by K E Osborn
“I just don’t get it,” I murmur back while she holds me.
“Danger said the reason he was so into it the last time was because Ria had told him to think she was me, and that it should be like being with me for the first time in a really long time. He said it was the only way to get into the right mindset. So maybe Ria was thinking the same thing while getting into character… that it was you the first time after a long time apart?” Lunar touches my arm. “Maybe you guys can sort this out?”
I pull back from her and sigh. “Maybe, not sure. But I’m glad you and Danger are okay.”
“We’re good. I was upset, but I know he loves me. I know they didn’t cheat on us, Nate. It was stupid of me to think that way. They wouldn’t do that to us. I was so totally insane with jealousy I pulled you along for the ride. I know now they were only acting the part. I believe them… even Zaria.” She gives me a soft smile. “Make it right, Nate. You’re miserable.”
I nod as the music for the video stops.
“C’mon, let’s get back up there, hey?”
We head back up the stairs hand in hand toward the rooftop. Everyone is clapping and it’s good to know this time around the video is a hit. Lunar squeezes my hand and lets it go as I walk over to Matt.
He slaps my shoulder and nods. “You okay?”
With a smile I give him a curt nod while Tillie continues with the speeches.
“So that’s it for the formalities. Does anybody else have anything else they’d like to say?” Tillie announces.
Matt shoves my side making me furrow my brows in confusion as all the lights go out. Slight murmurs and chatter echo over the darkened roof.
Tillie gasps. “Oh shoot, sorry everyone, there must be a blackout. I’ll get the power back on as soon as—”
“You are... so beautiful… to me,” Ryan sings as a spotlight flashes down on him walking toward Tillie as he plays his guitar. Everyone, including me gasps, as Ryan continues the song almost perfectly as Tillie starts to cry. Matt is sitting right next to Tillie when Ryan stops and is smirking widely.
The ass knew this was gonna happen.
Ryan steps up to Tillie’s feet and places his guitar to the back of him as he squats to one knee. “Tillie Anne Marks… you are so beautiful and my life wouldn’t be complete without you and our pets. But it would be better if you could be called my wife. Please do me the honor of marrying me so you can boss me around officially?”
She laughs and nods. “Of course. A million times… yes,” she says as tears fall from her eyes. Ryan smiles wide patting his chest as if to look for the ring. His eyes open wide as he pats his chest frantically. Matt stands up pulling out a box from his jeans and hands it to Ryan as Tillie gasps and everyone laughs.
“You sickos… you planned that didn’t you?” Tillie asks.
Matt smirks sitting back down with a shrug as Ryan pulls out a giant ring and places it on her finger. She smiles, bouncing up on her toes and Ryan gets up pulling her into a hug, kissing her passionately while everyone claps.
Oliver comes up to the microphone as the lights turn back on and he smiles. “Now this really is a celebration. Let’s party everyone. Drinks are on me!” Everyone cheers and throws their hands in the air as I manage a chuckle for the first time in three weeks. I figure I’ve had enough of all the lovey dovey shit, though, so I’m going to stand by the edge of the building and get some air.
Cool, calm and collected!
I manage to do that for about ten minutes before a waitress comes up to me. “Excuse me, Mister Levine?” she asks.
“Yes?”
“This is for you,” she says handing me a black piece of card then she walks away. Furrowing my brows, I figure it must be her number. I’m flattered, but not the least bit interested. I go to screw it up when something catches my eye. ‘Zaria Shafir’ the gold embossed name sticks out like a sore thumb as I look at it. Swallowing hard, I turn the card over to see some symbols which takes me a bit, but I soon decipher it. It’s my symbol for Matt. There’s writing underneath the symbol for Matt so I think she’s telling me to get Matt to read it for me.
Exhaling, I figure, I’ll play her game. I take the card over to Matt and he looks at me. “You look weird, what’s wrong?”
I lean into him. “I need you to read something for me.”
He nods. “Okay.”
