Page 22 of Paint Eater
Logan looked around the room, obviously changing the subject. “What areyougonna do while I work?”
“Oh, I have to draw up a tattoo I’m doing next week.”
Logan nodded, and they settled into their respective work. Logan pulled a shiny, compact laptop out of his backpack and started typing away while Jay stood by the drawing board, trying not to chew on his pencil and mostly failing.
It was strange to have someone in his space while he worked, but Jay found he kind of liked it. It helped him focus, somehow, as if it were holding him accountable. Or maybe it was that when he got distracted, he just stared at Logan’s face, eyes intent on the screen, long fingers moving.
God, his eyes were so pretty. It wasunfair.
By the time Jay’s mom called them for dinner, Jay had managed to complete quite a bit of the tattoo. “Coming,” he called out, grinning at Logan, who was shutting his laptop and standing up. “Did you get a lot done?”
“Yeah, just need to do the references and I’m good.”
“Whoo, awesome. You hungry? You like bolognese?”
“Yeah. And yeah.”
Jay smiled again and opened the door, stepping out before realising that Logan wasn’t following. He turned around to see Logan peering at the drawing Jay had been working on.
Jay pulled at the hair on the back of his head, feeling awkward. “It’s not finished,” he defended himself.
Logan shook his head, looking up. “You’re really fucking good at that, huh?”
Jay could feel himself blush. “Uh. I dunno. I mean, I’ve had a lot of practice.”
Jaywasgood; he knew he was, or Sunja would have never hired him, but sometimes all he could see in his drawings were flaws.
Still. It felt damn good to have Logan look so intensely sincere while complimenting him.
“Okay,” Jay said. “Shut up. Let’s go.” He didn’t know if he could deal with any more of that look without pushing him into the room and kissing him…and he didn’t think his mom would appreciate that.
Jay’s mom had already made the salad and was sitting on the long bar separating kitchen and living room, already set with plates and cutlery, something that was usually Jay’s job.
Jay smiled at his mom, knowing it meant that she liked Logan so far. The relief he felt was probably a little too much, but he reallydidwant her to see the good in Logan, and for Logan to feel comfortable around her.
“Wow, thanks, Mom,” Jay gestured at the table.
His mom waved him away. “You cooked the sauce. Also, we have company. I can be polite, you know,” she teased.
“Really?Why have you been keeping that secret all these years?” Jay replied cheekily.
His mom swatted at him with a tea towel. Jay laughed, twitching away before hopping towards her and giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
“Urgh,” his mom complained, “don’t remind me about how tall you’ve gotten.”
Jay got on his tiptoes and puffed his chest out. “Remind you of what?”
“Sit,” his mom ordered, laughing.
Jay turned towards the table, laughing too, and saw that Logan was just standing on the other side of it, looking at them with a strange, troubled expression on his face.
Jay tilted his head, twitching his eyebrows in a, ‘You okay?’ expression. Logan seemed to shake out of it, ignoring Jay and turning to Jay’s mom.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
Jay’s mom smiled at him, shaking her head. “No, sit, sit. Hope you like bolognese.”
“Yes, thank you.”
