The Artistry of Love

by C. J. Scarlett

  That’s it. I was done with this charade. I couldn’t go on feeling like he’s actually interested in me. He didn’t care, and I could see what he does behind closed doors. I immediately grabbed the door, opening it and looking directly at him. He jumped about five feet into the air, shock settling in on his face.

  “Oh, it’s you!” he said, looking at me.

  “I have a name, you know. Not that you would care,” I said.

  “It’s not what it looks like, Tracey,” he said.

  “Oh, it’s totally what it looks like. Don’t play dumb, Brad. I’ll be honest with you, I’m pretty pissed with the way you’ve been acting. I can’t believe you think our relationship is some sort of joke, and that you can get away with this. So, let me guess, all those false promises were not real either,” I said.

  “I swear, this isn’t what it looks like! And I mean, you’re one to talk! You haven’t called or texted me, period,” he said.

  “I have. Take a look,” I said.

  I showed him the calls and texts, and then he stepped back, looking at me.

  “I swear, I just have a different number. That’s all,” he told me.

  “Bull-fucking-shit. I’m done with you,” I told him.

  “But Tracey!”

  “You ruined this. I don’t have time for a man like you Brad. You haven’t been affectionate towards me in a while, and honestly, I don’t feel the love. I’d rather be single and not have to worry about someone like you, than to have to worry about being with a liar and a cheat,” I said.

  The words cut through to him, and I was glad that they did.

  “But, Tracey, wait for me! I swear I’m sorry,” he said.

  “No, you’re not. You’re not sorry. I caught you in the act right beforehand. And I’m sure that if I didn’t come in when I did, you probably would’ve been fucking her by the time I did say something. You’re gross, Brad, and honestly, I don’t know how we stayed together for so long. I just, I can’t stand this. I told myself a long time ago that I won’t sit down and appreciate mediocrity. And now, I will do what’s right for me,” I told him.

  After he looked at me once more, his eyes begging for me to stay, I stepped out, flipping him off and slamming the door. Tears flooded my eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel like I had something to do with it. I didn’t though. I tried to be a great girlfriend to him, to take care of him, to love him, and I did try my best to spend time with him when I did, but he did this. He hurt me like this and, for that, I honestly couldn’t forgive him.

  I wanted to cry, but I wasn’t able to. I felt as if this was just another day in my life, another hellish nightmare that would hopefully soon go away. I went over to my studio, immediately wondering what I should do now.

  I wanted to paint. Even though I didn’t know what I would paint, I just did that. I painted. I began to paint everything that I could, moving my hands in a skilled, meaningful manner, and it was all I knew that resonated with me. I didn’t feel pressured when I painted, and I actually did manage to get a lot of work done. But I also worked on my own pieces, a couple of paintings that showed me how I really felt. I was happy to finally work on my own art, but I also felt pretty upset about the whole mess. However, I didn’t know that it was about to get worse, but it sure as hell would.

  After I finished work for the day, I noticed that there was a call on my phone from a different number. I realized it was an intergalactic phone call. That could only mean one thing.

  “Audrey!” I cried out. I dialed the number, shocked that she would be calling me finally. After a couple of rings, I heard her voice.

  “There you are,” she said to me.

  “I’ve missed you!” I cried out. After the bullshit that happened, being betrayed like that, this was a pleasant sort of surprise.

  “Well, I’m glad that I can make you happy. So, how’s it been?” she asked.

  “I’ve been better. I found out Brad’s been cheating on me with his new agent. I found out unfortunately by walking in on them having some time together. So, now I’m single once more,” I told her.

  “Oh, damn. I’m really sorry, Tracey,” she said.

  “Honestly, don’t be. He’s gross. I know you’ve warned me about him, and I know that in the past you’ve told me that he might not be the best guy for me, but I didn’t listen to you. I was a dumbass,” I told her.

