Page 124 of Lured By Shadows

It was the most expensive restaurant I had ever been to, but Culver made it all feel effortless. I liked that he never mocked me for not knowing things. Somehow, he taught me how to move through places like this without ever outright explaining anything. He led, and I followed without thinking twice.

So when he took me to an actual expensive art gallery, I melted into it completely, wandering beside him while the weight of our lunch settled warmly in my stomach. The gallery stretched on in quiet elegance, all towering white walls and polished black marble floors that reflected the soft glow of golden overhead lights. Massive oil paintings lined the walls in ornate antique frames, some dark and haunting, others so vivid they almost seemed alive beneath the careful brushstrokes. Sculptures rested on stone pedestals throughout the open space, marble figures frozen mid-grief, mid-prayer, mid-love. The air carried the faint scent of old varnish, expensive wood, and something subtly floral drifting in from hidden arrangements placed throughout the gallery.

Everything felt painfully refined, the kind of place I would’ve only ever seen rich people visit in movies, yet Culver walked through it like he belonged there. Like places built around beauty and history naturally bent around him.

My body swayed beside his while we wandered slowly from piece to piece, my shoulder occasionally brushing his arm. I kept trying to work up the courage to ask him what had been lingering in the back of my mind for far too long.

We passed a massive painting of a lioness crouched protectively over her cubs, her teeth bared in a vicious snarl toward something unseen beyond the canvas. The detail was breathtaking, every strand of fur painted with impossible care, her golden eyes sharp with violence and devotion all at once. Something about it struck straight through me.

For some reason, it gave me just enough boldness to finally say what I wanted.

“Culver, do you like me?”

“I thought I made my stance clear after my trip,” he smirked at me.

“Humor me,” I said, walking close beside him.

“I like everything about you,” he murmured, sliding his hand into mine and raising it above me just so he could kiss the back of my palm.

“And you?” he asked quietly, staring directly at me.

I paused, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. I already knew the answer. The truth had been sitting heavily in my chest for a while now. “Honestly, goths aren’t really my type.”

I wished I could’ve stopped there.

“...But… I do like you, Culver,” I finally admitted, heat spotting across my face.

He stood there silently for a moment, watching me while I continued squirming underneath his stare. I peeked up at him through my lashes, feeling the embarrassment seep straight into my bones.

He paused, swallowing once before speaking. “...I vow to always treasure you.”

The promise wrapped around my heart the same way his arms had earlier, stirring together deep, aching trust and raw desire until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

I didn’t know how to answer that without telling him the truth.

“What if I get bored of you afterwards?” I projected the fear right back onto him.

His eyes lowered to my lips.

“I suppose I will need to work hard to satisfy you, my little lamb.”

His mouth lowered until our lips met in a single kiss.

It was short but packed with intensity, the brief press of his mouth against mine sending a jolt straight through me. It left my lips tingling and my body humming with the promise of what could happen if I let it.

When he pulled back, he kissed the top of my forehead tenderly. “Do any paintings call out to you? Shall I just purchase all of them?”

“Where the hell would I put all these paintings?” I finally looked around at the hundreds lining the walls.

“I can put them in your own personal gallery,” he declared, as if that solved anything.

“How about you use that money to donate to… I dunno, good causes?” I exasperated, resting my hands against his arms.

He nodded in compliance. “I could if you want.”

“At least pretend to be a good guy,” I deadpanned before laughing at his ridiculousness.

He answered with a knowing smirk instead.