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Mykie shook her head. "He’s just jealous that you asked, and he didn’t think to. Besides, I only want to talk to you right now.”
He snorted. "You think he was jealous? Of me?"
The longer they were talking, it was becoming apparent that Corbus wasn’t used to being a talker, nor was he comfortable being the first pick.
"Don't try to deny it. You had something he wanted, and he was jealous that you took the initiative to give me your number first. Besides, I'd rather talk to you right now than anyone else," she said, and she was telling the truth. Duke “Corbus” Loughrey was a middleman, of sorts. He was a puzzle of shy energy that she wanted more time with. Renly made her feel wanted and desirable while Caspar was someone she needed to protect and watch out for. Corbus was safe right now. He was normal to her and wasn't a shock to her senses. Talking to Corbus was like speaking to Noah, but with less confidence. She didn't have to worry about her words as much with Corbus as the others, it felt.
"Really?" he asked, fixing his glasses.
Mykie nodded firmly. "Yes. Now, are you coming with the rest of your friends to Pearl's on Tuesday, or do I need to drag you there?"
"I'll be there, I believe. Is Blaine coming too?"
"Blaine?" she repeated. She almost forgot about Mr. Dark and Handsome, whom she threatened and kicked last night when she was drunk for touching her purse. "If he wants to come, he's welcome to. I should probably apologize for kicking him last night."
It seemed like the correct answer from Corbus expression as he nodded, fixing his glasses. "I'll let him know tonight. I can't see him saying no to a night of drinks, though."
"How old are you all, anyway?" Mykie questioned, leaning back against her headboard. "I know you’re underage for drinking, but what about everyone else?"
"Caspar is barely twenty-one. Everyone else but me is over the drinking age," he explained.
She was listening to him, but her eyes also caught a glimpse of the artwork on the wall above him as he tilted this phone up slightly. It was an image of the sky over some hills and looked to be painted in warm watercolors. It looked absolutely gorgeous on the canvas, and must have taken the artist a while to get the details right.
"Did you paint that?" Mykie blurted.
Duke froze and looked up at the painting above his head. He seemed to let out a sigh of relief once he spotted it, as if he was nervous that they were thinking of two different paintings.
"Do you like it?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Mykie nodded. "The sky and hills one looks amazing. You have a lot of talent.”
“Mom wanted me to have skills other than knowing how to read books. I picked up painting and she told me that wasn’t a skill she was talking about,” he said, with a roll of his eyes. “They’re doctors. All they did when they were younger was read.”
She could hear the frustration in his voice, and she frowned. She couldn’t imagine living with parents that put down your interests only to put you down again when you did what they asked. Not liking him upset, she went back to talking about the paintings. “What's the other one of? I can't see it very well."
He tilted his phone more so she could see the one to the left of him. From the angle the phone was at, she almost thought it was the dark ocean, but on a closer examination, he realized it was the night sky on a clear night. The stars looked so defined that it could almost pass as a photo instead of a painting.
"Wow," she breathed.
She was captivated by the image, but that wasn't what caught her breath. The passion in his eyes—hidden behind glass but no less vibrant—drew her in first. Smoky grey eyes focused on his work above him, and she regret not focusing on them when they were on her solely. His lips were pursed slightly as he looked at his own work, but she could tell his mind was going a mile a minute. She could tell also from the way that he looked at the painting that he didn't understand her reaction to his work, but Mykie thought his paintings expressed the passion in his eyes more than words ever would. Mykie always had an appreciation for anything someone put their all into. The most attractive a person could be was when they were passionate about something, which was proven yet again with Corbus.
"Do you want to see more?" he asked quietly, looking at the phone again.
"Yes," she whispered.
He moved off his bed and began to walk across the room. Mykie caught glimpses of other pieces of the wall, but he didn't stop until he was at the other end of the room.
He took a deep breath. "It isn't complete yet, but tell me what you think."
He switched the camera around to the back camera and Mykie studied the painting for a moment. It was a range of browns and greens and looked like it was the beginning of a forest painting. She didn't get to enjoy it fully, however, as shouting came from Duke's end of the phone. The phone moved, and she faced Duke again as he switched cameras. He was frowning and looked irritated.
"I think I've got to let you go. I'll see you on Tuesday, right?"
She nodded, concerned. "Yes. Is everything alright?"
He nodded, but his frown didn't let up as he moved out of the room and into a hallway. The volume seemed to triple now that he was out of his room. "Renly couldn't keep his mouth shut with Blaine or Caspar. It happens all the time. Don't worry about it."
She was almost positive that she heard another voice, this one female, yell at one point. She couldn’t be sure, though, even as her heart sunk a little further. Whoever it was, they were attached to Renly, probably. The two other guys didn’t seem like the type to flirt with her only to have someone else.