  “Listen, we all make mistakes. I’ve done that. Anyway, are you doing okay, though?” she asked

  “Yeah. It just sucks, since you’re all the way on another planet, and I mean, we can’t just go out and get drunk together,” I told her. I mean, I would love that right about now.

  “Even if I was there, we wouldn’t be able to do that,” she told me.

  I paused, listening to those words. “What do you mean? You love drinking,” I said.

  “Yeah, but I can’t right now. Actually, there is another reason why I called you tonight Tracey. I wanted to tell you something. Something big. Something that I think you should know. I know we’re on different planets, and my job leaves me almost no time to do shit, but I do want you to know something,” she said.

  Oh, God. What did she mean by that? I felt a bit scared, unsure of what she was going on about, but then, she spoke.

  “So, Remi and I have a huge announcement. I actually am pregnant,” she told me.

  Those words were so seemingly innocent, and yet I was so angry about them. I listened, frustrated by the way those words seemed to hit me. Why did I feel so annoyed by it? Why was I angry? Was it because of what happened?

  “Oh. Great,” I said.

  “I thought you’d be happier,” she said.

  “I am happy, Audrey. It’s just… I’m kind of upset after the whole Brad thing. But don’t worry, I’ll be all right,” I told her.

  “Are you sure? I mean, I won’t really be able to hang out with you or anything,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out on my own,” I told her.

  I would have to.

  “Good. I hope it works out. Anyway, if you want to, when I do have the baby and I come back to Earth, you can come see it,” she said.

  “That’s fine,” I said.

  “Anyway, I feel sick as fuck. I just wanted to touch base and tell you what’s going on. Love you,” she said.

  “Love you too.”

  When the phone clicked, I felt more miserable than ever before. It wasn’t even because she was having a kid. I wasn’t jealous of that. It was mostly the fact that the stable force in my life for so long, my best friend, now had a new life to attend to, one that didn’t involve me. Honestly, that really hurt.

  I didn’t want her to feel bad, but dammit, this hurt me quite a lot. I just hoped it worked out for her, and that her and Remi were happy. I mean, I’m not happy. I’m losing everyone that I had in my life, but there was still one person around that I could talk to.

  Jives.

  Chapter 4

  ~Jives~

  I continued to work for what seemed to be hours each day. I guess that was my way of coping with everything. I mean, hearing about Remi becoming a father did hit home, even though I honestly had no desire to ever have a child. It’s probably because of how I used to take care of him, like he was my own kid, and the fact that he’s now moved forward and was now his own person, does shock me quite a bit. It makes me wonder what will happen now.

  What did I do now? I mean, it’s not like I had much. I have my job, and that’s what kept me going. I went out to the various sites each day, checking with Vrishna to ensure that everyone was doing what they should be doing. The men were happy, and the president seemed to trust me. I was doing so well. I had control over everything in my life.

  So why wasn’t I happy? Was it because of the fact that I knew deep down, I was hurting on the inside? That I was suffering because of the loneliness? Maybe. I did wonder what Tracey was doing, but I didn’t have time to call her due to work. I’d been quite busy with that, which was a ni
ce little distraction.

  One night, I finished with work early. I looked at the clock, realizing that I had more than enough time to call her. I did so, waiting a couple of rings before I heard her voice. It sounded muffled, like she was crying.

  “You okay there, Tracey?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I’m surprised you actually called me,” she said.

  “I’ve been busy. I’m terribly sorry it took so long, though. I do feel bad about that,” I told her. I really did feel bad. I mean, I definitely didn’t want her to think I disliked her. Most humans did annoy me, but there was something I really liked about her, and I did like spending time with her.

  “I understand. Listen, can we maybe just… go out and talk? I want to go see the sights. I mean, I know you’re always busy with rebuilding the city, but I know that your group just finished the restaurant on the Rivera that I like, and I think we both need a break,” she said.

  I paused. I wanted to do this. I mean, it’s not like I did much else besides work on the alien situations that we had. I then spoke, my voice excited.

