The next day, Mary arrived at the studio a little later than usual. As she entered, she noticed Yong and Nicholas had already prepared everything, and Helen was in a corner mixing various colors.
Mary said with a hint of embarrassment:
— Hey guys… I think I'm really late. Sorry.
Helen looked up and smiled:
— Hi Mary. No, sweetheart, we haven't been here that long either.
Yong said calmly:
— It's okay. You're off this weekend—you can make up for it.
Mary smiled and nodded:
— Definitely.
Nicholas smirked:
— In my opinion, the later you come, the better… Yong only knows how to boss people around. Honestly, he doesn't even get painting!
Helen and Mary exchanged a laugh. Yong, unaffected by Nicholas's joke, went back to his work. Mary put her bag on the table, put on her apron, and excitedly walked over to Helen. They began mixing colors together.
Yong glanced at Mary standing eagerly next to Helen and muttered to Nicholas:
— Look at her—she's happy to be working beside Helen...
A little later, they leaned a large canvas against the wall and set up a scaffold in front of it so they could reach the upper part as well.
Yong said:
— So… who's going to paint the top part?
Helen laughed:
— Don't expect Mary or me to climb up there. You and Nicholas should go.
Nicholas stepped back a bit:
— Oh come on… I'm afraid of heights! Better if you and Helen go up. Mary and I will handle the bottom.
Yong raised an eyebrow:
— Seriously, Master Nicholas? You're scared of a couple meters?… Don't be ridiculous. You and I are going up. The girls will take the lower part.
Helen and Mary looked at each other and smiled. Helen whispered:
— I have a feeling this painting won't be finished even six months from now with these two.
Yong and Nicholas climbed up and began the base coloring. Nicholas kept sneaking glances at Mary. Yong noticed and pointed his wet brush at Nicholas:
— Focus on your work.
Nicholas frowned:
— I am focusing!
Below, Mary and Helen were painting with delight and concentration.
Helen said:
— Mary, you seem really happy today.
Mary smiled brightly:
— Of course I am. I never imagined I'd one day work with three professional artists.
— Professionals? You don't mean us three, do you?
— Don't joke, Helen, I'm serious. Since the first day I saw your paintings, I told myself I had to practice until I reached your level… And now here I am, painting beside you.
Helen smiled. After a brief pause, she asked:
— By the way, did Nicholas ask you to join this project?
— No, it was Yong who asked me.
Helen looked surprised and cast a quick glance toward Yong.
— I see…
During their break, Mary and Helen sat on a bench in the studio yard, sipping bottled water. Yong and Nicholas had gone out to buy snacks.
Mary asked:
— Helen, were you all this collaborative back in university too?
— No, it was more competition than cooperation back then. Everyone was trying to raise their own grades.
— But it's great that you've still maintained your friendship.
Helen gazed into the distance:
— From the outside, it seems that way…
— What do you mean? Are you not as close as I thought?
— I'm not saying we're not close… but as we grow older, expectations change. Back then, everyone wanted to stay together, lovers wanted to get married. But now, friends want marriage, and lovers want companionship.
Mary reflected for a moment:
— Honestly, I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean… but still, friendship remains.
Helen gave a bitter smile:
— True… but sometimes I wish it didn't.
Mary hesitantly asked:
— Helen, if it's not too personal… back then, were you in love or just friends?
Before Helen could answer, Yong and Nicholas's voices were heard, and she quickly said:
— Ugh… they're finally back.
Mary sensed Helen was avoiding the question and suspected she might have had an unfulfilled love.
Yong approached with a bag in hand:
— Look what I found, Helen! Your favorite pastry!
Helen took it with a smile:
— It's been ages since I had this… Remember that field trip when I got it from the locals?
— Yeah, I haven't forgotten. I always remember what you like.
Mary smiled as she watched their interaction, when Nicholas held out a pastry to her:
— This one's my favorite. I'm sure you'll love it too—peanut butter pastry.
Mary took a step back:
— Actually… I'm allergic to peanuts.
Nicholas looked flustered and quickly put it away:
— I'm so sorry… I didn't know.
Yong laughed:
— I told you this isn't Mary's vibe! You should've gone for walnut pastries.
Nicholas said:
— Smart guy! If she's allergic to peanuts, she might be allergic to walnuts too.
Mary smiled:
— Nope, I love walnut pastries!
Yong gave Nicholas a victorious look:
— Beat that?
Nicholas bit his lip, then smiled:
— Fine, I'll go buy you one right now.
Mary quickly grabbed his hand:
— No, no… that's not necessary. This drink is more than enough.
Nicholas looked at her hand, then into her eyes. A brief but heavy moment passed between them. Helen curiously looked at Mary's hand, then at Nicholas. Yong noticed the glance and quickly separated Mary's hand.
— Here, Mary, try Helen's favorite pastry. I think it's delicious too.
Mary took it and took a bite:
— Mmm… this is really good! What is it?
Helen said:
— A traditional pastry from the north. I used to have to go to villages to find it—couldn't get it in bakeries… but today Yong spotted it.
Nicholas, now composed, added:
— If you like it, I can buy it for you every day.
Helen playfully said:
— Just don't forget what time you're supposed to be at the studio! No pastry needed.
Mary and Yong laughed. Nicholas smiled too. After finishing their snacks, they went back to painting and left the studio around 10 PM.
Before Nicholas could say anything, Yong said:
— Helen, Mary… I'll drop you off. I'll go get the car.
Nicholas took a deep breath:
— Well, I'm heading off too. See you guys.
Yong dropped Helen off first, then Mary. As they arrived at her place and she was about to get out, Yong's phone rang.
— Hello? Hi, sweetheart.
It was Diana's voice:
— Hi… where are you? I couldn't talk to you today.
— I was at the studio… I'm on my way home now.
At that moment, Mary stepped out of the car.
— Thanks, Yong. Good night.
Yong nodded. Diana asked:
— Whose voice was that? You're not alone?
— No, I'm alone. One of the students thanked me. I just stopped to let a car pass.
— Oh… okay.
Yong watched Mary as she entered the building. Suddenly, he noticed Ava near the door, feeding the cats. He remembered their café conversation.
Diana said:
— I have a flight tomorrow. I need to launch a project and won't be back until the weekend. Just wanted to keep you informed.
Yong:
— Okay. I'll see you this weekend… Oh, by the way, I wanted to talk to you about someone. There's a person looking for work. Does your company need help in the café department? I know someone really good.
— Sure, tell them to come tomorrow. I'll coordinate with my assistant. If they're good, they can start.
— Great, thanks.
Meanwhile, Mary had joined Ava to feed the cats…
when she saw Yong get out of his car and walk toward them.
"Yong, is something wrong?"
"I was talking to Diana, and when I saw Ava, I remembered I was supposed to talk to her about the job."
Ava stood up and said, "Hello. Good evening."
"Hi. These cats are so cute."
Mary said, "I know. That day the others were just joking. You don't need to say anything."
Ava, a bit hesitant, said, "Right… I'm happy with my current job."
"No problem. I just talked to Diana. She said you can go to the company tomorrow. I'll send Mary the address and the name of the person you should talk to."
"Thank you, Yong… but I don't want you to do this out of obligation."
"It's not out of obligation… I genuinely want you to be somewhere you can better show your talent."
Ava smiled. "That's very kind of you."
"Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'll head back now."
Yong got into his car and drove off, and Mary and Ava went inside the house.