Damaged Beyond Repair by Kashmira Kamat (KittyKash) (best short books to read TXT) 📗

He was breathing heavily like he'd run tracks and climbed Mount Everest together.

I found my voice after a few seconds, "your ex-girlfriend again?"

"Yes." He said almost retired, dismissing me from making further inquires.

I took the hint he placed on my plate, this was a personal matter and maybe it would be best to make a beeline towards the door. So I grabbed my bag, ready to leave.

"Wait." He called out.

I stopped.

"My sister's arriving from an afternoon flight from Hamburg tomorrow, I'm supposed to meet her at the airport and we have plans for lunch." It gave me a feeling he was either trying to lighten the mood or cover up his tracks, "I'd love for you to join us."

The thought of meeting his sister was exciting yet unnerving.

I took a minute to reply, "Sounds great."

"Good." He said, "I'll text you later about the time I'll meet you."

                                                                   *~*

I flicked on my ray-bans, scanning the whereabouts. Most of the student body had disappeared, while the staff still lingered around the campus, including my professor. A bus came to a halt and out stepped one of the girls from my English class, she waved at me as she made her way inside the gates and that's when Chez walked out carrying an over-sized canvas, a huge blot of red paint on his shirt, a spot of blue over the side of his face.

"Hey."

Crap. Didn't he find better timing to leave the campus?

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm gonna be working on this painting from today, I'll be done in a week if I concentrate."

"Have you started already?" I was too eager to stir the conversation anywhere as long as he didn't decide to ask me to walk with him.  "What are you planning on drawing?"

He grinned, "I'm thinking still life. Human portrait mostly, just not finding the right model though."

"Well, how about I model for your painting?" I faked a position, jutting my butt out, my hands like a teapot—he laughed so loud, the dog from across the street started to bark.

"Trust me, baby, you don't want to."

I pouted, "Not good enough. Am I?"

    "I'll definitely paint you, but not this one." he gave me his 'it's a secret' smile.

Chez was a dedicated artist. He'd always enjoyed painting landscapes, beaches, and everything else nature could offer. His father never approved much of it and kept hounding him to change his mind, to choose the medical or the engineering route, but Chez was determined to become an artist. His mother had been his top cheerleaders, who urged him to live his dream and go to France where he had dreamed of pursuing his art career. Chez was being considerate when he said he wanted to stay back and complete his bachelor's. Poor guy didn't want to trouble his parents for money. I remembered offering him help (Since my parents didn't give a shit about how I used my money) though he'd declined politely, what with the big man pride larger than his biceps. I recalled the last time his mother had called my house. She was frantic by Chez's sudden disappearance for the late evening.

"Last time I checked, he drew a rough outline of a fountain," I told her.

"So where do you think he is? He isn't answering the phone." She sounded dead worried.

"I think I might know just the place."

I knew a park that was nearby to his house, so his mother and I walked all the way and found him standing farther from the fountain, stroking away gently with Persian blues, unaware of the damn time or the fact that his family existed. I wanted to fucking shove him in the back but didn't do so. I knew that'd screw up a masterpiece. He was probably lost in it for days.

"What are you laughing at?" He snapped me back from memory lane.

"Nothing."

He gave me a once-over. Uh-Oh. I smelt deep shit.

"Would you mind very much if I asked you where you were going all dolled up?"

I cleared my throat, buying some more time to cook up a lie. "Well, I just wanted to stop by this new clothing store that's opened recently, you know, the one around the corner." It still didn't explain why I was dressed the way I was.

Lie. The Lie snake hissed in my ear.

"Right." He narrowed his eyes at me, "I would've loved to join you. Should I drop this off at the dorm and.."

"No. You don't want to do this. I have some exclusive girl stuff to buy..."

He raised his hand, palm up, "Thanks. Guess I'll save myself from going through all that torture, but if you need to be picked from the mall, ring me."

"Sure."

He spun to leave, stopped dead in the tracks, and turned to face me, "you're not lying to me, right?"

The lie-dog wanted to bite me in the ass, "why would I do that, Chez?"

"I'm all ears if there's anything you want to talk to me about." He pointed one of the long brushes at me, as he back walked in a slow-motion which would have a ton of girls in our previous university wishing they were his footpath.

"Yeah," I said.

"Uh..have you seen Nina anywhere?"

That had my full attention. Since when did the playboy of the millennium Chez Simmons ever ask for a girl? It was always the other way round

"Nina doesn't have classes today." I smirked at me, "Is that the model you were looking for?"

He chuckled, "You're a bitch. I'll call you later, sweetness."

Chez walked towards the dorms as I threw a glance at my wrist watch. It was late enough to call it noon.

"Waiting for someone?"

I suppressed a heart attack as I glanced into the pools of mocha staring at me from the rolled down window of the Hummer.

I smiled. "You scared me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Rowan chuckled, "Come on. Hop in."

I took over the passenger side of the car and found Minnie settled in the backseat. "Hi, Minnie!"