She came to my table and greeted me. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” I expected to shake hands, but she hugged me instead. I was surprised by her warmness. Artists tended to be cold and withdrawn.
She sat across from me. “So, how’s it going?”
“Great. I’m just trying to pick out my favorite pieces to put in the gallery.”
“That could take a while,” she said with a laugh. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”
I hoped this wouldn’t be bad news.
“I know this is a little weird, but I was inspired by your pictures.”
Okay…
“What if you took a picture and then I painted it? We could sell the photograph and the painting side by side. People would see an artist’s interpretation of reality, and they could have two opinions of the same idea.”
It was very unorthodox.
“I thought it would be cool to do for a showcase, not forever. It could be a collaboration of two artists, something that hardly ever happens. I ran the idea by Rydell and he liked it. He’s always looking for new ways to attract new people to his gallery.”
It was an idea I never would have conceived in a million years, but that didn’t make it a bad one. “I think we should do it.”
She smiled. “Really? That would be so much fun.”
“It would be an art project.”
‘Then let’s do it.” She clapped her hands excitedly. “I don’t know where you live but I have a house and there’s a lot of room there. We could work on it there. Unless you preferred your place, of course?”
“No, that sounds great,” I said immediately. “I live in an apartment so space is definitely limited.”
“Cool. Do you want to come over tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“By the way, I live with my boyfriend so he’ll be hovering around somewhere.”
“I assumed he would be there based on your painting.”
She blushed. “Well, I’m glad you don’t have a problem with it.”
Not at all, other than jealousy.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely.”
Jace picked me up at eight. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“It wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t. I’m starving.” I grabbed my purse then stepped out the door.
He chuckled. “Then let’s go.”
Since we were outside my door, I grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him. I hoped my perverted neighbor would see it and lay off.
“What was that for?” he whispered.
“Just because.” I slapped his ass then walked away.
We drove to our favorite Italian place then walked through the entrance. We went here pretty often, at least twice a month. It was where we had our first date, so it held a special place in our hearts.
“Reservations?” the host asked Jace.
“Yes, for two.”
The host looked at the list.
Jace suddenly had a pale look on his face. He didn’t react overtly, but I noticed his eyes were wider. “Actually, nevermind. Thank you anyway.”
Huh?
The host looked just as confused as I did. “Sir, we have a table ready for you.”
“I’m actually not feeling well.” He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out of the restaurant. Once we were outside, he let my hand go.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
He kept walking to the parking lot. “I just don’t feel well…”
That was random. Jace never got sick and he never complained about pain. It must be serious. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“No, I’m fine,” he said quickly. He got my door opened and waited for me to sit down. He looked over his shoulder, like he was searching for someone, and then turned back to me. “Come on, baby.”
Why was he acting so weird? I did as he asked and sat down.
He got into the driver’s seat then pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to my apartment.
“Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”
“No.” He kept glancing in the rearview mirror.
“What is it? Is it your stomach?”
“It’s…yeah, that’s it.”
“We can get some saltines and soda at the store.”
“No, I’m good.” He headed back to my apartment then parked the car. “I hate to bail but I think I’m going to head home.”
All of this happened so suddenly. “Is there something I can do?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “But I should probably get home.”
“Okay. Well…call me if you need anything.”
“Sure.”
I got out of the car then watched him drive away. Once he was out of my line of sight, I processed what just happened. He was so jumpy and skittish. I’d never seen him act that way before.
Then the familiar white BMW pulled up.
I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly whom it belonged to.
He got out of the car and locked it. He was wearing his scrubs so I knew he just got off work. “Why are you standing outside like that?”
“Because it’s a free country,” I snapped.
“Ooh. What a good comeback.” The sarcasm was heavy in his voice. “We live in a nice neighborhood, but you really shouldn’t stand in the dark alone. That’s just some friendly advice.”
“You’ve never been friendly to me.”
He stood on the sidewalk, staring at me.
“What?” What was he looking at?
“I’m waiting so I can walk you to your door.”
“I can walk myself.”
“I realize that…but I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
“You couldn’t be one if you tried,” I snapped.
“Geez, are you this hostile to everyone?”
“Just to people I don’t like.”
“Hitler was nicer to people he didn’t like.” He stared me down.
“You’re comparing me to Hitler? Seriously?”
“The similarities are striking…”
I turned away and headed to my stairs. “You’re such a jerk.”
“No, I’m not. You just have unrealistic expectations of people.”
“I really don’t,” I said sadly. I got my key in the door. “Good night, Ashley.”
“Don’t call me that.” His voice filled with anger.
