“No such thing. Let’s get back on the road. We still have a couple of hours to our destination.”
“When you said we were going to an art museum in Cleveland, I thought you were taking me to the Cleveland Museum of Art.”
“Come on, this one is way better.” I dragged him across the small parking lot to the property that housed the museum.
“What is this place? I like the gardens.”
“This used to be a retirement home for artists. The location is perfect. Imagine living the rest of your days in this peaceful place by the lake and getting to paint or draw it for fun too.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Alexi said, taking in the surroundings.
I’d accidentally found this place when I’d come off the interstate and gotten a little lost on a trip home. My trip ended up taking an extra day because I’d stayed to explore the area.
“If you like the outside, you’re going to love the inside.”
He turned to me. “What’s inside?”
“Only the biggest collection of artists’ drawings of a single place in the world. Imagine years and years of retired artists capturing this place. It’s all here.”
He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the house. My heart skipped a beat at his enthusiasm.
I was glad we’d stopped earlier to talk. Initially, I’d wanted to do it in the safety of the hotel. If things had gone south, at least we would have two separate rooms.
Now I was wondering if there was a chance we could spend the night together.
Maybe it was too early. I knew from the family grapevine that Alexi didn’t exactly date a lot. He’d had a few boyfriends, but none had lasted long, so there was a chance he was inexperienced.
I wouldn’t push him to do anything he wasn’t comfortable doing. Everyone moves at their own pace, and it would still be an amazing night, even if we just stayed under the same blankets and didn’t touch at all.
I followed Alexi around the house for two hours. I waited while he looked at all the drawings and paintings, took photos, and even sketched the lake view from the house’s main room.
“What are you going to do with it?” I asked.
“Don’t know. I think I’ll leave it like this. A raw sketch to represent the short time I spent here.”
“You should frame it.”
He smiled. “Maybe I will.”
“Hungry?” I asked in time to hear his belly rumble.
He laughed. “I think you have your answer. Next time, feed me more than tea and a croissant for lunch.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Got it.” I pulled him close and gave him a gentle kiss.
The pink color returned to his face.
“Will you ever not blush when I kiss you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on, let’s go to the hotel. They have a good restaurant there.”
“Do they do room service?”
I stopped to look at him. His eyes didn’t meet mine, but he was smiling.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Lexi.”
