Elegi Of Rose

Ayu chuckled. "It's with Tori. Tori!" she called out and said, "can you assist these ladies with some drinks?" She saw some people coming in and she wanted to greet them.

"Yu, this is min! Remember!" Rin called out behind her.

"Yes, yes, but you have to pay for it. And I sell it per square inch!" "Deal!"

Moments later, the exhibit was full. There were her constant buyers, and there were those who were first timers. From time to time, her head would snap around to check if there was any sign of Roy. It was when the clock struck seven that she was sure he was not coming.

"Where's Roy?" Risa asked her. Yes, his family was present along with hers.

"I don't know, maybe he's stuck in traffic."

"That boy ought to know how to prioritize," Reinold said, shaking his head.

"Yu! Yu!" Rin was running towards her, her face full of alarm.

"What?"

"Someone's stealing my painting!"

"What?"

"Someone's stealing it!"

"Okay, calm down, Rin, what are you talking about?"

"It's that painting," Yeyena said dryly behind her friend. "Some guys are looking at it and talked about buying it. Lucky she didn't claw on their face. Rin, you're being overly dramatic."

"But that painting's mine! Yu, you have to tell them that painting's mine!"

"Okay, okay" she said, excusing herself from her family.

"Honey, don't be such a child," Ria called out after her daughter. Rin was in panic to listen to her mother as she literally dragged Ayu towards the painting, leaving Yeyena and their family behind.

Well, she and Yeyena were right. There were two men standing in front of the painting, deep in discussion. And she knew one of them.

"Mr. Stenly," she said behind the old man.

The bearded man turned around at her voice and beamed. "Ayu, dear, amazing exhibit as always," he said, taking her hand for a kiss.

"Thank you," she said and winced when Rin pinched her side and nudged her.

"This is my friend Mr. Melky," Mr. Stenly said, indicating his hand toward his younger companion.

"Pleased to finally meet the artist," the younger man said with admiration in his eyes. "I personally like this painting," he said, looking back at the painting behind them.

Ayu winced once again as Rin pinched her one more time.

"Amazing shadows," Mr. Stenly agreed, nodding his head. "I think I will take this one, my dear."

"It's already sold, Mr. Stenly," she uttered, her voice sorry.

"Yes, it is," Rin seconded, "to me."

Both gentlemen looked at her.

"It's my baby and my brother in that painting," she said.

"Oh, this is my sister-in-law, Rin Punda," Ayu introduced them when she saw the confusion on both men's eyes.

"Punda? You can't mean..." Mr. Stenly looked back at the painting. "Are you telling me that's Roy Punda?"

"Yes, I believe that's me, Andi," another voice behind them said. Ayu froze. It felt too familiar not to recognize.

"My boy!" Mr. Stenly said with a smile. "So this is your sister," he pointed at Rin who nodded vigorously and then he looked at Ayu, his face lighting up with understanding. "You didn't tell me you are married to this man, my dear!" "It was just recently-"

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"I think I told you I just recently got married, Andi," Roy said with a chuckle.

"I didn't recognize you in that painting," Mr. Melky said beside the old man.

"Morock," Roy said, acknowledging the man's presence.

"Yes, I didn't recognize you in that one Roy," Andi said.

"I guess my wife just have amazing talent with shadows that my face was almost hidden," he explained.

Ayu's face flushed. She had not uttered a word. Just a smile here and there every time the two gentlemen happened to look at her.

"Well, now that's settled and we all know that the painting is no longer available," Rin said, clasping her hands together, "why don't I offer you gentlemen some drinks?"

"That will be lovely," Andi said, taking Rin's hand to hook it in his arm. "Lead the way, child."

"Would you like to join us?" Morock asked Roy who was still standing behind Ayu.

"No, I think I'll pass. I still have to congratulate my wife for this amazing exhibit," her husband answered and Morock left after giving Ayu a smile.

Now, left alone with her husband, she didn't know what to do.

"I didn't know you painted that one," he said beside her.

Ayu did not look up at him but whirled around to go. Anywhere but away from him would do. She was not that angry anymore. But she was just in some kind of panic. He came! Shoot, he actually came! "Yu, where are you going?" his voice was full of warning. Okay, she was back to being Yu. Really, he should make up his mind how to call her!

"I have to attend to my guests," she said.

"I need to talk to you," he said, holding her by the shoulders. He turned her around to face him. She did not look up, her eyes locked on his tie.

"I have to go, Roy. I don't want to talk right now."

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"I'm sorry, okay? I was just talking to Bethany and-"

"Okay, okay, whatever," she cut him off.

"Hey," he caught her by the arm when she turned away. "Look," he said, his hand going inside his jacket pocket. When it came out, he was holding a piece of paper. He handed it to her and said, "It's a gift." "What's this?" she asked curiously.

"A star," he said, beaming sheepishly.

"What do you mean?"

"Just look at it, babe," he urged.

With her eyes at him, she opened the paper and finally looked down.

She frowned. "What's this?"

Her husband sighed above her. "Just as I thought," he muttered and said loudly, "Well, last week, I've been busy looking for some ways to give you a gift for your birthday. I thought naming a star after you will be great so I checked the net. Then I found those scamming sites and decided against it. So," he looked at her with laughter in his eyes, "I called some people who called some people and finally, I was able to talk to some guys at the International Astronomical Union and got a star named after you and it's legit, babe," he finished with a proud grin.

"What?" she couldn't believe her ears. She looked down at the paper once more and finally understood what it meant. It was a letter from the International Astronomical Union, informing her that they had named a star after her with the same coordinates as the letters of her name. "How-"

"You don't want to know how I negotiated my way to get that," he interjected her question. "So, what do you think? You like it?"

So that was why he had been busy for almost a week?

"You're not kidding, are you?" she asked just to be sure.

"Of course not. So, you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" she said and jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck.

Pure happiness enveloped her as her husband caught her lips in his and for a moment there, they were lost. Hell, who wouldn't when you knew that the freaking IAU itself named a star after you?