“It’s your name, right?”
“It’s Ash,” he said firmly. “And that’s how I liked to be referred.”
“Then why did you tell me your real name?” I questioned.
“I don’t know…I just did.”
“Ashley, it is.”
He growled at me.
“Well, goodnight.” I walked inside then slammed the door in his face before he could get another word in.
Once I was alone, I thought about Jace’s peculiar behavior. When he was sick, I usually stayed with him and made him soup. But now he wanted nothing to do with me. Maybe he had food poisoning…I wasn’t sure.
I lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. My thoughts started to drift, and I eventually fell asleep.
“You’re such a fucking dick!”
My eyes flashed open at the sound of a woman’s voice.
“You think I care?” I recognized Ash’s voice. “You came over here to fuck and that’s what we did. Now leave.”
I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It was midnight.
“I never should have called you.” The woman was clearly upset.
“You say that now…”
I walked to my front door and looked through the peephole. An attractive blonde girl was slipping her heels on. Ash stood in front of the door, only wearing his boxers. His chest and legs were bare.
“Go fuck yourself, Ash.” She stormed off.
“Why should I when I have whores like you crawling all over me?”
She threw
her shoe at him then kept walking.
Not sure what I was thinking, I opened the door and scowled at him.
His eyes locked to mine. His chest was hard and defined, and his legs were thick like trees. His brown hair was tasseled, like a woman had been running her fingers through it. There was no shame in his eyes. “Can I help you?” The annoyance was in his voice.
“Pig.” I turned around and walked back inside my apartment.
“Don’t judge my life. You know nothing about me.”
“I know what I need to know.” I slammed the door and went back to bed.
I used the GPS on my phone to find the house. It was a three-bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood. A truck was in the driveway, and so was a small car. This was the place. I killed the engine then walked to the front door.
After I knocked, a man answered. I recognized him from the painting. He had brown hair and green eyes, and he was over six-feet tall. “Hey.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “You must be Alaska.”
I shook his. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
“Scotty.” He opened the door wider and let me step inside. “Livia is excited for you guys to work together. She hasn’t stopped talking about it.”
“I’m excited too.”
He led me into the living room, where an easel stood and a table sat covered in newspapers. I set myself down and opened my case.
Livia came down the hallway. “Hey, you’re here!”
“Hey.”
We hugged each other before Livia set up her stand. “What do you think we should work on?”
Scotty came to her then kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”
“You don’t have to run and hide just because we’re working,” she argued.
He smirked at her then rubbed his nose against hers. “I don’t mind. I just want to stay out of your hair.”
The deep love was in both of their eyes. It shined bright and was unmistakable. I hated to admit it, but I was extremely jealous. Even though Jace and I had talked, things weren’t back to normal. He didn’t look at me the way Scotty looked at her.
He walked away and disappeared into the bedroom.
“Sorry about that,” Livia said as a blush filled her cheeks.
“Don’t be. You guys are so cute.”
“We are.” She smiled and let a sigh escape her lips.
My jealousy grew.
She flipped through my book and selected a picture. “This is amazing.”
It was a picture of my sister lying in stalks of grass. She wore a purple dress with matching mascara. I liked photographing her because she was so beautiful. I never told her that because I didn’t want it to go to her head, but she really was. My nana said it all the time.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“My sister.”
“I see the resemblance.”
It was hard not to.
She set up her easel and began to paint. I directed her so she would stay true to the piece. Sometimes she would make the picture darker than necessary, or forget to add shadow. But we worked well together.
Hours later, we were both covered in paint.
“Is this fantastic or what?” Livia asked.
It looked so similar to my photograph that it was frightening. “You’re the best at what you do.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
She smiled. “Thank you. But you’re the true artist here. You can capture something in real life and make something ordinary extraordinary.”
“We could do this all day,” I said with a laugh.
“That doesn’t sound bad. I like compliments.”
“Me too.”
Scotty came back out, wearing running shorts and a t-shirt. “How’d it go?”
“Babe, come here,” Livia said excitedly.
He came to her side, his shoulder touching hers. “Wow. That’s impressive.”
“We make a good team,” I said.
“You’re going to do well at this showcase.” He kissed her forehead.
“Thanks.” Her cheeks blushed.
“I’m going to play ball with the guys.” He walked away and grabbed the basketball from the floor.
“Alright. Give them my love.”
“I will. But I have a feeling a few of them wouldn’t want it.” He winked at her then walked out.
“How long have you been living together?” I asked.
“A few months.”
“You like it?”
“It’s great,” she said. “It’s nice being with him all the time. Besides, I’m here all the time anyway. It just makes more sense to move my stuff.”
