Chapter 45: Chapter 45

“Are you okay, Ava?”, Seid asks and helps me sit down. I nod at him and continuously cry as I remember when I had those eyes, I remember those times, the day I went to Italy, was when my parents died of an accident.

I could see Dmitri’s figure still standing up, I slightly tilt my head and look in his direction, his gaze are still fixated on the portrait. When the host opens the bid, a lot goes for it. It has the highest bid now from all the artwork.

Then Seid asks me, “Do you want to have it?” I smile at him and say nothing.

So he tops up the bid without any hesitation. He keeps on topping up every bid there is and is looking forward to winning it, but with just two words coming out of Dmitri’s lips, everything goes silent.

“Five hundred,” Dmitri says. And it isn’t just bucks, we are talking about grand. I look at him surprised but he didn't look back in my direction.

“Going once,” the host says.

“I am sorry Ava, I can’t top that,” Seid humbly admits his defeat. So I comfort him by shaking my head and sincerely smiling.

“Going twice, sold to Mr. Dmitri Sullivan for five hundred thousand dollars.”

Everyone claps inside the event’s place.

After the auction, the guests go home one by one.

Dmitri and the others are the ones to exit the venue without saying goodbye. But why do I feel sad, wasn’t I the one who sent him away, so why do I feel heavy?

Jodie approaches me and wouldn’t stop saying thank you for the success of her first exhibit. But I emphasize to her that she gave me something I’d never expected to have.

So we bid goodbye, and Kendra and I decided to celebrate at the office. I invited Seid as our friend, too.

***

We arrive at the office in Seid’s car and order some food on our way. It is a simple celebration but we are happy.

Although, Kendra still remains silent, something that we haven’t seen before. So I call Art if he could come over, but he says he is out of the country for now.

We have no choice but to enjoy, just the three of us.

“K, aren’t you going to drink?”, I worriedly asked.

“Who me? Of course, I will, it is the success of our first big event ever,” she puts up a mask for us not to worry.

Then we drink, party, eat, dance to our own music, like what we did way back in our college days. Yes, the three of us, we're like best of friends. I feel a little tipsy so I sit back, while Kendra drownd herself in alcohol.

Suddenly he speaks up, “Kendra, Avery, congratulations to both of you,” Seid raises his glasses and we make a toast.

“So, are you two, okay, okay, now?” she asks drunkenly.

“We are fine, we had our closure last night,” Seid intuitively answers.

“Oh, then, that’s good. How about me? Should I break up with a married man?”, K suddenly asks.

“Kendra, don’t decide now. Think it over,” I advise her.

“And you, Avery, you were my bestfriend, so how did you hide it from me? Why did you do it?” she starts complaining.

I know it is my fault, but I couldn’t explain myself, since, I am now drunk. I could have said something that would hurt her so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Then, I go through her purse and dial a number. I wait until it rings, and somebody answers, “Hello,” his voice, I heard Nik’s voice.

“Hey, Nik, boy, are you free tonight? Isn’t your wife going to look for you if you go out right now?”, I laugh sarcastically, and talk on the phone, while the two keep on drinking.

“Where are you? Are you drunk? Where’s Kendra? Tell me,” Nik’s voice raises.

I laugh and tease him, “You’ll never know, you’ll never know,” I sing like a mad student, “We are the office, you don’t know where it is,” then I laugh.

I could hear Nik’s nagging, then another voice come in, “I know where you are Avery, don’t you dare go anywhere, or I swear to God, you’ll regret it,” said the familiar voice, then the line disconnects.

I face Kendra and Seid, “Oh, he hangs up, K, K.”

“Let him be, it isn’t our day, anyway, he’s with his wife, sleeping,” she says then cries over and over and over.

***

The three of us fall into a deep slumber when we are awakened by the flashes of headlights outside the office, and the unending buzzer sound of the doorbell.

“W-a-i-t, don’t you know we are still c-lo-s-e?”, I mumble while collecting myself from the couch.

The buzzer continues, “I said wait,” I yell impatiently and walk wobbly towards the door. I try to recognize the face but I am too damn drunk to see. But then I see him mouthing, “Open the goddamn door, Avery.”

Then it suddenly comes to mind, “It is probably, Nikolai.” So I hurriedly open the door.

When I did, I feel that my whole body levitated from the ground, “Woah, woah, Nikolai, it is Avery, Kendra’s over there,” I naughtily say, still tipsy.

But then, I see Nikolai getting out of the car parked in front of the office, so who’s carrying me on his shoulder, I tap his back, “Hey, hey, mister, do I know you? Bring me down now, or I will call the-”

“Shut up, Avery, or I will punish you,” a familiar voice speaks up.

“Dmitri?”, I curiously ask.

“Damn right,” he says.

“You take your woman, I’ll take mine,” he says to Nikolai.

“Thank you,” Nikolai runs towards Kendra.

“Hey, hey, who’s your woman? Not me,” I continue with my tipsy attitude.

So Dmitri brings me to his car’s passenger seat and drives off.

“Where are you taking me? Did I say yes, huh?”

“Avery, shut it for a second, please. I am trying to drive here,” he angrily says.

“Fine, I’ll just talk to Greta. Hi, Greta,” I call the navigation voice.

“Good evening, Miss Avery, long time no talk,” Greta wisely answers.

“Yeah, right. Your boss has lots of women to meet, maybe,” I smirk.

“False information. In fact, you are the only-”, Greta is slammed by Dmitri.

“-Shut it, Greta. Sleep Mode on,” Dmitri commands.

“You don’t want to talk to me, and you don’t want me to talk to Greta? What the hell, Dmitri?”

“You’re drunk. We’ll talk when you are sober,” he blocks me and continues to drive along to God knows where.