Seventeen

3

Lmao the painting described in this chapter is above in colored pencil. By me, of me, etc. :) it's also the cover for this book because I'm a # basic bitch

-Mel

☆☆☆☆

Luke's standing in the hallway patiently, hands locked behind him and back straight, while he waits. Calum's next to him, rubbing at his short hair while trying to coerce Luke into going back into his studio by tugging gently on the taller boy's belt loop. After a few minutes, Calum just ignores Luke's pants and shoves his hand down the back of the tight jeans, instead. Luke squirms away at the feeling of his cold fingers and shoves Calum back, sending him stumbling into the wall.

"Stop," Luke says firmly, crossing his arms over his broad chest to glare down at Calum.

"What are we even doing here?" Calum, unlike most other people, doesn't back down. He squares himself up, crossing his own arms, and stands up straighter in an attempt to match Luke's height. They've been standing just outside Luke's studio for an hour, and Calum's bored out of his mind.

"Waiting," Luke repeats, just likes he's said every other time Calum's asked for explanation.

"For?" Calum prompts.

Luke looks both ways, like he expects to see someone else in the hallway that's been barren for the whole hour, then ducks lower so his face is right in front of Calum's. "For Michael," he whispers. "His sister or something has the studio right next to mine, but she's not there- I knocked."

"So, what?" Calum shrugs, not really seeing the point in waiting in the hallway. He doesn't see meeting Michael- whoever that is- as a pressing matter, really.

Luke looks around nervously again. "His sister is Seventeen."

Calum gasps in realization, because, oh. Okay, he understands, now. He gets it. He scans Luke's eyes quickly to make sure the younger boy isn't lying to him, then nods quickly and gestures for him to continue.

"If we play our cards right," Luke whispers lowly, eyes still darting around like someone's going to crawl out of the shadows and overhear them. "We'll get you a genuine, one of a kind, Seventeen masterpiece, and I'll get some art tips. And maybe we'll get to meet her."

"Fuck," Calum mutters, because okay, he gets it. He'd wait for days if it meant meeting Seventeen and buying a painting off of her. His wallet weighs heavy in his pocket at the mere thought of it. Calum's got more money than he knows what to do with but, luckily, Luke always finds a proactive way to spend it. Whether it be on a studio in one of the most pretentious art buildings in America for his blue eyed boyfriend, or a month long trip to Paris to get said boyfriend inspired enough to paint something beautiful, Calum's always using his money for something. Mainly Luke.

There's voices from down the hall, so Luke darts forward and presses his lips to Calum's for half a second, before throwing the door to his studio open and talking half a step into it. Calum gives him a confused look, but nods when he sees violent purple hair and soft honey colored curls over the top of the stairs. Luke steps out into the hall again and let's the door slam shut behind him, drawing the other two's attention.

"Hey, Luke," Michael greets carelessly, not even bothering to spare Calum a glance.

The other man, dressed in sleek black pants and a light blue shirt buttoned around his toned chest and biceps, smiles at Luke. "Hey, Luke, good to see you, again. Are you ready for your gallery next month?"

When he gets close enough, he holds his hand out and Luke grabs it to shake, which is weird. Calum's never seen his boyfriend so professional around someone. "Yeah, I'm finishing a few more pieces, yet, but I'll be done soon enough."