Chapter 6 - Working as A Volunteer

Evelyn's POV

Evelyn had arrived at the gallery long before the doors opened, carrying a tote bag that held nothing but a notebook, a pen, and her ever-present sense of unease. The marble lobby gleamed in the morning light, polished and cold. High ceilings reflected the faint sound of footsteps, the soft hum of chandeliers settling after a long night, and the distant murmur of the city beyond the thick glass walls.

She sighed, adjusting the strap of her apron, already feeling the familiar ache in her shoulders and back. Today would be long, she knew it from the moment she stepped out of the cab. She had agreed to volunteer because Carmen insisted it was “good exposure,” but exposure didn’t pay her rent, didn’t reduce the looming debts, and definitely didn't stop the collectors from calling three times a day.

“This is all Carmen’s idea,” she muttered under her breath, scanning the pristine artwork lining the walls. Each painting was perfectly positioned, framed in gold, cared for with the precision she had never been allowed in her own life. She bent down to straighten a frame that didn’t need it, feeling absurd.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a volunteer rushing past, nearly bumping into a sculpture. Evelyn quickly stepped aside, heart thumping. This wasn’t her world, she had learned to stay small, move carefully, never draw attention—but somehow, being invisible here felt heavier, like the weight of the polished floors pressed against her chest.

She forced herself to focus, picking up a tray of wine glasses from the prep table. “This should be fun,” she whispered to herself, trying to summon a smile.

Carrying the tray through the room, she moved slowly, aware of every step on the gleaming floors. People brushed past her, unconcerned and careless. Guests laughed, their voices low and confident. Diamonds sparkled in natural light, watches gleamed in the glare of chandeliers. She offered polite nods, soft “thank yous” and “you’re welcome”s, while the room continued to move around her.

One man, elderly but sharply dressed, caught her attention. He wasn’t laughing or speaking; he merely observed. When she approached, she handed him a glass. “Here you go, sir.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, his tone neutral but firm. Not friendly, not condescending, just… noticing. Evelyn’s fingers tightened slightly around the stem of the glass, and she nodded before stepping away.

The tray felt heavier than it was. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from the unfamiliar sensation of being watched so deliberately. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had looked at her without expectation or judgment. Usually, attention brought complications. Here, it only unsettled her.

She returned to the table, refilled the tray, and tried to focus on the task, but the sense of being evaluated lingered. Every step, every careful placement of a glass felt magnified under the gaze of the sharp eyes she couldn’t shake.

Minutes passed, Evelyn moved back and forth tirelessly. Each guest who took a drink seemed to blur together, but the elderly man remained at the edge of her awareness, occasionally glancing her way. Noticing, yes, but not intruding. She hated that it made her self-conscious.

She wiped her palms on her apron, aware of the tension threading through her muscles. A group of younger men laughed loudly nearby, swinging their arms carelessly. One stumbled, nearly colliding with her. She reflexively adjusted her balance, gripping the tray tighter—and felt a hand brush her arm.

“Careful,” the elderly man said. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it made her straighten instinctively. “They’ll trip you if you’re not watchful.”

Evelyn blinked, startled, and nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, voice smaller this time. She stepped away, but the awareness of his gaze lingered like a shadow, pressing at the back of her neck.

She tried to ignore it, focusing on the mechanics of her job—trays, glasses, plates, polite smiles—but a subtle awareness gnawed at her. This wasn’t admiration, it wasn’t curiosity, it felt more like an assessment. She didn’t know why, but the thought made her stomach twist.

By mid-afternoon, she found herself behind a stand, arranging brochures about the gallery and the event. Her hands shook slightly from fatigue, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She should have taken a break, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. Being still for a moment meant noticing her exhaustion, noticing the endless gap between her life and the lives she served today.

Her mind wandered to Carmen’s words, repeated like a mantra: You deserve better than this. Evelyn didn’t argue; she didn’t have the energy. But she felt the truth of it keenly, as keenly as she felt the sting of every glance, every brush of attention she didn’t understand.

The guests moved on—conversations hummed, glasses clinked. A young couple laughed, oblivious to the tension threading through the air. Evelyn noticed the disparity between their ease and her struggle. One wrong step here, one misstep there, and she could be crushed—not physically, but socially. She felt out of place, vulnerable. And yet, she endured, as she always did.

As the day moved on, the elderly man approached her once more. This time, he didn’t take a glass, he watched her, tilting his head slightly, studying the way she held herself, the careful balance between politeness and caution. Evelyn felt her pulse quicken, but she did not look away. She had learned long ago that fear could make one invisible; poise could make one memorable.

He straightened and nodded, a simple acknowledgment, then turned away. Evelyn let out a slow breath, almost imperceptible. But even as she resumed her work, the awareness lingered. She had been observed, she had probably been assessed.

By evening, exhaustion weighed her down as she began packing up the last of the materials. The gallery lights dimmed, and guests departed. Volunteers congregated in small groups, chattering quietly about the day. Evelyn moved to the door, bag in hand, ready to leave, when she felt that prickle again—the sense that something about her had been noticed. Not noticed in passing, not admired, not friendly.

Recognizing it terrified her, though she couldn’t say why.

She walked to the cab waiting outside, keeping her gaze low. Every step felt heavy, laden with thoughts she didn’t want to confront: her debts, her exhaustion, the fact that someone wealthy might have been paying attention.

The cab pulled away from the curb, city lights flashing by. She stared out the window, hands clutching her bag. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a thought gnawed quietly, insistently: Why did that wealthy elderly man keep looking at me?

Evelyn didn’t know why, but sometime, the man had looked at her with amusement, or maybe it wasn't amusement.