Page 54 of Paint Me Love
“You are such an idiot sometimes. I get it, I really do, our world is fucked up beyond repair. But how can you be that stupid? Shit.” He’s laughing so hard, he chokes as he takes a pull. I hit him on the back to help the fit pass. “Sorry, thanks.”
“What do you mean I’m stupid?” I ask, contemplating a second cigarette, but scraping that idea. The first one dulled my agitation enough.
“Daniel isn’t a liar, Derek. He’s not like us. Yes, he’s not an innocent little flower either, but he’s crazy about you. You’re blind not to see it.”
“Okay? But you should’ve seen him—he didn’t even want to tell me what he and Jesse were doing at first!”
“Art classes,” he says nonchalantly, lighting a second cigarette. Unlike me, Adam is a bit of an addict.
“How do you know about this?”
“Cassandra told me. I met Daniel a couple weeks back when I went to the gallery. They were discussing it.”
“That still doesn’t mean Jesse and—”
“I had someone go to one of their in-person classes. They are just friends. You are such a drama queen.”
I blink at Adam. Why would he do that? Why go out of his way?
“I know what you want to ask. Let’s just say that I like how good Daniel has been for you. You’ve… mellowed out. You seem happier. It would be a waste if things didn’t work out.” He sighs, chuckling. “And of course, you had to go and almost ruin it. You are such an idiot sometimes.”
I stare at the people on the sidewalk, everyone in a hurry to go somewhere. “Good things don’t happen to people like us, Adam. We don’t deserve them.”
“It’s never too late to change that.” He pushes off the wall he was leaning against. “Not everyone is out to get you, Derek.”
I groan, burying my face in my palms. Shit, I really fucked this up, didn’t I? Adam is right—how could I be this stupid? I was so afraid Daniel might leave me that I didn’t even listen to him.
“What do I do?” I ask, shuddering.
“You sit down and figure this out on your own. But don’t take too long or your lovely Daniel might get tired of waiting and really take off with the sexy artist.”
24
Daniel
Itapmyfingersagainst the wall, counting down from ten in my mind. I haven’t heard from Derek in a week. The gallery is about to open for the exhibition, but I don’t think he’s here yet.
Shit, did I overreact? But he wasn’t listening to me. It’s like my words weren’t even registering with how insistent he was that there was something going on between me and Jesse. Why didn’t he believe me? If this between us is to work, we need to be equals and he has to trust me.
A shiver runs down my back, pleasant and titillating. Except for the bedroom—I’m more than happy to do as he says when we fuck.
Yes, Jesse and I spend quite a bit of time together, but only because we are both passionate about art. The art classes don’t run themselves!
“Are you ready?” Cassandra asks me as she comes to stand next to me by the second-floor railing. “The turnout is as big as that on opening day.”
The gallery doors open. People in suits and fancy dresses seep in, filling the space quickly. Derek isn’t among them.
I try not to think about him, but it’s hard. I miss him. He stopped texting and calling and I wonder if maybe he’s had it and decided to move on. Fuck. I hope that’s not the case and he’s just busy. Or reflecting. I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s no longer interested in me. In us.
“Are you okay, dear? Don’t worry. We already have buyers for your stuff.”
My heart races. A wave of excitement makes it hard to stand still. That’s not it, but I didn’t know they’d already found buyers! Oh wow, someone actually liked my stuff enough to want it for their home.
“You did?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? Sorry. But yes, and they are paying above the asking price, too. It seems like they really want your paintings.”
I’m thrilled. Joy floods my chest, chasing away some of the worry. But even as the exhibition goes on, I can’t shake off the twinge of fear that lurks inside me. Where is Derek? He knows this is a big deal for me, but he’s not even here. Is this his reply?