  “I’d love that. Do you want me to come pick you up?”

  “Sure,” she replied.

  I clicked the phone off, looking at the holographic schedule. I penciled her in. I felt excited, almost elated really, and I knew that it probably would make her happy as well.

  That night, I drove over to her home, the address she had texted to me, and when I got there, I knocked. She walked out, dressed in a gorgeous black dress that accented her figure, her hair in another gorgeous up do. I had to admit, she was quite stunning when I saw her like this.

  “You look great,” I said.

  “Thanks. Now, I don’t want this to be a date or anything. I just… really need a friend right now. If that makes sense,” she said.

  I understood. “I do as well. I may not be a great friend, but I hope I can at least be one that will help you,” I said to her.

  “I think that you will. I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she told me.

  “I do as well,” I replied.

  The two of us walked over to my hovercar. She stepped in, buckling up.

  “This I actually the first time I’ve been in one of these,” she told me.

  “Very interesting,” I told her.

  “Yeah. I never really had the money to afford one. It’s why I had that jalopy in the driveway. I don’t really have that much cash,” she told me.

  “That’s totally fine. It’s on me tonight. I want to treat you,” I told her.

  She blushed. I couldn’t help but find that kind of cute.

  “Thanks.”

  “Not a problem. After all, you helped me that one night, and I can tell something is the matter,” I said.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “It is, Tracey,” I told her bluntly. I’m not one to sugarcoat something like that.

  “Yeah. There is a lot wrong. I’ll tell you over dinner, though,” she replied.

  The two of us were soon on our way to the restaurant. She was quiet, almost vulnerable in a sense. I wanted to protect her. I did have that power, but it seemed like she was even afraid of telling me.

  When we got there, I asked for the waiter to give us the most private seating. That way, we could talk about what was eating away at her. When the waiter finally sat us, we both looked at one another.

  “Let’s order first,” she said.

  “Yes, let’s,” I told her.

  She ordered some sort of food that sounded quite foreign, but I guess it was delicious. I ordered another foreign dish after looking up the ingredients on my device. The waiter then left, bringing us two glasses and a bottle of wine.

  “You didn’t have to get an entire bottle, you know,” she said.

  “On the contrary, I think we both needed this,” I told her.

  She smiled, taking a sip. Both of us just sat there, looking into one another’s eyes, not saying anything. Finally, I spoke.

  “So, what’s happening? I promise I won’t be upset with you. I want to help you, in any way that I can,” I told her.

  She took a deep breath, and that’s when I saw it. Tears. I’d never experienced the situation of another human crying. I mean, I’d seen it in countless videos, but I’d never witnessed it for myself. But here she was, bawling her eyes out, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She then spoke, and I noticed that her voice was shaky with fear.

  “It’s just… I have a lot to cover, and a lot of emotions. I’m scared to show vulnerability. I mean, you’re really the only friend that I have, but you’re also an alien. I don’t want to scare you away,” she said.

  “You can’t scare me. I swear,” I told her.

  She looked into my eyes, and I tried my best to show her that she could trust me. I looked at her, and she looked back at me. Finally, she spoke.

  “Okay. So, it’s a culmination of a lot of things. But I guess we’ll start at the beginning,” she told me.

  “Okay,” I said.

  The tenseness of the moment seemed to be driving her slightly mad, but I wanted to reassure her that it would be all right. That’s what I wanted to do, to reassure her, to protect her, and to help her in any way that I could.

  ~Tracey~

  When I looked into his eyes, I expected his decision to be because he didn’t want to see me crying, or maybe it was because he felt pity for me. But no, I didn’t see mere pity there. I actually saw that he wanted to understand, that he strove to, and there was that part of me that felt like I could trust him.

  It was a very different feeling, it truly was, but it was a nice feeling. I took a deep breath, looking over at him, and that’s when I spoke.

