Waiting for the Night [Dalan]

Chapter 12

Alan had expected to be bored or disappointed; there were so many hacks in the Greater London area that he had somewhat given up on discovering anything worthwhile or beautiful in his vicinity. Dave's art had surprised him though, by reaching down to the very core of his chest and unleashing something personal, something fierce that reminded him what it was like to be blown away by a beautiful painting, or a perfectly made album. 

It felt like the very first time he had listened to Kraftwerk, discovering perfection in those soothing electronic beats. He was sold, extremely fascinated by the various original paintings and the strange, quiet artist behind them.

His first impression of Dave had not been much at first. The artist had been rather quiet and aloof, spacing out half the time and seemingly forgetting they were even there in front of him. Other times, he was staring at Alan as though he had just landed in a spaceship. 

His strange behaviour had not quite matched up with his outward appearance; judging from the tattoos, his tight, sleeveless shirt and matching leather trousers, Alan had imagined that the man was one of those who frequented the gym and made angry, incomprehensible art. 

Yet Alan was proven wrong again and again with every single painting he laid his eyes on. This was the work of a sensitive, battered yet tough soul, and Alan surprisingly found that he could really relate to this.

Dave seemed to speak to Martin most of the time, and Knox was the one who entertained Alan, explaining the stories behind the paintings and throwing in an amusing anecdote every now and then. It became apparent that Knox and Dave were really close, and Alan found himself drawn more and more towards the artist as Knox revealed little by little about Dave's life story.

After the final painting, Knox was rubbing his hands. "There's a reception upstairs, if you guys would like to have a bite to eat? Or some wine?" he offered.

"That sounds great, I could use the tipple," Martin said with a grin. "What about you, Charlie?"

Alan's initial plan had been to leave as early as possible, but then again, he hadn't expected to enjoy himself this much. "I could go for a glass of white, myself," he admitted.

As they trudged up the stairs, Alan thought he could hear Knox and Dave trading angry whispers, but as they reached the second floor, they seemed to have quietened down. Knox went to get them some appetisers, while Dave uncorked a bottle of Riesling and poured some out for all of them. "So Alan, what did you think of the paintings?" Dave asked, surprising Alan. This was the first time all evening that the man had directly addressed him.

"To be honest, you're very good," he said, and it was gratifying to see the way Dave's smile practically lit up his entire face. "I have to admit, your art touched me on a personal level. It's very...intimate, somehow."

Martin nodded enthusiastically as he accepted the Riesling from Dave. "Alan is right, there's a lot of art out there that is just out to impress people. But yours...it's just brilliant. Speaks from the heart."

When Knox rejoined them, Alan raised his glass in a toast. "To Dave! May some snooty billionaire buy all his paintings and make him a very rich man."

They all laughed before sipping the wine, and Dave's eyes met Alan's over the rim of his glass, giving him a strange, odd feeling in his stomach. Sure, Dave was an attractive bloke, but Alan's days of experimenting before Hep had come along were long over. 

Still, if they had met ten years earlier, there might have been something. But as it was, Dave's odd behaviour was rather off-putting, even though his talent was undeniable.

"Hey, you know, Alan is looking for an artist to design his album cover," Martin said, looking at Dave. "You should give it a shot."

"Yeah, I really like your stuff and I'd be dead chuffed if we could do something together," Alan said, setting his glass down and picking up a tomato canapé.

"Really?" Dave was cradling his wine glass in both hands, looking thoughtful. "I'd like that, I mean, I've always wanted to try designing an album cover for someone."

"Why don't you come over tomorrow?" Alan took out his iPhone to check his schedule, but there were no pressing appointments. He fished out his name card and handed it to Dave. "Drop by my home studio, we'll talk."

Dave's fingers brushed against his as he took the name card. "Really looking forward to it." Looking at that boyish grin, which made Dave look ten times younger, Alan wondered how he could have ever thought this man was angry and unfriendly. Maybe he was mistaken all along.