“I didn’t,” Ben chimes in. “I remember very well that Landon was looking at me naked.”
My face goes hot so fast it almost makes me pass out. Fuck. I was hoping he didn’t know that. He leans in closer. “It’s okay, Lan. If I could have looked at you, I would have.”
That’s not helping with my blush. Parker huffs. “Okay, well, let’s go look before I lose my nerve.”
Parker takes us to each painting, starting with one labeledLove.
“Wow,” I breathe, leaning closer to inspect it. “This is stunning, Park.”
“Thank you,” Parker says softly. “Earlier… when Darce and West were here, I was telling Ben that I painted it in one sitting.”
“I don’t know much about art, but this is so pretty.”
I drag my eyes from the painting, far more interested in the artist than the art. Parker is staring at it, eyes narrowed in thought, a slightly sad expression on their face.
“You okay, Cotton Candy?” Ben asks, bringing a hand up to brush Parker’s cheek.
They nod, eyes roaming the canvas. “Can I tell you guys something?”
“Anything,” I say as Ben says, “Of course.”
“I hate it.”
Well, that’s a shock. “The painting?”
Parker nods. “Yeah. It’s supposed to be love, right? But I had to dig into a really ugly place to get the right feelings.” They reach out a hand, running their fingertip over the gold that’s weaved through the red and pink. “I think it’s wrong,” they finally whisper.
I glance up at Ben to find him studying Parker. “It’s abstract art, though, right, Cotton Candy? It can’t be wrong. Not like that.”
Parker growls, clearly frustrated, even though I’m not sure why.
“This isn’t love, though. Something about it is wrong. I’ve thought that since I painted it, but I can’t put my finger on what.”
“So maybe it’s not love,” I hear myself say. Parker’s eyes fly to mine. “Maybe it’s just a really pretty painting, painted by a very talented artist. Maybe the label at the bottom doesn’t matter.”
Parker blinks at me slowly. “I hadn’t really considered that. It was supposed to be love, you know?”
I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing anymore. I have an almost overwhelming urge to touch Parker, to comfort them. So I mimic Ben and raise a shaking hand to brush my fingers over their jaw.
Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like they lean into it just the tiniest bit. I clear my throat, staring into their blue eyes. “Maybe it was supposed to be love.” I shrug. “And maybe it wasn’t. At the end of the day, you can’t make it something it’s not. Does the painting feel like love?”
Parker shakes their head slowly. “No. It feels like pain.”
Ouch. “Okay, so it’s pain. Try again for love next time.”
Silence falls between us, and I wonder if I somehow fucked everything up, but after a few seconds, Ben blows out a breath. “Holy shit. Look at you getting all philosophical on us.”
I laugh it off. “Yeah, I’m, uh—I’m not sure what that was all about.” Letting my hand fall from Parker’s face, I take a step back. “Do you want to show me the rest?”
I’m taking another step away when Parker catches my hand in theirs. I glance back to find glassy blue eyes locked on mine. “Thank you, Landon.”
The words are no more than a choked whisper, and they make my chest tighten with emotion. “You’re welcome,” I whisper back.
Parker lets go of my hand, then clears their throat. “Okay, let me show you the rest. I thinkAngeris my favorite out of this set.”
We make our way through the exhibit, with Parker showing me all of their art. They’re incredibly talented, but I already knew that from the sketch they did of Ben.
After we look at all of their pieces, they walk us through the rest of the exhibit, showing us everyone else’s. When they start breaking down technique and color theory, I can barely follow along, but their passion shines through with every word.