I bring up the card and he laughs. “Why is there a rhino on it?”
“You’re a rhino,” I say.
He jolts his head back with a smirk. “Me? Why am I a rhino?”
“‘Cause you’re the older brother and you’re protective and boisterous… Fuck! That doesn’t matter, Matt. What’s it say underneath?”
He looks at me and furrows his brows. “It says… Go to your gallery, I have a present for you there. Wait? What gallery? You don’t have a gallery?”
Exhaling, I slump my shoulders. “I do have a gallery, it’s just no one knows about it. Except for the cleaner… and Ria.”
“What! Do you sell stuff? You should be selling stuff. Can I see it? Dude, how did I not know about this?”
“It’s not an open gallery, more like my own exhibit. But Ria said I should open it and sell my stuff. I just kinda forgot about it and since…”
Matt slaps my shoulder and shakes his head. “Dude, you should open it. You’re a great artist, Nate. Your paintings are amazing. You know I’d support you in this.”
“I know, we’ll see.”
“Well, are you gonna go? Her present might be her.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that, too. Hopefully, it is, then I’ll know we’re okay. If not then I know we’re over for sure. But either way I have to go.”
“Yes… go… tell me what happens.”
“I will,” I reply as I rush off down the stairs and out of the building.
The entire car ride I can’t help but think that the present is her and she’s changed her mind. She wants me back and we’re going to be okay. I pull up at the gallery and race inside, but it’s dark with no sign of Ria anywhere.
“Ria,” I call out then I hear footsteps. I turn and see a shadow walking toward me. She steps into the light and I smile reaching out to embrace her, but I jolt back in surprise when I’m met by a petite blonde with aqua highlights, a nose ring, two lip piercings and very dark but big black doe eyes. Despite her grunge arty look she’s quite stunning and I’m taken aback. “Ahh… not Ria.”
She chuckles. “Um, no, not an actress. As much as I’m perfectly suited to being famous and am brilliantly stunning, sadly… no, I’m just Alex.”
Smirking, I raise my eyebrow. “Okaaay, just Alex… aaand… what are you doing here?”
She smiles opening her arms wide and spinning around like a kid in a candy store. “This is my new home, Nate,” she calls out.
I tilt my head, slightly confused. “It is?”
She stops spinning and puts out her hand abruptly. “Alex O’Donovan, I’m your new business partner.”
Scoffing, I tilt my head even further. “Ahhh… come again?”
“Oh Nate, you filthy dog you. Not on the first date,” she quips and starts running around the gallery looking at the artwork. “These pieces are amaze, like really eclectic, Nate. You have such an eye for detail. Where did you study?”
I shrug. “My bedroom?”
She bursts out laughing and shakes her head. “Oh God, I’m gonna love working with you. This is gonna be great. I can see it now, a little more light in the place, open up those front windows and get a street sign out the front to get the foot traffic in. Nate, this is gonna work. We’ll get these paintings selling like hot cakes at a bake sale.”
I stand here in shock wondering what’s actually happening right now. “Umm… sorry, who are you?”
“Oh my God, are you not listening. I’m Alex, your curator slash manager… I’m going to run this gallery for you.”
“And… where have you come from?”
She smiles. “Well, there’s th
is bird called a stork and when a baby is born—”
“Alex!”
“God… okay, sheesh. Ria hired me. Said you need a push in the right direction.”
“But, she didn’t want to come with you to see me?”
She sighs. “She’s confused. She doesn’t want to give you the wrong idea, but she doesn’t want to see your talents go to waste either.”
“I see.”
“Hang in there Fred Astaire, you’ll be right.”
“You’re a little weird.”
She nods. “Thank you. That’s so nice of you to say.”
“Yeah… definitely weird. But how will this work? Do I pay you?”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Well, I’ll never say no to payment. But Ria has covered me for a seven day a week salary for a year. So you’re stuck with me for the next three hundred and sixty-five days, bucko!”
