Astraea's Moon

“It would be our company’s pleasure to have your works unveiled in our place. Best regards, ASTRA Emporium of Arts.” Art exhibit? I just came back from Australia two days ago and now a company I never heard of sent me an email about holding an exhibit in their place. Weird. “Did you tell anyone that I was going home?” I asked Raven. We’re in my room right now in my new condo unit. I was unpacking my things while she was lying on my bed like it was her own. The condo is fully furnished now, thanks to the designer I contacted months before I went home. “No. But I’ve heard about that company before. I heard it’s a world-class establishment and most importantly, the owner’s hot and very good-looking.” She says without averting her eyes from the ceiling and a wide grin forming on her face. “I still find it strange.” a crease forms in my forehead to emphasize my confusion. I momentarily disregarded the thoughts and focused on unpacking.” “Can you stand up there and help me with this please?. I really don’t know why I asked for your help when I knew you were only going to lie down for sure.” I scoffed. She lazily stood up and finally helped me move the boxes. “But hey, I really heard the company’s CEO is worth dying for, so try considering the offer. Then introduce me to him. Easy money, right? Like a sugar daddy” She giggled. “Raven!” my eyes widened with her words. She’s always been like that ever since but I don’t think I would ever get used to it. “I don’t even know if the offer is real and here you are, looking like you already planned a whole scheme.” “Oh, why? Wow, you just went abroad and you’ve already forgotten how your bestfriend is huh.” I laughed at what she said and lightly hit her arm. Some things really never change huh. “Do you know anything about the company? Of course, aside from the fact that the owner is ‘worth dying for’.” I asked while gesturing quotations with my fingers. “Uhm, first of all, like I said, the company is world-class. Girl, their company building is the highest skyscraper in the city and country. And it’s near here, probably 15-20 kilometers.” “And when did you become Waze impersonated? ” I joked. “b***h are you not updated with my life? I am a professional racecar driver duh, of course I know those kinds of things. .” She really emphasized the word professional. My incredibly humble friend. “Second, art exhibits are really the forte of the company and charity is their primary beneficiary. And lastly, the owner is handsome and single, it’s a win.” Gosh, this girl. “Thanks for the info but the last part was unnecessary.” I smiled and went back to my laptop to read the email again. I browsed the internet to check the company’s background and it’s true that charity is their primary beneficiary. I’ve already checked a lot of websites but I am still clueless about the owner’s identity. I also checked their official website but they kept his identity hidden. Their proposal can be my break since I still haven’t built a name in my own country’s industry. I responded to their email and I was surprised that they already scheduled my visit tomorrow. They also suggested that I should bring some of my works so we could plan the arrangement of the pieces. Raven can’t accompany me because she has something important to do, according to her. I guess I have to go alone. The visit would still be in the afternoon but I still woke up early in the morning to prepare. After doing my usual morning rituals, I started preparing the art pieces that I plan to bring later. Some of my other pieces haven’t arrived yet and they didn’t really mention specific pieces to bring so I just decided to bring 5 of my paintings and one small sculpture. As I was picking the paintings to bring, a particular painting caught my attention. The longer I stared at the painting, the more I felt the longing and pain. Funny how I made this with the happiest heart and now that heart now breaks by looking at it. I wouldn’t have noticed I was already crying if a tear didn’t fall in the glass of the paint’s frame. And with an absent mind, I included the painting in the pieces I’ll bring. It was already lunch time when I finished preparing the pieces so after I cooked lunch and ate, I prepared to leave and go to the address they sent me. It was the address for the venue of the art exhibit. Like any normal day, of course, there was traffic. I stared outside whenever I reached a stop and noticed that after the past years, not much really changed. That thought somehow made me feel at ease. Thankfully, after what I thought was an endless drive, I still arrived at my destination in time. Wearing a baby blue floral jacquard tie back puff sleeve dress, partnered with white block heeled sandals, I walked to the entrance of the venue with a smile. A group of people immediately greeted my sight when I entered. They were all wearing formal attires but the man wearing a three piece navy blue suit and a black oxford shoes made my smile drop. It wasn’t because he was someone I didn’t like, but because he was the one that made me feel ‘that thing’ beyond like. “Excuse me Ma’am, are you perhaps Ms. Astraea Alvior?” I slightly jumped in my spot when I heard someone talk beside me. I didn’t even notice I stopped walking and just stared at the man standing just a few meters from me. To be honest, when I came back to the country, I knew meeting him again was