Meeting Micah felt like the burst of inspiration Cosmo got right before creating one of his favorite sculptures. Green paint lined the edges of Micah’s fingernails. A single hoop earring hung from his lobe, and a small beauty mark punctuated the corner of his tea rose lips. Dark chest hair curled from the neckline of his shirt.
Cosmo lightly touched his wrist. “Let’s head back to your place. I’m willing to risk implosion. And I’m quite eager to see your portrait style.”
Micah’s throat flexed, and he downed the rest of his wine. “You don’t want to see the torture dungeon?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s a little cluttered. I’m not usually expecting… company.”
“We can’t all have spotless torture dungeons.”
“My maid refuses to go in to polish the handcuffs.”
Heaven’s sake, the blistering innuendo that would spawn from this banter if it were someone else. Coming from Micah it sounded downright G-rated. There had to be a NSFW version of this man beneath the soft sweatshirts and gold-rimmed glasses. It was refreshing not to see it during a first date, though.
After finishing their meal, they headed toward the entrance. A group of diners walked toward them, and Micah pressed his hand against the small of Cosmo’s back to guide him away from a collision. The touch was electric, racing up his spine.
He had no idea what to expect when they reached Micah’s studio, and the thought was exhilarating.
10
THE ART OF FALLING APART
Micah - Present Day
This was not a baby step.Not a baby step. Micah’s heart was a runaway train, barreling through the dark.
Cosmo clutched the rose bouquet as they walked, his other hand so close to Micah’s that their knuckles had brushed, and his train-of-a-heart was going to end in a fiery explosion if it happened again.
He’d touched Micah during dinner too and gazed at him with interest, but all Micah could see when he closed his eyes were Cosmo’s kiss emoji replies to every suggestive Flashbulb comment he received.
Everett’s encouragement ofGo sweep him off his feetsounded like a rallying cry for a battle Micah couldn’t win, but Cosmowascoming back to the studio, and dear lord, hopefully the place was clean.
“Damn it. I left rose clippings all over the counter.” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it was better than announcing that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cleaned the fridge.
“You arranged this yourself?” Cosmo asked.
“Yeah. They’re the complex’s roses.”
“I’m not sure why, but I assumed you bought it.” He pressed his nose to the petals. “I like it even more now.”
Breathe, Micah.
The complex loomed, art deco molding catching the soft light of twilight. For the first time in nine months, Micah was going to be able to invite someone in. He could stand next to them at the drafting table and talk about his sketches and compare mediums. He could offer them a drink and a place to sit. The gin he’d bought earlier in the day might not be Cosmo’s drink of choice, but Micah was certain he’d at least made the bed and done the dishes.
Even though it was only one specific person he could invite inside, it was a start. Cosmo was giving Micah nerves of a completely different sort, and he needed to calm down.
Ximena stood outside her office, a stack of manila file folders in her arms. She turned around, then stared at Cosmo. Color drained from her face. The folders slipped from her arms and crashed across the ground, but she stood frozen in place.
Micah cleared his throat. “Guess who I found.”
Ximena screamed, crossed herself, and scrambled for her office door. She fumbled her keys and shook the locked knob, then ran around the side of the little building, disappearing beyond the bushes and into the dark.
Cosmo pinched his lips closed. “That happens on occasion.”
“She said you had an obituary.” Micah bent to collect Ximena’s folders, tucking the papers back inside. He was going to have to text her an explanation. Hopefully she didn’t send him a priest or an eviction notice before then.
“Yes, but it wasn’t supposed to go out until after I handed out the funeral invitations – which made it clear it was a party.”
