Painted On My Heart

I’ll be late. I need to put in twelve or so hours, then head to the hospital. I’ll call you if anything changes.

I love you,

Kel

Arik ran his finger over the written I love you. It wasn’t Kel’s warm body, yet those words produced that same reassurance. He reached for his phone and saw all the missed calls from Iris and several alarm notifications silently alerting him of appointments. He tossed his phone to the side and pulled the covers up over his head. He didn’t even care that he had a million things that needed his attention.

~?~

A chill raced across Kellus’s skin, taking his concentration off the glass he had been working with, which irritated the hell out of him. The outside studio had a special ventilation system that he didn’t have inside the house, so he’d had to raise all the windows to help circulate air and relieve him of some of the fumes. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but it was all he had for now.

Staring down at the glass, he forced himself to concentrate. He’d gotten a remarkable amount done this morning. The last six hours had been incredibly productive. Thank God he’d gotten in the habit of photographing his work upon completion. He’d managed to set the framing for three wall-mounts, lay the beginning groundwork for one large canvas, and just as his supply store had promised, the rest of his supplies had been delivered about an hour ago. He was solidly back in business. Broke, but back to work.

The wind kicked up again, sending a blast of cold barreling through his house. From his bent position, he straightened and rolled his back and shoulders as he went for the kitchen windows. The ventilation would have to work with just the living room windows; he was cold and his fingers felt like ice.

As he shut that window, the kitchen door opened, startling him. He whipped around, ready to confront the intruder. Relief hit him as soon as he saw who’d broken in.

“It’s just me,” Arik said, grinning, holding up both hands. He had a sack from Panera dangling from one. Even as Kellus’s heart pounded in his chest, his stomach let off a loud grumble. “I was afraid you hadn’t eaten.”

“I haven’t. I had a protein bar this morning, but that’s it,” he said, going for the sack. “I thought you’d be bogged down with work.”

“I am. I just missed my morning kiss. I needed to come get it,” Arik said sweetly, grinning at him. Kellus laid the sack on the counter before turning and obliging Arik’s request.

“I did technically kiss you before I left. You were just out. You never moved.”

“Then it doesn’t count, for future reference,” Arik teased, pulling the contents from the sack. “You seem good today. Better than I thought.”

“I’ve been busy this morning, not letting myself dwell,” he said, pulling out two water bottles from the refrigerator before going for the silverware in the drawer.

“Have you heard anything?”

“No change. He’s exactly the same.”

“He’ll need time.”

“I know,” Kellus said. His stomach let out a loud growl as he saw Arik had remembered his favorite cranberry turkey sandwich and autumn squash soup. He picked up his to-go container and headed to the table.

“You take responsibility for everything bad going on around your life. I was afraid you’d do that with this,” Arik said. Kellus didn’t wait to take a bite, rolling his eyes at how good it tasted. Arik had picked the perfect meal. This was spot on.

“You’ve taught me a lot.” Kellus swallowed a spoonful of the soup before he continued. “I seem to be doing a lot of self-reflection. This whole thing’s very personal to me, but I still see my many mistakes that led us right here.”

“I hate hearing you say that.” Arik had ordered the same meal for himself, and right as he was about to take the first bite, he lowered his spoon back to the bowl, concern written all over his face. Kellus tapped his silverware on the side of Arik’s to-go container.

“Eat while it’s hot, because it won’t stay hot long in here.”

Of course, Arik ignored him, staying focused on what he needed to say. “What John did is all on him. Had this not ended like it did, he’d have just continued to spin out of control.”

“I agree. You’re right.”

“Then what’re your mistakes in this?”

“I’m not ready to talk about all that, but when I am, you’ll be the first. I’m changing the subject. Your father called me this morning,” Kellus said, while trying to keep his guilt at bay. Keeping his head in the game was the most important thing he could do right now. Otherwise, he risked spiraling in the depression of all the negative results that came from his decisions.