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“I found you.” Charlie placed her hand on Elda’s shoulder.
“Hey, I was just about to call you. This place is busy. I didn’t know if I’d be able to spot you,” Elda said. Someone bumped Charlie from behind and closed the distance between them. “Let’s get inside, where it’s quieter.” She took Elda’s hand and drew her towards the stone steps of the imposing gallery. It proudly looked over the city’s main square while the hustle and bustle of the Friday commute played out.
She dropped her hand, her palm clammy with nerves. Elda left a void that she hadn’t expected. “Thanks for coming.”
“I appreciate the invitation. I’ve been dying to see what they’ve done with the building.” Elda’s cheeks flushed. “So, what kind of work thing is this?”
“We have to do all kinds of corporate networking, often to keep favour with the big clients. I usually keep my head down and decline most of them, but this one caught my eye, and I thought you might like it.”
“Well, aren’t I the lucky one?”
There was a cheeky glint in Elda’s eye that Charlie had never noticed before. Not that a hospital visit and a coffee shop had given her much chance to catalogue Elda’s body language. She banished the tempting thought of Elda’s body. This was just a casual night out with a new friend. Charlie hadn’t fostered any new friendships for a long time. She kept her circles tight. Work was work. Play was usually cocktails and sex. But something about Elda made her want to talk to her, get to know her more, spend time together.
She followed Elda’s gaze towards the white walls of the gallery. “I’ll get us a drink, and we can get straight in there.”
“Do you mind? I’m itching to see what they’ve hung.”
“Go on, I’ll catch you up.” Charlie took Elda’s coat and dropped by the cloakroom. She plucked two glasses of champagne from a tray and lagged behind, enjoying the sway of Elda’s hips. Elda’s face lit up as she approached the first canvas.
“What’s the verdict?” Charlie dragged her attention from Elda to the huge canvas looming over them both.
“I like this guy. He explores being trapped in your own body. Whatever the reason, physical, emotional. You see anything in it?”
“Mm.” Charlie bit her lip, pondering. She could give Elda an educated guess, something vaguely academic. But she didn’t want to dish out stock answers. She wanted to be more honest with her. “I’m not sure what I make of it.”
Elda laughed. “That’s okay. You don’t need to have an emotional response to every piece. That’s not how it works.”
“Are you sure? I feel like I’ve failed my first art assignment.” Charlie grinned, leaning into Elda’s teasing.
“You brought me here. You haven’t failed. You’ve given us both an opportunity.” Elda looked up again. “What can you see? Just tell me what’s there.”
Charlie swallowed. She tore her gaze away from Elda’s exposed neck, focused on the painting, and tried to form an intelligent sentence. “There’s nothing delicate about this one. The brushstrokes are thick and heavy. I can see scratches and lumps. Is that deliberate?”
“Yeah. Everything is deliberate.”
Elda flashed a smile that made Charlie’s blood pump a little faster. “Why is that?” The question slipped from Charlie’s lips. She didn’t mind sharing her ignorance with Elda.
“Why do you think?” Elda raised her eyebrow.
“I don’t know. I’d just be putting my own interpretation out there.”
“That’s all anybody does when they look at art.”
A silence hung between them as they turned towards the canvas. Charlie sipped her champagne. “Okay, I’d say it looks heavy in its style because being trapped is stifling, suffocating, hard. Do I pass the test?”
Elda raised her glass. “You’ve passed with flying colours.”
Charlie took Elda’s elbow and steered her further into the room. “Of course, the real test is how many of my colleagues I can avoid before the evening’s out?”
“You don’t like your workmates?”
“I love work, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t relish this kind of thing and, to be honest, I’d much rather be talking to you.” Charlie held Elda’s gaze, wanting to follow the moment and discover where it could lead.
“I see. Well, let’s keep our heads down and not draw any attention to ourselves.” Elda smirked.
They found a corner sofa in a breakout space and set down their glasses. Charlie patted the seat next to her. The weight of the day made her shoulders sag.
