Chapter 285: Heart Moved
I was shootin' the breeze with Brad for a bit longer before I finally hung up, kinda bummed to end the call.
In just a couple of minutes, Jenny's face was doing this weird dance between red and pale.
The darkness in her eyes just kept getting deeper.
When I said bye to Jenny and was about to bounce, her two sidekicks, one tall and one short, popped up outta nowhere. They were whispering to her, their eyes sneaking peeks at the bracelet.
I couldn't care less about them and dipped outta the boutique.
As soon as we stepped out, Mia cracked up, gave me a thumbs up, and started praising me and Brad.
While we were walking, I got this creepy feeling like someone was watching me. I turned around and, sure enough, there was Jenny, giving me this icy, dagger-like stare.
I shrugged it off and kept chatting with Mia and Yancy, looking for a spot to grab some grub.
We walked quite a bit, but that creepy feeling of being watched just wouldn't go away.
I had this gut feeling that Jenny was gonna be a pain in the neck for a while, and her tricks were only gonna get nastier.
Why's it gotta be so hard to just chill and live a peaceful life?
What can I say? My boyfriend's just too damn awesome!
Soon enough, I figured out that having such an amazing boyfriend was kinda a double-edged sword—it was stressing me out!
After lunch, we hit up another spot to shop and finally snagged a gift I liked.
We wrapped up shopping by three and passed by the school gate on our way back. I really wanted to hit up Crystal House to paint.
But the thought of facing Adam made me hesitate.
I wasn't sure if he was hurt by my rejection or what, but he got, how should I put it, not cold but distant. He'd watch me from afar sometimes and then just dive back into his painting.
The school had two meetings about the competition, and he wasn't all gung-ho about it. Instead, he laid out his ideas like some kinda speech—reading them out all formal-like and then letting everyone else discuss.
He turned what should've been a fun competition into this long, serious ordeal.
Everyone was saying he was heartbroken.
Mia asked if I wanted to head back to school or go home with her. I grabbed her hand and chose the latter.
Maybe I should just move outta Crystal House and get my own art studio.
If that's the case, I gotta start thinking about buying a place.
During dinner, I brought up buying a house to Mia. She didn't have much to say but got all teary-eyed, saying she didn't wanna be separated from me.
Yancy, feeling all sympathetic, reached for a tissue to wipe Mia's eyes. But then he realized she wasn't actually crying, just looking all pitiful, so he put the tissue back.
"Jane, a home should be a place to chill and enjoy, but painting is your lifelong gig. You gotta separate work from life to keep things balanced. If you set up your art studio at home, it won't feel like either. I think it'd be better to find a proper spot for your studio. With your skills, experience, and connections, you can totally make it happen. It'll be your thing, making you shine on your own."
I was kinda taken aback hearing this from Yancy, the finance guy. Given my naturally dependent nature, setting up a studio or workspace was always something Brad handled; I just had to show up.
But Yancy's words got me thinking.
I had to admit, he kinda moved me.
Maybe deep down, I really wanted to achieve something on my own.
Brad's strong enough to give me a good life, letting me do what I love without worries. But as his girlfriend and future wife, I wanted to stand beside him, not just be some trophy wife.
"Setting up a studio isn't something that can happen overnight. I still need a place to paint. The project's only halfway done, and I need a suitable environment."
As I said this, I noticed Mia completely ignoring Yancy.
What's up with Mia and Yancy? They were cool this afternoon, so what happened tonight? I shot Yancy a questioning look, but he was totally focused on Mia and didn't notice me, so he couldn't answer my question.
"Why wouldn't there be a place to paint? Isn't Crystal House available?"
I felt a bit frustrated and wanted to drop the whole painting topic.
Of course, Crystal House was available, but I couldn't stand Adam being there.
So, I wanted to stay away. Was that a problem? But how could I say that? Brad was so perceptive. Even if I kept it to myself, I was afraid I'd blurt it out one day when I was happy.
I was scared Brad would make things tough for Adam and then find a way to punish me that I'd never experienced before.
Adam didn't do anything wrong. He just confessed to me, and after being rejected, he gracefully stepped back to keep a respectful distance. Other than watching me a few times, he didn't do anything inappropriate.
The important thing is not to let Brad's reputation get messed up by such trivial stuff.
"Yes, it's unavailable." Ugh, talking about this was such a hassle. Just stop asking so many questions!
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