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He touched my hair and looked me over, pausing on my ruby lips, causing them to part and suck in air. His lips quirked, then he dropped his hand. “Then show me some art, cool girl. Make my damn trip worth it.”
Slotting back into my role as the sassy kid sister even though I always felt likemorewhen he looked at me, I shoved at his chest. “Oh, I’ll show you some art.”
He followed me inside, staying close by my side. I purposely led him away from my pieces, taking him to other parts of the gallery. He surprised me by making insightful comments about the sculptures and installations.
Doctor Gaeman found us, introducing herself to Alex.
“I’m glad you told your friend about tonight, sugar. You deserve to be celebrated.” Doctor Gaeman laid her hand on Alex’s arm. “I watched her steer you in the opposite direction of her work, and while Neil’s esoteric take on steampunk might be fascinating from the right angle, I need you to see what our lovely woman has created.”
Now, it was me who trailed behind, my heart thrashing, nervous over his opinion and hating myself for it. I thought of myself as artistic, but not an artist. Even now, having officially sold my art, I still felt like a complete fraud, and Alex would surely see that.
Dr. Gaeman and Alex stopped in front of my sunset picture, and she explained to him all I had told her about my love for folk art and using unexpected colors and textures. When Alex realized I wasn’t beside him, he twisted around, snagged my hand, and tugged me next to him.
“This is…” He shook his head and turned to me. “This is more than I thought it would be. And someone bought it?” He nodded at the red dot beside the tag on the wall.
“Yael sold out,” Doctor Gaeman said, moving us along to a portrait I’d done of flowers blooming out of the side of a brick building. Last, we came to the piece I’d been most scared to show.
“It’s you,” he said with awe.
How he identified me when my face was mostly covered in hair was shocking. But everything about tonight had been shocking.
“It’s me.”
Doctor Gaeman smiled at the two of us before excusing herself to speak with another one of her students whose art was on display tonight. Alex barely said goodbye as he studied my self-portrait hanging on the wall.
“Isn’t it weird that someone is going to have a picture of me on their wall?” I asked. “I don’t believe it, really.”
His head turned sharply, his brow furrowed. “Do you know who bought it?”
I waved over my shoulder. “A couple from out of state. They said it reminded them of their daughter.” I cupped my hand beside my mouth and whispered. “I don’t think they knew it was me.”
“How? All I see is you.” He faced the portrait again. “It’s fucking stunning, Yael.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest and filled me with a flicker of belief. If Alex said he liked my art, I believed him. He didn’t pull punches with me, and I never did with him.
“Thank you.” My chin had the nerve to quiver as I worked to hold back tears. What kind of artist cried at their show?
“Aw.” He turned to me fully, pinching my shaking chin in his fingers. “Don’t you dare cry right now. You cry, then I’ll cry, and it’ll be a big scene. I’ll be forced to walk around on my hands to divert attention from my sobbing, which could go horribly wrong, what with all the priceless art around.”
Laughing, I wiped beneath my eye. “Shut up, Alex.”
Dropping his hand from my face, he glanced around at the crowd. “Where are your friends? What was your roommate’s name? Ronald?”
“Her name is Allie and you know it.” I rubbed my lips together. “She’s not here. None of my friends are.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Word? They ditch out early? Uncool.”
“No.” I crossed one leg in front of the other, my fingers twisting the material of my dress. “No, I didn’t tell anyone about this.”
He stilled, the playfulness leaving him. I forced myself to let go of my dress and meet his eyes, which roamed over my face, searching for something, anything, that would let him understand what exactly was going on.
Funny, I wanted the same thing.
Alex’s hand came up to grip my elbow and he leaned down so his forehead brushed mine. “I’m the only one here?”
“Yes. Only you.”
His breath brushed my lips as he heaved an exhale, then he tugged me through the room, and I allowed it. I had no idea where he was taking me, but I wanted to find out more than anything.
