Chapter Text
The annual Visual Arts Exhibition was one of the university's biggest events. Although Cairo majored in Literature, she had chosen Visual Arts as her elective. Painting had always been her passion. She couldn't imagine her life without it. After weeks of work, one of her canvases had been selected for the exhibition.
The soft sound of a piano drifting from distant speakers mingled with the laughter and chatter of people filling the room.Lilith had barely arrived, and she already wanted to leave.
University events weren't her thing. Still, she had come. Only because Magnolia, the daughter of one of her mother's closest friends, had insisted. Lilith didn't even like the girl. Yet there she was.
What wouldn't she do just to keep her mothers happy?
Art exhibitions weren't for her either. Lilith couldn't understand them. People stood in front of perfectly ordinary paintings, pretending they meant something so profound that understanding them would somehow change your life.
Ridiculous.
She adjusted the sleeve of her navy blue blazer and followed behind her friends. They were gossiping about the freshmen. She didn't give a fuck about the freshmen. Hell, she didn't care about any of them. One of the girls laughed and pointed toward a painting in the corner of the room.
"There she is," Magnolia whispered. "That pretentious Literature girl who thinks she's an artist. You have to see this."Lilith barely glanced in the direction Magnolia pointed. Near the back of the room stood a short young woman beside a large canvas. Lilith crossed her arms and sighed. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Let's go say hello," one of the girls suggested with a mocking grin. Lilith frowned, but didn't question it. She just followed the group. Five alphas stopped in front of Cairo's painting. Lilith wasn't even paying attention to what they were talking about.
Until Magnolia started asking questions. Only then did she finally look up. The moment her eyes landed on the painting, it felt like they were glued to it. She couldn't look away. It was impossible to ignore. The painting was anything but ordinary. The technique alone showed years of practice. It wasn't just beautiful. Even someone who knew nothing about art could recognize the artist's talent.
Lilith had been so mesmerized by the painting that she hadn't even noticed the girl standing beside it.
"So... what's it supposed to mean?" Magnolia scoffed while the others hid their smiles behind their hands, whispering to one another.
Cairo smiled warmly. As though she had been waiting all day for someone to ask. And maybe she had. "I'm glad you asked!" She stepped closer to the painting.
"I painted it after reading about memory. I loved the idea that people don't actually remember events. They remember the emotions attached to them. So the blurred edges aren't mistakes. "They're..."
"What does the blue symbolize?" Victoria interrupted.
Cairo answered, then came another question, and another. Each one sounded perfectly polite and genuine, though each one carried another layer of mockery. As soon as Lilith noticed it, she felt her blood boiling.
Why do you even care?she asked herself. She didn't know this girl. Didn't even know her name. Still, Cairo answered every question as though it had been asked sincerely. Lilith's friends exchanged amused glances. Magnolia snorted. Lilith was getting more and more irritated.
Why are you letting them do this? Tell them to leave. Roll your eyes. Do something.
She wanted to grab the girl by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. "I think you've wasted enough of her time." The words left her mouth before she had time to reconsider them. The group stared at her as if she had said something outrageous.
"Oh my God, Lilith." Magnolia rolled her eyes.
"You're no fun," Victoria muttered.
"Way to ruin it," Abigail scoffed.
The girls wandered off, complaining under their breath. Lilith looked back at Cairo. There was confusion in the artist's eyes. Good, that meant she hadn't realized they were making fun of her. Lilith hadn't spoken up because she wanted to embarrass her friends or because she disapproved of their behavior. For reasons she couldn't explain, she'd simply wanted to stop it before Cairo figured it out.
Awkward silence settled between them.
Lilith looked at Cairo for a moment before glancing back at the painting.
"So…"
She had absolutely no idea what to say next. She didn't care about art.
"...What made you paint it?"
The question slipped out before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened slightly.
Where the hell did that come from?
Cairo's face lit up.
"Oh!"
Lilith had no idea that one simple question would turn into forty minutes of Cairo talking about art. She spoke about poetry. Psychology. Memory. Color theory. Intentional imperfections. Books. People. Music. Everything.
And the worst part? Lilith was listening. Every second of it. Against her better judgment. She paid more attention to this
random artist than to the conversations with her "friends." She rolled her eyes every now and then, and pretended to check the time so she wouldn't look too interested.
"You talk too much," Lilith grumbled.
"I know."
Cairo laughed. There was something about her smile. Something in her eyes. Something that made Lilith want to hear
what she'd say next.
"You jump from one topic to another."
"I do."
Lilith let out an exaggerated groan. Can't she take a hint? Yet somehow… She stayed until the exhibition closed. They didn't ask each other's majors. Their secondary genders never came up.
Had they exchanged names? Lilith couldn't remember that. But she remembered seeing the girl's name next to her painting.
The scent patches they both wore covered their biological clues, so they were just two strangers talking. As Lilith walked home that evening, she dismissed the encounter. How had she let herself get so caught up in a conversation with a complete stranger? That was ridiculous. That wasn't like her. Of course not. That girl had simply been... a pleasant enough distraction. Lilith was certain she'd never see her again, so she just pushed the girl from her thoughts, and went to bed.