13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

" G avin." LA glared. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"What?" Gavin smiled innocently. "I heard about your little art exhibition and just had to come by and show my support."

Brandon and Kevin flanked LA on either side, and Kevin said, "Wow, I was worried that the creamer had gone bad because there was this nasty smell. Turns out it's just you ."

"Charming," Gavin said with a roll of his eyes.

"Where's your boyfriend?" LA asked dryly. "The love of your life?"

Gavin grinned.

Shit.

LA realized he'd just proven he'd looked at Gavin's social media.

"Oh, he's around." Gavin shrugged. "It's really quite a story if you have some time."

"He looks pretty busy to me," Kevin said sharply, rising up to his full height. "I think you need to leave."

Cass was back with the chair, though he was holding it like he wanted to hit Gavin with it. "Elly, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." LA reached for Cass's arm, gently urging him to lower the chair. "Gavin was just leaving. Weren't you?"

Gavin pouted. "Would you walk me out? I have some of your things in my car. I thought we could talk and—"

"What is it?"

"Some of your sweaters, phone charger, whatever." Gavin smiled sweetly. "Look, it'll take five minutes and then you can get back to your adoring fans."

LA hesitated.

This felt like a trap.

Cass set the chair down, but LA swore he could see fur sprouting over his cheeks. Kevin and Brandon appeared equally disgruntled, but they looked to LA. It was LA's choice, after all.

"Fine." LA squeezed Cass's arm. "Two minutes. You give me my stuff and you go."

Gavin grinned like he'd won something fantastic. "Oh, I'll be very fast."

"We're coming out to check on you if you're not back," Kevin warned.

Brandon nodded in agreement. "What he said."

Cass frowned, and he pressed a soft kiss to LA's cheek.

Gavin flinched.

LA turned and kissed Cass, a deep kiss with a hot swipe of tongue—okay, yes, he was doing it because Gavin was right there, but fuck him. LA wanted to make it clear who he was here with and where he stood. He smirked at Gavin. "So. Let's go."

Gavin was scowling but quickly tried to school his expression back into a smile. "Let's."

LA let Gavin lead the way outside to his car, his heart pounding with dread. He wasn't sure what Gavin was up to, but he doubted he even had any of LA's things. This was simply a ploy of some kind, but for what?

Gavin stopped at the corner of the shop, turning around to say, "Okay, look. I get it. You were mad at me for Darren—"

"Who?" LA frowned.

"The guy I posted?"

"Yeah, no. I don't care."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that it didn't work out. It was a stupid mistake and I'm sorry." Gavin smiled sweetly and tried to reach for LA's hand. "Can you forgive me?"

"What? No!" LA jerked away. "We're done, remember? All fucking done."

"You can't be serious." Gavin laughed. "Come on. You know I didn't mean that. I'm willing to take some big steps, okay? To prove that I'm really serious about us."

"Oh yeah?" LA narrowed his eyes. "How about putting on a blindfold and playing in traffic?"

"You're so silly." Gavin grabbed LA's waist. "I'm talking about moving in with you."

"What?" LA was so stunned that he couldn't move for a few seconds.

"You heard me. I wanna show you that I'm really committed to making us work." Gavin smiled. "We can use my furniture. Yours is hideous. And hey, it looks like you finally got rid of all those creepy paintings, so—"

LA snapped out of his stupor and pushed Gavin away. "No."

Gavin scowled. "What?"

"No." LA took a deep breath. "And not just no, but hell no. Fuck no. We're done."

"You don't get to say that, not when—"

"I get to say whatever the fuck I want!" LA seethed. "We're not together. We will never get back together. Not fucking ever."

"Come on." Gavin tried to grab him again. "We're so good together! Why do you want to throw it away?"

LA sidestepped Gavin's hand, arguing, "Because that's what you do with trash."

"You think what we had was fucking trash? What the fuck?"

LA took a deep breath to calm down before he said something cruel.

Gavin was an asshole, but LA was better than that.

He knew he could do this.

