Lisa’s POVThe next morning I woke up heavy, like I had not slept at all. My head still hurt a little, but I dragged myself out of bed and forced myself to go through my routine. Work was waiting, and work meant focus.When I got to the gallery, Mara called me into her office right away. That usually meant something big. She was seated behind her desk, her iPad balanced in front of her like always. She looked serious, but also excited.“Lisa,” she said, folding her hands, “I need you later today.”I blinked. “For what?”“There is a meeting… very exclusive,” she explained. “An artist wants a specific art design for a music video. They insisted on you being present as the painter who will handle the project.”I was surprised. "Me? Why me?" I was just an entry-level artist at the gallery. There were others with more experience.“Yes, you.” Mara nodded firmly. “The artist is very famous, but they do not want publicity. So the meeting will be private, only four people. Myself, you,
Lisa’s POVThe taxi ride home was quiet, but only for me. I hardly said much during the ride.Riley talked the whole time as we were driven to the apartment. It didn't matter to her that I didn't say a word. She talked about the movie, the special effects, and the funny parts. I just nodded and made small sounds to show I was listening.I only half-heard the things she was saying. I was not so interested. I was grateful, though. I could tell this is her way of trying to get my mind off things, even though I hadn't told her that the guy at the cinema was Andre, she must have figured it out by our tense interaction, and I was grateful she didn't ask any questions. My body was in the car, but my mind was back at the theater.I could still remember the exact moment I had seen Andre standing there.At one point, she stopped and looked at me. "Are you okay?"I gave her a vague yes. I didn't look at her."Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, frowning a bit.I just shook my head an
Andre’s POVThe movie was the last thing on my mind. Everything had gone to shit as soon as I saw none other than Lisa.I should have gone into the theater room as the movie was about to start…But how could I?Would it make sense to do so?I didn't deserve the pleasure of enjoying a good movie.Not if Lisa treated me like I was a nobody.Instead, I found myself leaning against the wall near the entrance.I didn't know what to do other than stare at the floor tiles.I tried standing in the lobby for a while, but that got tiring. I was tired of seeing happy people around me, so I walked outside. The night air felt good, and the weather was cool. I couldn't sit in a dark room and pretend to be entertained. I could not sit through two hours pretending to enjoy a film while my head was filled with Lisa. The sight of her alone left me feeling sad about how things had ended.So I decided to wait. I needed to talk to her. I had to warn her about Diane. I leaned against Henry's car and
Andre’s POVI thought going to the movies with Henry and Saddie would be simple. Just a normal night. Sit in a dark room, watch the film, go home. That's it.But I did not realize how strong the feeling of being alone would be once I was standing with them. They were glued together from the second we left the car. Her hand in his. His arm around her. Whispering things only they could hear. They kept laughing at jokes that I didn't understand or couldn't relate to.It made me feel like an outsider as I had expected. That was why I didn't want to be a third wheel, but it was very hard to say no to Henry.The feeling hit me worse as soon as we got to the cinema, because of the number of couples present.Saddie kept laughing at everything Henry said, even the stupid things. The two of them were in their own little world.I walked a few steps behind them. I was happy for Henry, I really was. But watching them just made me feel how alone I was.When we got in line for tickets, it go
Lisa’s POVRiley had been talking about the new Marvel movie for weeks. It was all I heard about. To the point where I got fed up with movie this and that.To be fair, I was looking forward to it too. But Riley even more than I was.A night out, away from all the drama, sounded perfect.It had started when she first complained about our usual movie nights. It was a staple at our home to watch K-dramas during the weekend, and she criticised that."Come on, we can't just sit at home every night," she said. "We need to have fun! Live a little!”I didn't know what to say.That period however, coincided with the announcement of the movie she wanted to watch.“You’re coming with me, no excuses.”I laughed. “Fine. I’ll be your partner in crime.” She kept bringing it up every time we sat down for dinner or when we were doing chores. I was not even sure she cared that much about me getting out of the house. I knew the real reason. This was her favorite kind of movie. She had been counting
Andre’s POVThe day was going slowly in the office, until I saw Henry at my door. He was leaning against my office doorframe.As the CFO, sometimes I felt Henry didn't have much work to do because he always seemed to have a lot of spare time to see me.I wouldn't say I didn't appreciate his effort as my best friend, but sometimes he could be a little much.One of those times was today.His arms were crossed when I looked up from my papers. He had that mischievous smile on his face... the one that meant he was about to suggest something ridiculous.“Let’s go to the movies this weekend,” he said cheerfully.I frowned. “No. Absolutely not.”He stepped inside like he owned the place.He took the seat across from my desk and sat down. “Come on, man. It’ll be fun. You need to relax. When was the last time you went out for anything that wasn’t business or… You know, drowning your sorrows in whiskey?”“I said no,” I repeated.Henry leaned forward. “Why not? Are you afraid you’ll actually en