specifically told her to make sure she called me and didn’t worry about disturbing me so how could she forget?
“It’s not that I didn’t want to call you but…” She paused and I raised my brows at how hesitant she was to complete her statement. She was trying to hide something from me but I wouldn’t let her.
I picked up my phone to see that it was past 10 p.m. There was no way I could go knock on his door now. I was so mad at her. I walked past her and started to head to my room and I heard her run after me.
“Are you angry? I am sorry. I was going to call you as soon as I heard his car but when he came in, he… he…” She kept on stuttering and it was getting on my nerves.
“You better complete that statement before I get really mad. He what?” I halted my steps and turned to face her with a glare on my face. If looks could kill, she would probably be dead right now.
“He brought a girl back home and I didn’t know how to tell you that” She said at one point and if I hadn’t been paying attention to her closely, I probably wouldn’t have heard her.
“He what?” I felt my hopes shatter like glass that fell off a very high table and I didn’t know why I felt so hurt. We didn’t have anything and I clearly knew that but I felt insulted and disrespected and I wouldn’t stand for that again.
“Where are they?”
“They were busy from the door,” She muttered. She didn’t have to explain further what she meant. Even a child would understand.