Page 93 of Pictures in Blue
Before answering, I pause to take the after photos. I go to the passenger side and open the door and let Judy jump in before I settle myself next to Sky. We drive down the main road until we come to the vacant building.
“What are we doing here? I’ve already seen it.”
“Just…give it a chance.”
I sigh, relenting to the fact that Sky isn’t going to let this go. I get out of the car and notice Elias standing at the front door with a key in hand. “What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Sky texted. Said you guys wanted to see the place. And I’m the one with the keys because I just so happen to be the one that owns it.”
Of course. I almost say it out loud. “Mm, convenient.”
“I originally bought it for Sarah to do something with, but she never got the chance and I never really had the heart to sell it to be honest.”
My chest restricts at the pain still present behind his eyes when he says her name.
I give him a sympathetic smile and wait for him to unlock the door. Once it’s unlocked, he steps back and opens the door for me and Sky. I walk in first and turn on the lights.
When Sky said it was vacant, she really meant vacant. The empty space brightens with a dim yellow lighting, and I am able to see more of the space than I could through the opening in the window before. I don’t know what was in here previously but it looks like it could have been a boutique at some point or an antique store or something of that nature. There are no shelves lining the walls, no service desk in the middle of the room, no paint on the walls.
There are spackle marks on the walls covering the holes that were there before. The lighting could be updated. The old curtains covering the front and back windows are dusted over and I immediately go to the back ones and open them, letting in the natural light. It filters in through the windows and I turn and stare at the little particles dancing in the light.
I let myself imagine a full bank account and what it could accomplish in this space. There would be a desk to the left when you walk in with a logo of some sort behind it. The curtains would stay open or maybe I would tear them down completely to let in the sun. A fresh coat of light purple or blue paint, something fun and happy would coat the walls. A color that would make me smile every day. I could close off part of the space to make a dark room or a space where I could offer photography portraits or I could reserve an area for Sky to display and sell her paintings. There are so many possibilities with the space. It makes me sad that it has been empty for so long.
“I’ve been wanting to sell it for a while. I just haven’t had a good enough reason to yet,” Elias speaks up. “Or I’ve just talked myself out of it. But, for you, Avery, I think it would be a good enough reason.”
I look over at him, wondering why these people who barely know me are willing to go to such lengths to include me in their lives. I am not worth all of this. I am not worth the trouble.
“Elias, there’s no way that I could afford this place. Not on my own. But I appreciate you taking the time to show me.” No matter how perfect the space may seem, I know the number in my bank account and there’s no way it could cover a space this size.
“There is also a second floor,” Sky mentions. “You could turn that into storage or a dark room or an office or whatever you want it to be.”
“What about whateveryouwant it to be?” I ask, pointing in her direction.
Sky just shakes her head and shrugs. “I don’t see it. The space doesn’t feel like mine. At least not only mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you say you can’t afford it by yourself? Why don’t you let me help you?”
“No way,” I shoot her down. There’s no way I can let her help me. I don’t accept help easily and from a person I just met, I could not take her money. “I can’t take your money,” I tell her.
“Why not?”
“Because I just met you like two weeks ago. I can’t accept your money. That's too much.”
“What if I say it’s not?”
“And what if I say it is?”
“Come on, Avery.”
“Come on, Sky…not happening. End of story.” I swipe my hand through the air, cutting her off. “Sky, please, I can’t.”
“What are you afraid of, Avery?”
Everything.
She raises her hands up in surrender at the look on my face. “Fine,” she takes a step back. “I’ll leave it alone.”
