Page 42 of Portrait of A Lost Artist
“Anything you want to tell me?” I ask, careful by the way I thread my words into the diagram of thoughts that passes my head. Unlike others, Alessia needs little prompting to share her deepest feelings with me. She rises from her spot on the desk, letting her heavy, bleached hair tumble from its bun, followed by a weighty sigh.
“Zeke is possibly the worst man to ever exist, and I don’t get why you two are best friends.” I mean, that’s partly what I had thought when I had my grand lash-out towards Lorenzo. That I couldn’t understand how Zeke came from the same bloodline as him, but I also know my other best friend. He can be a tad senseless, but he’s soft-hearted and loyal. Like a dog.
“What did he do to you?” I question, sipping a few times on my drink only for noise to come out. Damn, I should serve myself some more of this.
Her cheeks tinge red, looking over to the side as she crosses her arms over her chest. “To me? Ugh, as if he could do anything to me. I am just stipulating that he’s a horrid man and that I hope his dick falls off one of these days. Serves him right.”
Alright, time to settle the record straight. I may have withdrawn because this conflict requires a solution between them; having lived together in Havana for years, it’s time this ended.
“Alessia, honey, I know for a fact that you’re in this on-and-off again hook-up. It is clear as day that you two have been in each other’s pants and—” As she’s parting her mouth to retort, I spread a hand in the air. “Before you say I have no proof, I do. I know you from university, and just how great you had it then going from person to person. I haven’t met a single man you’ve been interested in ever since you met Zeke, and that’s a lot to say.”
“You’re just supposing. I’ve dated plenty ever since I got here.”
“Nah, you’d always tell me everything. That wouldn’t change after we moved in here.” I retort, biting on my bottom lip before releasing it. “So, what’s the problem here? Any reason Zeke is being more bothersome than usual to you?”
Clearly caught in a mental battle, Alessia’s thoughts seem to churn visibly before she drags her feet to the side of my desk. Her hands spread out on the surface, and when she looks at me, the glistening in her eyes suggests she’s on the precipice of tears.
“When were you planning on telling me he’s going to Colombia to record some demos?”
I almost hiss at the words that escape her lips. Zeke had mentioned his plans of signing with a Colombian label that had worked with artists like Maluma and Karol G a little over a year ago. It was only recently, perhaps three weeks prior, that Zeke had taken the time to call, excited about his demos and the possibility of being flown out to advance his career. What struck me as odd was that he hadn’t shared this with Alessia, especially given their peculiar closeness that existed alongside their dislike for each other.
“He—Before you fully hate me for what I’m about to say...”
“You knew.”
“I did. He’s been working on this for like a year. His SoundCloud account got discovered by some people and they have been offering him great things.” My words elicit a scoff from Alessia, and she pulls back from my desk with the speed of someone jolted by electricity. I trail after her, watching as she decisively turns off her computer and starts packing. “Babe, I know how important whatever it is that you have with him is to you, but this is his dream and it didn’t feel right to tell you about things that he had been confiding me on.”
“He’s leaving. You’re hanging around this Nathan guy and—” Alessia exhales, brushing the tears away from her face. “I have nobody. I came here because of you. Because you’re my best friend and I happened to...to...fuck—”
“Talk to me.” I whisper to her, clasping her hands with mine, only to have her shaking her head. “I know what you’re thinking, but please, just say it.”
“I came here because of you. I stayed because...because I love him, and he doesn’t love me the slightest.” Alessia confesses and the rain of truths has me pulling away. I thought it was only a hook-up. I would have never thought it could go farther than that. “And now he’s leaving and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Ale—”
“I—I don’t want to talk about it, okay? This is not very girl-boss from me and I just want to...sleep, perhaps get tipsy, just not think about that dickhead of a friend you have.” She grabs her purse, placing a hand on top of my head and ruffling my hair. “Just know that...I love you, but it’s a very complicated time for me and I really can’t stand anybody at the moment.”
“I’m not letting you go back home on your own.”
“Who said I was going home? I’m going to a bar first.”
“Still not letting you go alone.”
She’s shushing me and slipping out the door in the matter of seconds. “Just leave me to it and continue working. It’s almost time to leave as well. I’ll be fine.”
“Alessia—”
The soft bang of the closing door allowed a sigh I hadn’t realized I was holding to escape. The thought of Alessia being in love with Ezequiel is honestly the best possible scenario I could have hoped for. Part of me envisions Zeke finally breaking free from his perpetual bachelorhood, and Alessia finding someone to lean on. It’s a shame they can’t see how much they could gain from each other instead of just creating conflict.
I stop procrastinating after taking a trip to the bathroom, typing with precision but not as much skill as Alessia. She’s always been the rock of our company and a coding whiz, but I manage to pull my weight. I don’t even notice the time just sliding away, like water through my fingers, until my phone buzzes with Nathan’s name, lighting up the screen right as nine o’clock hits. Suddenly, I’m fighting off a wave of nerves in my chest.
Not because I don’t feel comfortable around him, but because my heart patters against my chest when I pick up the call, leaving the phone on the desk to continue with my job.
“Very old school of you to be calling instead of facetiming me.” I comment, earning soft laughter from him that reverberates through his chest and, by the tone, through my bones.
“I just wanted to hear your voice. If I saw your face, I would miss you even more.” The line has me rolling my eyes, scoffing at his words and yet, feeling a smile glide up my features. “Still working?”
“Yes, Alessia was with me a few hours ago, but she went out to get love-drunk.” I told him, rolling on my chair and extending my legs until I felt every fiber of my muscles aching. I need to get up if I don’t want to stay stiff for the rest of the night. “I’m almost done. How about you? What are you doing?”
