Yet You're my Favorite Work of Art

Chapter Three

;)))))

Gee sits down at the table across from me and leans on her hand.

"So this new kid, Brendon. Pretty cute, right? Not as cute as a certain manager at Whole Foods, but still pretty cute." I groan and slide my plate away from me.

"Enough about this fucking Brendon kid, can anybody find anything else to talk about?" I stand up to refill my coffee cup. Gee crosses her legs and smirks at me.

"Jealous much, Ry?"

"The opposite, in fact, my dear friend. The kid pisses me off like you wouldn't believe."

She chuckles and motions to me to fill her cup. I do and she takes a sip. "Honey, you've met the kid once. Get the fuck over yourself." I sit back down and kick her foot lightly.

"Fuck off. Everyone's on my case about this kid. It's 2015, I'm almost 28 years old, I don't need to be friends with everyone I meet."

"But that doesn't give you the right to be an asshole to everyone." I take a sip of my coffee and lean back in the chair. "We'll eat with the kid later, and if you still don't like him, that's fine! Just behave yourself." Gee smiles at me and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. She stand up suddenly and picks up her purse. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to go grocery shopping." I stand up and kiss her cheek.

"If you spend the entire day flirting with the Whole Foods employee and make me sit through this lunch alone, I will kill you."

"Oh fuck me." She blows me a kiss and opens the door.

"Maybe later," I call after her.

"Call me when you're straight!" she retorts back and closes the door. I chuckle and put her mug in the sink. I go into the art room and turn the light on. Looking around the newspaper clippings on the wall, I find the one I'm looking for. "Artist Ryan Ross spotted at gay bar!" the headline says. The picture below it is me leaving the bar, holding the hand of a man.

"Jon Walker." I didn't realize I said the name out loud until my tongue felt heavy, carrying a name I haven't said in years. We met at that club every weekend. We had a thing going, a good thing, not just a sex thing like I was used to. And he dumped me the day this article came out. It was a damn shame, honestly, but also one of the best things to happen, since it inspired me to make some of the best art I've ever made. My phone rings inside, playing the chorus to Yellow Submarine. I rush inside and answer it.

"Hello?"

"We're moving lunch up an hour." I sigh.

"Why?"

"Brendon had a last minute change schedule so we're meeting in twenty minutes."

"Are you shitting me, Ash? Please say you are."

She laughs and I can basically fucking hear her eye roll. "I'm not. See you then." She hangs up before I can answer. I groan and shove my phone into my pocket. I go once around the house to make sure all the lights are turned off and the art room door is close(Damn Ringo, can't be trusted alone), and lock the front door, walking down the driveway. I can walk, it won't kill me, will it? I could use the exercise, I'm an artist, not an athlete. I light a cigarette, fix my scarf and start walking. The walk is nice, clears my mind a little bit. The cold stings slightly, but I'll survive. After fifteen minutes or so, I pull up at the restaurant. The first thing I see is Gee. She stands there on her phone, with about three Whole Food bags on her arm.

"What the actual fuck, Gee?" I ask approaching her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, Ry! You'll never believe was just happened!" she exclaims. The waitress comes and leads us to a table inside. We sit down in the booth and she puts the menus on the table and leaves.