"At first, no. Yeah, we had some good times, and there will always be some part of me that cares about you." LA shrugged. "But I see now that the only reason I put up with the shitty way you treated me was because I was afraid of change. I was afraid to be alone. I was fucking afraid to stand up to you because every time I tried, I'd always blow up and feel like an asshole!"

"You are an asshole," Gavin snapped. "You always have been. You have such a nasty temper. It's pathetic, you know. The way you always snap—"

"Especially when you poke at me. Again and again and again ." LA narrowed his eyes, barely keeping his temper in check before a thought occurred to him—Gavin was baiting him.

Gavin was fucking baiting him. Gavin was trying to piss him off. This was what always happened. Gavin would get him mad enough to make him blow his top, and then LA would feel guilty for snapping at him and probably saying something really hurtful.

Blaming Gavin for it would have been easy, but then LA remembered what Cass had said about being in control of only his own actions or whatever.

That's when it clicked.

While it was true Gavin was being an absolute manipulative dick and LA couldn't stop him from being a dick, LA didn't have to lose his temper and give him what he wanted. He could simply keep his temper in check—however difficult it was.

LA took a deep breath.

He thought of peach crumbles and golden eyes, and it was suddenly a lot easier to stay calm.

He even smiled as he said, "Look, I'm sorry that I wasn't always kind. I know I have said some really horrible things to you. It doesn't matter why I said them because I'm responsible for my own actions and… I'm sorry that I couldn't give you what you needed for us to have a truly fulfilling relationship."

"What?" Gavin's eyes widened.

"You heard me." LA shrugged. "I can't give you what you need. I don't think I ever could. And that's okay. I really hope one day you do. Find someone who can, I mean." He smiled again, taking a step back. "It's just not gonna be me."

Gavin stared, his mouth gaping. "But… But—"

"But it's okay. We're not good for each other. It's fine. What's not fine is you pushing me and trying to drag me into a fight when I've already made it very clear that I'm done. We are not dating. I am not going to ever date you again. So. Good luck and all that."

"Wait, wait!" Gavin gestured toward the parking lot. "What, what about your stuff?"

LA shook his head. "Whatever you have of mine… Hey, I've lived without it all week and been fine, so. Trash it. Burn it. Piss on it. I don't care."

"LA." Gavin continued to gawk like a fish. "What the fuck? You… You can't just…"

"Hey." LA's temper flared and he swallowed back the horrible curses aching to escape. "Whatever I do now, it's because I want to. Not because I feel like I have to." He waved. "You have a good life, Gavin. Bye bye now."

Gavin huffed and puffed, but no other words left his mouth for several seconds. He all but stomped his foot as he left, stalking away in a hurry.

Fuck .

LA let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

He'd done it.

Damn, that felt good.

LA turned around with a grin, his heart racing, but he gasped when he nearly smacked right into Cass. "Cass!"

"Elly!" Cass said cheerfully, offering out his arms for a hug. "Are you all right?"

"You scared the shit out of me! Where the hell did you come from?"

"Oh, well, I may have been a tiny bit invisible and maybe sort of hiding." Cass grimaced.

LA stared flatly. "Really?"

"Not the whole time!" Cass pouted. "When you didn't come back, Brandon and Kevin got worried. I offered to come find you, and well, when I heard what you were saying to Gavin…"

"What part did you come in at?"

"Right about the poke me part."

"Pretty good, right?" LA grinned.

"Very good." Cass kissed him sweetly. "You were magnificent. I am so very proud of you for standing up to him and making him leave with that absolutely awful look on his face. You didn't even say anything that mean this time!"

"Thanks." LA chuckled and hugged Cass tight. "Mmm. Let's get back in there, huh?"

"Whenever you're ready, sweetheart."

"I think I deserve another drink, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

LA was having a great time.

The art show was going well, even though talking to so many people was draining the crap out of his social battery. Cass was right there to whisk him away for a break whenever he noticed LA getting a bit overwhelmed. When LA was ready to head back, Cass would lead him over to his chair and stand guard once more.