inevitable, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. Good Lord, I wasn’t prepared. I did my best to tear my gaze away from him and answer the woman in front of me. “Uh y-yes. That’s me.” I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me when I stuttered. What the hell? And I’m even cursing in my mind now. I guess even his effect on me never changed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ma’am. I’m the head event organizer, Mrs. Roman.” She offered her hand so I took it as I did my best not to look in his direction again. “The pleasure is mine and you can just call me Eya. Nice to meet you.” I said while shaking her hand. “Since you’re finally here, we can now tour you around so you can familiarize where to place your masterpieces.” I blushed on how she addressed my works. She gave me a smile and guided me to the group of people where he belonged. I felt like the floor disappeared and I was just floating as we neared the place where he was. Why am I even nervous? Was it because I’m scared that he might be angry because of what I did in the past? Or is it just because of his stares which are directed to me?! This man isn’t even trying to hide it! I’m not looking at him but I can feel his stare at my every move. “Ah, Miss Eya. This is our team in charge of organizing your art exhibit.” She introduced me to the group and I shook their hands and gave them the sweetest smile I could form in this situation. “We also have the presence of our Chief Executive Officer, Miss.” “P-pardon?” I was a bit surprised with that. Their CEO must be very hands-on to even be here at a venue visit of an unknown artist. “I look forward to being with you, Miss Alvior.” His low and husky voice echoed through the silence of the hall. My whole body literally froze when I heard that deep voice. When I had the courage to look at him, my eyes shamefully went wide when I noticed he was already a few feet away from me with his hands extended for a handshake. Despite the natural dark aura surrounding him, his eyes were rather soft and gentle as he looked at me. His eyes were as mesmerising as ever, but the pain it hides couldn’t hide from me. Those were the exact same eyes that begged me to stay. But I still left. Do I still hurt you, baby? I did my best to compose myself and shook his hand as I introduced myself. “Astraea Luz Alvior.” I immediately let go of the handshake and avoided his gaze before he sees how my eyes reflected the pain in his. The others must have sensed the tension so Mrs. Ramon immediately proceeded to tour us around. As the CEO, he walked in front of the group while I stood beside Mrs. Ramon who was explaining the purpose of the exhibit and the flow of the event. Turns out, the money that the exhibit will earn will be donated to a home for the aged. The art pieces I brought were also already unloaded from my car and were just placed somewhere in the venue. I was too focused on everything she said that I didn’t have time to pay attention to my surroundings until the tour and discussion was over. It was a good thing since I didn’t have to interact with him. But walking around this venue did not help at all. It gave off the aesthetics of a museum. Haven of artists but a long memory lane for those who enjoyed it with the one they love. Those who talked about their passion and dreams together while looking at a painting. Those who are the same as me. Hours passed by and I was very occupied with arranging my pieces and visualizing new works I could make for the exhibit. Of course, the bittersweet reminiscing didn’t stop until we were all walking out from the place when all of a sudden, all of the lights in the place turned off. “What happened?” I asked worriedly. “It’s probably just a problem in the electric circuit. Don’t worry, we’ll have everything checked before the event to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Mrs. Ramon calmly assured. I gently nodded and unconsciously looked around. Wait… “Uhm Mrs. Ramon, where’s Lu– I mean, Mr. Puertollano?” I was already shy enough to ask so it didn’t really help that I almost blurted out his name so casually. I really lose focus when he’s involved. “Uh, I think I saw him wander around a while ago. I think he’s still inside.” If I’m not mistaken, the one who answered is one of the organizers. The moment I heard the last sentence, I ran as fast as I could towards the entrance. I didn’t mind the call of the people behind me or the fact that I’m not used to running in heels. All I could think of was the image of a guy shaking in the middle of this darkness. I entered the venue and the silence made the clicks of heels even louder, but not as loud as my heartbeat right now. I was breathing hard, panic was rising through me but I tried my best to stay calm. I can’t be weak right now. He needs me. My man needs me. So I searched every hall, room, and corner there was until I finally saw him. He was standing in the middle of a hallway, shoulders tense, and eyes closed. As I slowly walked towards him, memories started flashing. Good memories and greater ones. There weren’t bad memories because for me, even a painful memory with him is worth more than anything this world could give. Those memories weren’t bad or good, they were bittersweet. Exactly how people described us together. Before my tears could even fall, he opened his eyes and they met mine. I’m now looking at the eyes of the man I love, my ex-fiance, my Zabian Luan Puertollano.