I blinked, then looked over at him. “Kyrie.”
“What?”
“You brought me to an art studio?”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “You like art.”
For a second, I just stared at him.
He shifted in his seat and cut his eyes at me. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Nawl, what?”
I shook my head, but my chest felt warm. “You really brought me here?”
“Yeah.” He reached over and unbuckled my seat belt before I could do it. “You been painting me all morning. Figured I’d let you look at something else for a little while.”
A laugh slipped out of me. “You jealous of a canvas now?”
“I’m jealous of anything taking up too much of your time.”
“You are ridiculous.”
“And you smiling.”
I hated that he noticed. I tried to press my lips together, but it didn’t work. He laughed like he had won something, then got out and came around to my side.
Once we were inside, I understood why he had brought me there. The place was beautiful. Not fancy in a stiff way, but warm and creative. Paintings covered the walls, some bright and bold, some soft and emotional. There were sculptures near the windows, supplies stacked neatly on shelves, and a few artists working in the open space toward the back.
For a minute, I forgot Kyrie was even beside me.
I walked slowly, my eyes moving from one piece to the next. One painting had a woman sitting in the middle of a room full of flowers, her face turned away like she was hiding from the world. Another had two hands reaching for each other, but not quite touching.
That one made me stop.
Kyrie’s hand slid into mine.
“You like that one?”
I nodded without looking away from it. “Yeah. It’s pretty.”
He stared at it for a second. “What it mean?”
I glanced at him, surprised he even asked. “I don’t know what the artist meant, but to me, it looks like wanting something but being scared to actually reach for it.”
He was quiet for a second before nodding. “I can see that.”
I smiled a little. “You can?”
“Yeah.” He leaned closer, his voice low near my ear. “Don’t mean I would buy it, though.”
I burst out laughing. “Why?”
“’Cause why they hands ain’t touching? Just grab the damn hand.”
“Kyrie.”