Opening my eyes wide, I gasp out of shock more than anything else. “Wait, she paid you to work for me every single day for the next year?”
“Sure did.”
I shake my head. “But what about Christmas… and Easter? Thanksgiving and fucking I dunno… Hanukkah?”
“Well, I don’t think for a second that you celebrate Hanukkah, but don’t worry, I’ll be available all those days.” She winks. “She paid me double time and a half for holidays. So yeah, I’m working those days for sure.”
“Alex this is too much, she doesn’t need to pay you for this.”
“She said you’d say that and that if you said no to accepting me as your manager to tell you that I would be out of a job and back on the streets. See you’re actually really helping me out as much as I’m helping you out here, Nate. She said that would help you make up your mind to keep me or not.” She grins at me like she knows she’s just won the battle of wills and I groan running my hand through my hair.
“Why were you on the streets?”
She exhales. “Douche boyfriend… left me with nothing, literally. He stole everything from my apartment and my bank account. Wiped me out in one foul swoop. Left me with nothing and with no family to fall back on, I had to go to the streets.”
“That’s rough.”
She winces, her confident outlook faltering slightly for a moment before it’s back up again. “Yeah, but you roll with the punches. I was studying art and business before the douche came into my life and took everything. Ria made an appearance at a homeless shelter I was boarding in. We became good friends and she helped me get back on my feet. I finished my art and business course and now I can put it to good use, working for you.”
“Okay. I don’t know anything about selling art or running a gallery, so I’m gonna leave that up to you, but I’d like to remain anonymous. I’d like people to buy my art because they like it not because they know it’s painted by the drummer from Recoil if you know what I mean?”
“Anonymity… got it! I already have ideas on how we can spruce this place up and get it open for the public. It’s going to be great, Nate, I promise.”
I walk up to her and put out my hand for her to shake. She smiles and shakes it strongly. “Okay let’s do this.
“Yes!”
Maybe Ria wasn’t the chance that was coming to me today, maybe it’s Alex and the Gallery?
Perhaps Whisper’s at it again…
Nah… I chuckle.
Chapter Seventeen
After spending a couple of hours talking with Alex about ideas, she’s started making changes around the gallery already and wants to do a launch, but then we realized the artist would need to be present which kind of blows the anonymity thing right out of the water. So instead, she’s just going to get the place ready and we’ll open for business and have signage on the street. Alex is hoping for a week from today and she wants me to get some new pieces in the gallery too, to fill it up a little more.
Seeing as the band doesn’t have much on this week, I’ll spend it all at the gallery in the back studio painting. But for now, I’m heading home. It’s been a long night and day and I just need to relax and go to bed.
Matt’s already home when I walk inside and he’s making his way through another tub of Ben and Jerry’s.
“Dude, you’re gonna get fat, and Whisper won’t be happy either,” I say.
He smirks. “So, was Zaria your present?”
Shaking my head, I pout. “No, Alex was.”
He furrows his brows. “Alex?”
“Mmm… Alex is… well, interesting.”
“Who the fuck is Alex?”
“Ria thought hiring me a manager slash curator was a good idea so she sent me Alex.”
“But no Ria?”
“No Ria.” I shake my head.
“Bummer, but you can reach out to her now, right? Say thank you for this interesting Alex character?”
“No. Apparently Ria is doing Alex a favor and that’s all it is. It’s nothing to do with me.”
“Double bummer… I’m sorry, bro.”
Shrugging, I start to head up the stairs. “Lay off the damn ice cream.”
Matt’s chuckles echo from below as I walk to the bathroom to wash away the pain in my chest.
ONE WEEK LATER
I’ve been busy the last week in my studio painting madly. Alex has been great, giving me helpful tips and leaving me when I’m in the zone. She’s opened the gallery right up, so light shines in from all angles. It looks amazing and everything’s ready for today’s opening.
I got to say I’m more than a little nervous.
What if we’re open all day and no one comes in?
