Painted On My Heart

Once inside, he hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a protein bar and swallowed it down almost whole before taking his pill. He hoped that was enough to keep his stomach together as he went for the shower.

~?~

“You know this is pathetic, right?” Arik mumbled while standing, staring at himself in the mirror. He had always hated guys who didn’t take a hint, and Kellus saying he only wanted to keep this relationship professional, then going radio silent was a very direct hint. If that had been him saying those words, and the guy persisted, he would have never given him the time of day again. Yet, here he was, spending extra time in front of the mirror, making sure his hair lay exactly right and everything was in place. He’d even rearranged his whole day because he had been creeping around online and found out his heart’s desire had been asked to judge an art show today in Dallas.

He had waited fifteen long days for Kellus to make contact if for nothing more than the art he wanted to commission for his hotels. Surprisingly, even for nothing more than business, that call never came. Kellus had done well at the show, but he couldn’t have done well enough that he didn’t need Arik’s gig. His inner romantic nature was having a hard time accepting the possibility that Kellus had refused his job based on his advances.

He rolled his eyes and pushed away from the bathroom counter, knowing he shouldn’t go. He should do anything but drive the twenty minutes to an area of town that he’d never heard of, and his plan for the weekend had been met with mixed feelings when he’d absently mentioned them in his weekly managers meeting.

Bishop Arts. An eclectic arts neighborhood in the middle of an older, rougher part of town. He gave himself an all-air fist bump at the brilliance of his continued plan to go and turned for his closet as he hoped for the best. This proved the levels he was willing to go to in order to accidentally run into Kellus Hardin.

After dressing as casually as his closet allowed, Arik grabbed his wallet, keys, and cell phone before adding his sunglasses. He was off.

The drive through downtown wasn’t terrible, and his inner fear of the Bishop Arts area seemed unfounded as the small section slowly began to take shape. Rundown houses gave way to small gift shops, bookstores, and bars that sat on either side of the street. Trendy restaurants and bakeries enticed him with their offerings. He immediately saw the draw. People already packed the place. Many streets in what looked to be the heart of the area were sectioned off. It took some time, but he found a parking spot that looked reasonably secure for his sports car and took off on foot, having no real idea where he was going.

He spent a solid hour walking through all the booths and checking the insides of the various stores along the way. Arik scanned every face in the crowd and came up empty-handed. When he’d walked the distance of the show, and then down several side streets, he turned back and started over again. At the end of another block, one he’d gone down twice, he turned a full circle, looking in every direction, trying to figure out what the fuck to do next.

Just as he turned to head in a different direction, his heart lurched in his chest, because there sat Kellus alone at a patio table. He stood there, staring, not able to move as that all too familiar feeling engulfed him, sending shards of tingles flying rampant across his body. Every time he laid eyes on the artist, his need for the man almost bowled him over.

Kellus sat there oblivious to the crowd and all the activities going on around him. He was absorbed in a book while drinking what looked like a coffee. Arik lifted his gaze to the sign over the building: Oddfellows. He took off, dodging several people and cars as he crossed the street. His eyes stayed locked on Kellus. The guy had a way of disappearing on him.

He wasn’t sure of his game plan yet, but he moved in from behind and ducked inside the coffee shop. The line wasn’t terrible. He kept one eye on Kellus through the front windows as he ordered himself a coffee. He stood at the end of the counter, his gaze trained on Kellus’s profile. He never broke from his stare, but Kellus seemed oblivious to the attention he got, not only from him, but the crowd on the street. Arik watched several people slow down, whisper to who they were with, pointing at Kellus. Another was bolder and secretly took a selfie with the guy who stayed buried in the book, randomly sipping coffee. That was interesting to Arik. Kellus was completely unaware of the stir he caused.