Page 38 of Becoming His Muse
Both men chuckled. The older man was only slightly exaggerating. His parents and sister had come to his last exhibit, and two clients had begun arguing over a piece. It hadn’t turned physical thanks to security, but neither was happy with the other one trying to constantly outbid them. Elion had assumed they knew each other, and there was animosity from something else that spilled over.
The two spoke for another hour before hanging up, and he decided he would spend the rest of his day watching a few of his favorite movies until he called his mother and Olani.
Elion stepped out of the shower later that night and dried off before entering his bedroom. He grabbed a pair of boxers from his drawer and slipped them on. He turned on the lamp by the bed and turned out the overhead light. Picking up his phone, he settled into bed and called Olani. It only rang twice before she answered.
“Hey, babe,” she greeted.
“Hello, Sweetheart. How was your day?”
“It was good. We had some new applicants come in, and I met with a business client to get their paperwork signed. What did you do today?”
“A couple of pieces sold from my site, and I sketched the next sculpture I’ll be making for the exhibit. Clara was also being nosey and trying to mind my business.”
Olani laughed. “She seems to be pretty good at it. Xola was the same. She’s convinced you must have blown my back out over the weekend.”
“She isn’t wrong,” he responded.
“I mean, no, she isn’t, but I decided to let her come up with her own scenarios.”
“Clara asked the same thing, and I took the same approach.”
Again, Olani laughed. “She asked if you blew my back out? I couldn’t imagine asking my aunt something like that at that age, let alone my uncle.”
“She didn’t use those exact words. She asked if we did each other, and I pointedly ignored her.”
“Good call. Do you need me to bring anything for our picnic?”
“Only your gorgeous self,” he replied.
“I can do that. I have dinner plans later that evening with Xola and some friends, but I’m all yours before then.”
They spoke for a while longer until Olani yawned, and Elion glanced at the clock. He hadn’t realized that two hours had goneby, but he always lost track of time when he spoke to her or when they were together.
“Get some sleep, Sweetheart. I’ll text you in the morning. Goodnight.”
Texting her every morning was one of the two habits he’d fallen into when they exchanged numbers. The other was speaking with her in some capacity each night before she went to bed.
“Goodnight, babe,” she responded, and they ended the call.
He placed his phone on the charger, turned out the lamp, and turned in for the night.
16
Elion pulled up to the park where he was meeting Olani. He was fifteen minutes early but wanted to get everything set up. He’d chosen a more secluded area of the park, and only two other people were around. One was doing yoga, and the other walked in circles as they spoke on the phone. He couldn’t be too sure, but from the setup on the table, Elion assumed the other man might have been stood up or was in the process of it happening.
He chose a spot away from the other two. Pulling out two blankets, he placed down the pillows he’d brought with him. He put the picnic basket in the middle and the backpack he had on to the side of the blanket.
He wasn’t waiting long before he saw Olani approaching him. He’d told her what section of the park he’d be in and asked her to call him if she had issues finding him.
“Hello, Sweetheart,” he greeted, wrapping an arm around her waist as he leaned down and kissed her.
When they’d returned from their weekend away, Elion hadn’t scheduled a date for Wednesday as they had been doing. Since he’d gotten to spend the previous weekend with her, he didn’t want her to feel like he was clinging to her and decided to give her space. He hadn’t anticipated just how much he’d miss seeing her, even with them speaking on the phone a few times that week.
They pulled apart with a final peck, and she smiled at him. “Hey, yourself.”
Olani slipped her shoes off and stepped onto the blanket. He followed suit, sitting beside her. Opening the top of the basket, he pulled out everything he’d packed for lunch. He’d decided on finger foods: sandwiches, cheeses, fruits, and brownies. He placed the containers between them before pulling out drinks.
As they ate, Elion asked her about the upcoming job fairs she was attending next week at the university and community college. The Spring semester would officially be over the following Friday, and she’d told him she wanted to get a jump on recruiting for several of the companies she was contracted with.