I wish Jace and I were that way.
She moved the painting toward the back door so it would dry. “Now we’ll do one more and we’ll be ready for your debut.”
“I’m nervous,” I admitted.
“Don’t be. You’re an amazing photographer.” She stared at me for a moment then her eyes widened.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re a photographer!”
Was I missing something?
“My best friends are getting married and they are looking for someone. Are you interested?”
“Of course,” I said. “But my schedule is pretty packed. It depends on when their wedding is.”
“I’ll set up a time for you guys to meet,” she said. “And I’ll ask when their big day is. They’re a bit indecisive about it.”
“Cool. I look forward to it.”
Nana took a bite of the tortellini I brought her. “If photography doesn’t work out, you can always be a cook.”
That was a huge compliment from my grandmother. “Thanks.”
She finished it then put it aside. “For lunch, we had tuna sandwiches with pickles…why would you put pickles on a sandwich that already has pickles in it?”
I tried not to laugh. “Maybe you should take over the cafeteria.”
“Nah. I’d put a lot of people out of a job.”
“Cocky, much?” I said with a chuckle.
“The Patelo women know how to cook—that is something that can’t be denied.”
I smirked while I listened to her.
“So, how did your conversation with Jace go?”
“Well. Really well. He apologized and said he would be better.”
“Then why do you sound sad?”
I couldn’t hide anything from this woman. “We went out to dinner the other night and he just…acted weird.”
“What did he do?”
“He was about toask for our reservations when he said he needed to leave. He pulled me out of there and said he wasn’t feeling well.”
She stared at the opposite wall, lost in thought. “Did he go to the hospital?”
“No. He didn’t really say what was wrong. He dropped me off and went home.”
She fell quiet again. “Maybe he saw someone he didn’t want to see.”
“Like who?” I asked.
She shrugged. “An enemy, an old girlfriend…”
He did have a lot of old girlfriends, or old flings would be a better way to describe it. “I guess that makes sense. Maybe he just didn’t want to make me uncomfortable.”
“Possibly.”
“I can’t think of anything else.”
My grandma handed the Harry Potter book to me. I picked it up and noticed we were in a different place than last time. “Who’s been reading to you?”
“One of the medical students. I’m his patient a few times a week.”
“That was nice of him. I’m sure he’s busy.”
“Yeah, he’s a sweetheart.” She leaned back and waited for me to read.
I found the page and began the story. Like always, after reading for half an hour, my nana fell asleep. I sat with her until visiting hours, and then I went home, wishing she would come with me.
CHAPTER NINE
Ash
My parents were having dinner at their house, and I co
uldn’t think of an excuse to get out of it. I preferred to stay at home and look out my peephole, waiting for my beautiful neighbor to do her laundry so I could sneak a conversation in.
She loathed me and, and a part of me loathed her too. But I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even when she snapped at me and treated me like I was a four-year old little boy, I was still obsessed with her. I’d never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. So naturally, I was hooked.
I wanted to sleep with her. I still felt that way. Call me a pervert or a jackass, but that’s what I wanted from her. She was exotic and sexy. She had full lips I wanted to part with my mouth. I wanted a night of passionate sex with her. My body was attracted to her, needing her. Anytime I was near her, my cock was hard.
Why couldn’t I want an easy slutty girl? That would make my life a lot easier.
And then she had to move next door to me. Really? Right next door? I hated my luck. If I never saw her again after that night at the bar, forgetting about her would be easier. Now it was impossible.
I arrived at the house at the same time as my sister and Scotty.
“Hey.” Livia smiled when she spotted me.
“Hey, brat.” Every time I looked at her, I thought about what happened to her. I didn’t think less of her. I still loved her with my whole heart. But I hated myself for not preventing it. We’d always been close. I should have been there and I’d never forgive myself for not rescuing her. But around her, I put on a fake face and pretended my heart hadn’t been shattered.
Scotty carried a bottle of wine. “I brought this just in case…”
I laughed. “You’re going to need it. My parents are boring, snooty and—”
“You’re here!” My mom opened the door and smiled.
“Wonderful,” I finished awkwardly.
Livia elbowed me in the gut then walked forward. “Hi, Mom.”
My mom hugged her. “Hello, dear. You look nice.”
“Thanks.”
My mom rushed to me and gave me a big hug. She practically crushed me. “My boy.”
I patted her back. “Hey, Mom.”
When she pulled away and looked at Scotty, I wasn’t sure what to expect. “It’s nice to see you.” She pulled Scotty in for a hug and embraced him.
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