We purposely haven’t advertised excessively, only doing a small letterbox drop and sign posts in the area for the opening. So we’re not expecting many people, if any to be honest, I didn’t want a fanfare instead opting for a natural growth gallery.
I’m out the back in the studio while Alex is preparing for the opening, I’m putting some finishing strokes on a canvas when a gust of wind blows in from the window. It takes hold of the cloth covering a canvas and lifts it, exposing the almost finished dove I was painting for Ria. The one I was going to gift her.
It immediately makes me think about how Ria should be here today to share in this moment.
The door swings open and Alex rushes in. “I’m about to open the doors, I thought you might wanna be there when I do that for the first time?” she asks and then looks at the dove that’s previously been covered every other time she’s come in here. “Oh my God, Nate, that’s amazing. That needs to go on sale.”
“It’s not for sale,” I snap and she opens her eyes wide and looks at me tilting her stature.
“Okay sassy pants… not for sale… got it. But recreate it and sell a second one ‘cause that fucker’s awesome, Nate. No shit. Now get off your ass, it’s openin’ time!” She leans up on her toes and rushes back out into the gallery.
I stand up and cover Ria’s dove back over and walk out into the gallery. It looks great, she’s done a fantastic job with everything. Alex walks up to the front door and turns the sign from closed to open, unlocks the door and pulls it opens. I watch as she stands back and jumps on her toes.
“Ooh… ooh… someone’s coming. Act cool, Nate,” she whispers.
I grin watching her as she straightens out her outfit, which is actually quite formal compared to the rest of her appearance. She looks from me back to whoever is coming and she grins.
“Whoa dude, this is trippy,” she says.
I furrow my brows wondering what she means until I notice Matt walk through the door.
Alex gushes smiling brightly and pushes a flyer into his face. “Welcome to the gallery of Artist Anonymous. We hope you enjoy your time here today. I’m the curator, Alex. If you have any questions please feel free to ask,” she says.
Matt looks at her taking the flyer and gazing at her like he’s in a state of shock.
“You’re Alex?” he asks.
She nods. “Mm-hmm.”
He shakes his head. “Bu
t you’re not a dude?”
She chuckles as I furrow my brows watching him. “Um… nope.” She places her hands on her tits squeezing them and nods. “Yep, definitely not a dude.”
Matt scoffs and shakes his head. “Nate, you said Alex was a dude.”
I jolt back. “What? No, I didn’t.”
Matt shakes his head. “No, you’re right. I guess I just assumed from the name. How did I not know you were a chick? Dude, Ria sent you a chick… no wonder you knew it was over for good.”
“Gee, thanks.” I slump my body.
Alex keeps looking from Matt to me and back to Matt. “Wow! It’s astounding,” she says, and I roll my eyes as Matt looks at her and raises an eyebrow.
“What?” he asks.
“Well, you look so alike at first glance. But really you’re nothing alike. There’s so many subtle differences,” she says, and Matt and I both tilt our heads in unison.
“Really? People always have such a hard time telling us apart,” Matt says.
“Pffft, nah… I’d be able to tell you two apart easily. The first sign is that little bit of gold you have in your eyes that’s different to Nate’s, his are just blue whereas yours turn more to a golden green. Plus, you have more of a subtle freckle pattern just under your right eye. Nate doesn’t have that.”
“Wow! Your attention to detail is really quite… um… scary,” Matt says as I chuckle.
“That’s what makes me good at art, I see the beauty in everything.”
“Even a dipshit like Nate.” Matt chuckles to himself as I roll my eyes.
“Well, come in, have a look around… I think you’ll see Nate is actually pretty damn good.”
Matt raises his eyebrow looking at Alex as she defends me and he nods walking in. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
“It’s not like you knew about it, though. You know in your defense.”
“True. Now I know where you used to disappear to.” He smiles over at me. “I’m proud of you, bro. Learning to read, Funging your Shui, opening a gallery, you’re really stepping it up. I like this new you.”
