“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that—” I realize what I said might be misconstrued.
“I know you didn’t,” He breaks our staring contest. And before I say anything else, he goes inside. He, back to the kitchen, and me, to the primed wall in front.
When Jae doesn’t reappear like I hope he will, I get to work.
It’s still early, and I start with the mountains. I mix a sable black and use an angled brush to create the trunks of trees, the base of thick grasses and the shore of the lake. I fill in with the mildest of blues, greens and yellows to create a gossamer base of a field, lake and mountain scenery. I am lost in my own little world for hours, nothing in my mind but swirls of lapis blue, moss green and dandelion yellow.
I paint as if my life depends on each gentle flick of my wrist. I am walking on a fine wire tightrope, growing more delicate and fragile with each step. A blue so blue it makes you miss the sky and a green so green you are certain the grass couldn’t be greener anywhere else, anywhere but where you are. A yellow more yellow than the happiest feeling you could conjure. I don’t even have time to be depressed over the nuclear disaster that was this morning.
By the time I put down my paint brush, it is almost noon. Unlike yesterday, I haven’t seen Jae all morning. I won’t make the same mistake again by stepping foot into the kitchen, so I opt for a good, old-fashioned text message.
Hey there, it’s Riley. I’m about to finish up for the day. Do you want to look?
After a heartbeat, Jae exits the kitchen.
“Hey, let me see,” Jae makes his way over to where I’m standing, hands on his hips, inspecting my work where you can begin to see the mountains and the trees take shape.
“What do you think?”
“Looks like a blob of paint to me,” He cocks his head to the side, as if to get a clearer look.
I grimace. “That’s a good thing. Your mountains should be done by the end of the week at the rate I am going.”
“Cool. So, about what I said earlier,” Jae fidgets, his hands wringing at his sides, nervous for once. “You don’t have to come tonight. Unless you want to. I don’t want you to think youhaveto go on a practice date.”
“Oh?” I’m intrigued. Jae always seems sure about everything he says, no matter how incorrect, so it’s suspicious he’s backtracking.
“I mean, you definitely can if you want to.”
“I’ll be here,” I confirm.
After I’ve finished painting, I’m greeted by who must be Jae’s sous chef, and I immediately know I’ve made a more questionable decision than going out on a coffee date at 7:30 a.m.
“Welcome, welcome, nice to see you, Riley!” He greets. His brown hair is slicked back either from sweat or too much hair gel. He pulls out a chair for me while I wait. I am faced with my half-painted mural.
“I’m Murphy, and I’ve heard so much about you.” Murphy pours me a glass of ice water, and sets the table for two.
“Well, I’ve heard nothing about you,”
“Well, let’s get you up to speed, shall we?” Murphy offers me a sly grin. “Jae and I met in middle school. Him, total nerd. Me? Total opposite. He’d be nowhere without me.”
“You mean, you’d be nowhere without me?” Jae bursts through the kitchen doors, a very full plate in each hand. I am suddenly starving. I haven’t eaten anything all day. “I’m the one who gave you a job.”
“My father is the one who got you such a good deal on rent for this place,” Murphy lets out a groan and slaps Jae on the back.
“Have a fun date, man!” he shouts as he grabs a coat from behind the bar and slaps a baseball cap on his head.
“It’s not a date,” I quickly clarify. “It's a practice date. Jae was kind enough to help me after witnessing my tragedy this morning.”
Jae looks long and hard at Murphy, agreeing with my sentiment.
“That still sounds like a date, dude. Be careful, Riley. Jae, over here, total player.” Murphy laughs. Jae grabs him by the shoulder and pushes him out the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Murphy.” Jae closes and locks the door and pulls down the blinds in the front window. He turns around and clasps his hands. “Don’t pay him any mind.”
“I wasn’t planning to,”
“Really, don’t take him seriously,” Jae reiterates. “He’s full of shit. I just wanted to keep up our end of the deal.”
