Page 48 of Paint Me Love
“Sorry?”
“Ah, dear kitten. He’s really done it, hasn’t he? So naughty.”
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
Adam inches in, stroking my arm gently like a father would. He’s not even that much older than me. “Derek told you we broke up because of you, yeah? That he wascheatingon me with you?”
I flush, feeling embarrassed on top of awkward. I’m such a bad person! “Yes. I’m so sorry we—”
He shushes me with his finger. “No, don’t be. You see, you got this all wrong. Derek and I weren’t really together. We used to fuck, yes, and we let the media think we were an item, but it was all pretend. It’s good PR, and it helps get the cameras off your back.”
What?
“Shocking, I know. But it works. So anyway. He didn’t cheat, because we weren’t in a relationship. You are a good person and did nothing wrong.” He hums, dragging his manicured fingers up my cheek. “I wonder why he’s still lying to you about it.”
He lied. But why? “I don’t know…”
“I imagine it sucks. Oh, well. He’s a bit of an asshole like that, so I wouldn’t blame you if you dumped him. Honestly, youcan do way better. Like me. You are rather cute actually, now that I’ve had a chance to see you up close.” Adam reaches for my chin.
I yank back. Holy shit, what’s going on here? “I… Thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested. I like Derek.”
“Ooh? That’s a bold statement, considering what he’s done, no?”
Is Adam trying to provoke me? He has a point, I can’t argue with that, but the thing is I knew what I was getting into. Sure, Derek is not exactly a nice person, he plays dirty and carries darkness inside him, but I’m not as innocent as people tend to think either.
“I was okay with stealing him from you. I’m also not a good person.”
And… I’m sure he had his reasons. Derek is complicated, I think that’s part of what drew me to him. I can’t really judge him, because of how far I myself would go in order to have him.
The smile Adam flashes me is surprisingly genuine. “Maybe you two are perfect for each other then. I wish you best of luck in everything.”
Adam’s words circle in my mind for the rest of the day, but no matter how much I dwell on them, I reach the same conclusion every time—Derek had his reasons to do what he did. Should I be angry? Maybe, and I plan to confront him. But I’m also glad that there was nothing between him and Adam, because that means I didn’t break them apart.
22
Daniel
WithDerekawayona business trip for a few days, I find myself with plenty of time on my hands. I finally caved and put in my notice at the shipping center, which means I also needed to use the days off I’ve accumulated. The decision wasn’t an easy one to make, but in the end, Molly was right—sticking to one job means I have more time to work on my art.
I’ve upped my game. If I want to earn enough from what I do, I need to take the reins and do my best to make it happen. Which is why I’ve been spending a lot of time in Jesse’s studio.
“Maybe you should tone the orange down a bit? Should make the eyes pop,” Jesse suggests, peeking up from his sketchbook. “Like, along the cheekbone where the highlight is. Add a couple leaves to the hanging branch, and it should do it.”
I take a step back from my canvas and stare at my samurai painting. He’s right—the contrast could be better in that area.
Once I’ve done the adjustments, I tuck my painting in the back room. “Show me your sketch!”
Jesse looks up at me, smiling impishly. “Mmm, not sure I want to.”
“No way! That’s not allowed. C’mon.” I make to grab his sketchbook, but he’s faster and tucks it under his ass. “Next time. Also, I forgot to say earlier, but I love what you did with the waterfall. The details are exquisite.”
I roll my eyes, laughing. “Thank you very much, but I’m not letting you off!”
He sighs and surrenders his sketchbook. “Fine, fine. Here. Look and let’s start getting the space ready.”
Excited, I flip through the pages until I get to the right one. The block-in is rough—he’s trying a new style—but I can tell that the figure is me painting. He’s captured the shapes that make me me so well, the lines and curves, too, and he wasn’t even using a photo reference. He’s really got a good eye for these things.
“It’s really good, Jesse. You are amazing.”