  “Okay, so I guess the first thing I should say is I took your advice. To stand my own ground. To be a bigger person. I feel better about what I did, but the actions that led up to what happened are still rough to think about,” I told her.

  It’s weird, because I could tell that Jives sympathized with me, and he wanted to understand, but it was almost like he couldn’t understand, like he blocked off human emotion for some reason. This was way different from anyone else I’d associated with.

  “I see. Well, good for you on standing your ground, following your heart, and doing what you feel is right. I’m proud of you,” he said to me.

  “I’m glad that you are, but the road that I took to even get to this point really hurt. Simply put, I took your advice and confronted Brad about what transpired. He’s been acting weird, and I couldn’t just sit around and let this slide. He wasn’t answering me, and he was trying his very best to ignore me. It wasn’t just for a day or two either, this went on for a while. And every time I tried to talk to him about it, he would always brush off the subject as if it were nothing,” I said.

  “I see. Well that’s got to be quite annoying,” he said.

  “Yeah. I don’t know if you have any experience with relationships, but when someone is trying so desperately to ignore your words, there is a strong chance something else is going on. And there was,” I told him.

  “What happened?” he asked me.

  I took a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment of truth, where I would finally acknowledge what happened, and tell him what occurred.

  “He cheated on me,” I simply said.

  Immediately, I saw Jive’s eyes widen. He seemed to be shocked, and I mean, I don’t blame him.

  “I’m sorry, I definitely didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to tell you. But yeah, I caught him in the act. Walked straight into his fucking studio and found him almost necking his agent. The one he told me was just helping him get gigs. Yeah, I bet she was helping him with some other stuff as well,” I muttered.

  “I’m so sorry,” Jives said. He did sound really sincere, even though his voice seemed devoid of emotion. He was quite different from Remi, who was young, full of emotion, and definitely immature. Jives seemed to be mature, successful, and in control, but I could tell he was hiding something.
>
  “It’s okay. I’m just glad I got to finally tell a soul about this. I’ve been holding it in. And I haven’t really gotten the acknowledgement that it was a shitty situation from anyone but you,” I told him.

  Even Audrey didn’t seem to care all that much. She was too busy announcing to the whole world that she was going to pop a kid out in a few months. But I didn’t want to get into that. Not just yet.

  “Well, I’m really sorry for what happened, Tracey. I truly am. He’s a bastard and, honestly, he doesn’t deserve any sort of fame,” he told me.

  “He doesn’t. He used me. He used a lot of people. I just wish that he could get the payback he deserves for hurting me like this,” I told him.

  “I’ll see if I can help. I swear I won’t do anything bad, but I do believe he doesn’t deserve his status, and I’ll be telling a few friends about that,” he explained to me.

  I was honestly thankful for Jives. He was a good man. A bit impulsive, but really good to talk to.

  “Thank you, Jives. I’m serious. I really do appreciate all that you’ve done,” I told him.

  “I am happy to have helped,” he said to me.

  Both of us looked at one another, and I could see the tension in our eyes meet. In a strange way, I felt a warmth rise up from my body when I looked at him. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone else, but the fact that he actually listened to me was quite nice.

  “Thank you for listening. Anyway, there is actually more to this story. Way more,” I told him.

  He looked at me with concern, and then, I sighed. I felt scared to tell him this. I mean, chances were he probably already knew, but still. I don’t want this to be another spectacle.

  “Well, the truth is, I actually found out some more horrid news after that. It was just really bad, and frankly, I hurt to even have to hear it from her mouth,” I told him.

  “What was it?” he asked me.

  I took a deep breath, seeing him look at me with genuine worry, and then, I spoke.

  “I found out that my best friend is pregnant. Honestly, this wouldn’t bother me so much, but I do know what it means. It means that she probably won’t be seeing me anymore. She probably doesn’t even care about me anymore. She’s going to be in la-la land with the baby nowadays,” I told him.