Painted On My Heart

“It is serious. How do you feel about me moving in permanently?”

Arik laughed into the phone. “Honestly? I’ve wanted that since our first date.” His heart took center stage, dancing against his rib cage in complete joy.

“So you’re good with me making it official?” Kellus asked.

“Of course. Overjoyed actually. Does that mean you’re moving the studio there?” Arik kept his voice level and calm even though all he wanted to do was shout it to the world.

“Yeah. Probably pretty quickly. Trent talked to me about the ventilation. That’s really the only concern I have. I can remodel as I go.”

“Great, babe. You’ve made me insanely happy. I want you there with me. I’ve wanted it for a while,” he said, just to reiterate his stance.

“Me too. I’m a little behind today. I need to call that person back, so I’m hanging up. Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Thank you more.” Arik hung up the call, staring out at the ocean with a giant grin on his face. His heart couldn’t feel any more complete. He’d found his one and only and was actually able to keep him. Kellus’s words had seriously worked like magic. All the stress of minutes ago faded as he turned back to the small group of leaders he had onsite. “You all can thank Kellus Hardin for your jobs. Now start over again and explain to me your plan to get this project caught up.”

He worked his phone, finding the recorder, and turned it on before laying the device in the dead center of the table. He was too excited; his head was stuck in the clouds, therefore he needed to document these details.

~?~

Kellus stood in the front windows of his house with his arms crossed over his chest as the Realtor pushed the For Sale sign into the grass of his front yard. He refused to consider the dull ache in his heart as he turned and looked around his home. There had been unbelievable sorrow, but he’d also had happiness inside these walls. He ducked his head, studied the floor then moved forward. None of that mattered now. There was no way he could live with himself if he continued to keep this house while John was being overlooked and under-cared for in that facility. Besides all of that, Arik was his future. He practically lived with him now. It made sense to make that more permanent, even if that did mean things were moving awfully fast for them.

“It’ll work out,” he said to himself as he went to work on the mounds of paperwork he had on his kitchen table. The social workers had found a somewhat reasonably priced long-term care facility for John in Northern Tarrant County. They required a substantial down payment, one he could swing once his insurance reimbursed him for the replacement supplies. The real estate agent said they were in a housing boom—whatever that meant—and priced the house much higher than he’d ever thought possible. He’d call his insurance agent in the morning, find out about the status of that claim check and then maybe, this time next week, he could have John moved.

Arik came to mind. Thank God for that man. He’d have never had the emotional strength to finalize his obligation if it weren’t for him. Arik kept him centered, took good care of him, and ultimately, this would make their relationship stronger by being free and clear of all this baggage. After this final step, he’d done everything he could do to help the Nickersons; he just prayed he hadn’t waited too long.

Rolling his shoulders to release the tension, he left all the paperwork laying there and went for the studio. He could get in a few hours before bed.

~?~

What did the guys in high school call it? Arik chuckled to himself as he pulled into the underground parking garage of his building at three thirty-seven in the morning. Pussy-whipped. Yep. Minus the pussy. Instead, he was all about the dick. Kellus’s to be exact. Arik parked a bit sloppily in his spot and hightailed it upstairs in record time. This time he knew who was in his bed, and he couldn’t wait to surprise Kellus.

Things had been strained between them for the past couple of weeks. They’d only had sex a few times since the accident, but change was in the air. Any insecurity he’d carried had faded with that one phone call this morning. Kellus wasn’t near as hardheaded as Trent had described. He’d come around in spectacular form.

Arik entered the front door, bypassed everything as he tossed his suit jacket over a chair, and headed straight for the bedroom. At the last minute, he slowed his roll, quietly turning the knob, letting the light filter in across the dark room. Immediately, he noticed the bed. The covers weren’t even turned down. Kellus wasn’t in his bed. He checked the bathroom, then the closet before going back through the house. Kellus wasn’t there. Confusion had him going for his jacket and pulling out his phone. There were no messages and the only time he’d talked to Kellus was early this morning for a total of two minutes.