What Was Lost

Chapter 3

"I can't believe you're choosing an art show for your first night out." Tori exclaims, her voice filled with awe and disbelief, as they drive south to Tribecca several days later.

"Yeah, it's not exactly how I imagined spending my time either." Grace agrees.

"I thought you hated going to these things."

"I wouldn't say hate. They were never really my thing necessarily, but Ryan enjoyed them so I went along." She explains, her eyes drifting to the window. "But this time, I have a personal reason for attending. Ryan commissioned a piece from one of the artists showcasing tonight that I'm eager to see and didn't want to wait for it to be delivered."

"What kind of art did Ryan like?" Tori asks curiously.

"Oh, you know...he was into all that contemporary and abstract stuff. Not really my taste." Grace shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly.

With the encounter with Logan still fresh in her mind, she searched for information on him online as soon as she returned home from work. Though only 28 years old, he had already made his mark in the competitive art world at the ripe age of 23. His work was deemed "provocative" and "confronting," though Grace couldn't quite understand what that meant. As a selfproclaimed non-connoisseur of art, she often found herself lost and bewildered when admiring pieces. Ryan would occasionally try to explain the meaning behind certain works, but it never quite clicked for her. Tonight would be no different - Grace was prepared to once again be left in awe and confusion by whatever she was about to see.

Tori's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as they wandered around the art gallery. "Holy shit," she muttered under her breath, taking in the explicit paintings and sculptures on display. Grace, on the other hand, couldn't help but let out a giggle as she sipped her martini and observed a particularly graphic painting depicting a man receiving a blow job. Nearby, an abstract piece showed three intertwined figures in various sexual positions.

"Clearly, the artist is quite horny," Grace commented with a smirk.

"It's a theme," a deep voice interjected from behind them, causing both women to jump in surprise.

Tori and Grace spin to find Logan looking back at them. Grace is taken aback by his transformation - his hat gone, slicked back dark hair and his beard is gone, leaving a clean-shaven face on full display, emphasizing his striking features. Dressed in a dark tailored suit that hugs his lean physique, he looks completely different from his scruffy, baggy subway attire. He radiates an undeniable charm and confidence as he stands there, fully aware of his good looks. In this moment, he exudes a sense of swagger and self-assuredness that fills the room.

"It was the owners who chose the theme, not the artists themselves," Logan clarifies. Grace can feel her cheeks flush at his overhearing their conversation. But she quickly realizes that he's unfazed when he winks at her playfully.

"What do you think?" His words are accompanied by a quick dart of his tongue to lick a stray droplet of champagne off his bottom lip, drawing her attention back to his sensuous lips.

"Oh, um..." She turns to look back at the painting, feeling slightly self-conscious under his gaze. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask. I don't really understand art and always struggle to know what I'm supposed to feel when I'm looking at it."

Stepping closer, Logan stands next to her and gazes at the painting as well. "There is no 'supposed to'," he says softly. "Art is subjective. It's about what you personally see and feel when you look at it."

Grace paused, her gaze fixed on the two figures in the painting before them. She could feel her cheeks flush as she struggled to find the right words. "I feel like...like I'm intruding on something intimate, like I'm a voyeur," she finally answered.