LA was stunned by the sheer amount of praise he received, especially from those who said they felt a connection to the paintings. Whether it was the ache of depression, the grief of losing a loved one, or some other unspecified pain, his work resonated with people on a personal level.

It was incredible.

As the hours ticked by, LA was steadily growing more tired. It was late, he was exhausted, and the chair still left a lot to be desired in the way of comfort. Although everyone seemed to love the paintings, he hadn't heard anyone interested in buying any. That was a little disappointing, but he wondered if he'd been asking too much.

He stood up to stretch and look over the gallery.

Huh.

The price tags were all gone.

What the hell did that mean?

He saw Kevin talking to Georgina, and LA waved.

They both looked at him, smiled innocently, and went back to chatting.

Right.

Because that wasn't suspicious at all.

"Are you doing all right, sweetheart?" Cass asked gently. "Do you need to take another break?"

"Yeah, from sitting on my ass." LA chuckled. "I'm good. I just wanted to stretch my legs a little. Definitely gonna sleep good tonight."

Cass took his hand and kissed it. "It's been quite the evening."

"That it has."

"Hey, LA!" Brandon was walking up to him, an older woman with him who LA recognized as his mother.

"Hey!" LA smiled. "Mrs. Penny! It's nice to see you."

"Hello, sweetie!" Penny gave him a gentle hug. "How are you?"

"Great. Oh! Hey, this is uh, my date for tonight." LA gestured to Cass. "Cassander Imp, this is Penny Hanson, Brandon's mother."

"Hi! It's so lovely to meet you! Please call me Cass!" Cass smiled warmly as he shook her hand. "You're the one opening up that new decedent care office! Is that right?"

"Yes!" Penny chuckled. "Trying to anyway. It's been crazy." She pointed at LA. "I haven't forgotten to call you. I just haven't had time!"

"It's okay. I'll be here whenever you want to talk." LA chuckled. "I'm always happy to talk shop."

"Brandon mentioned you lost your job at the funeral home."

"Yeah, uh. I did." LA's smile became strained. "Hurt my back and all that. You know. Uh." He really didn't want to talk about that, and he scrambled to think of something else to talk about.

"I want to set up an interview with you, if you'd be interested." Penny grinned.

"What? Oh, I mean, we don't have to do that. We can just chat on the phone or…" LA blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Trying to get the decedent care office going has been a nightmare," Penny replied with a little groan. "No one knows what they're doing, we can't get any of the funeral homes to help us out with what we need to do, and it's been total chaos. One of the positions we have open is a senior coordinator. Basically, that's a fancy title for someone to come in and tell us what the heck to do."

"Are you…" LA stared. "Are you offering me a job?"

"If you're interested," Penny said. "We could sit down for a formal interview next week, let you meet the rest of the staff. You'd be reporting directly to me, but you'd meet my boss too. Who would be your boss's boss. If you decide you want it. Or if you even want to come!"

"Yeah!" LA laughed, reaching out to squeeze Cass's arm excitedly. "Yes! Definitely. Please. That would be great. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Brandon grinned smugly.

He probably had a little something to do with this.

"Thank you!" Penny gushed. "You'd really be saving my butt. We need someone with funeral home experience terribly. We just hired a new girl, Anna, who's great with computers, but she… Oh! There she is!"

LA followed where Penny was looking and he froze.

It was Anna from that towing place.

Oh God.

Anna saw Penny waving and came over to greet everyone, but she gasped when she saw LA. " Konnichiwa !"

"What?" LA blinked.

"Konnichiwa! It means hello in Japanese!" Anna laughed. "Because, you know, I thought you spoke Japanese? And, uh…" Her laughter trailed off and she grimaced. "Sorry."

"No, right. Uh." LA fidgeted. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, you two know each other?" Penny asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Anna beamed. "It was my last day at my other job. I met this giant dickhead customer who got me thinking that maybe it wasn't worth sticking around when I wasn't happy 'cause of a shitty boss and last-minute bullshit. So! I quit that day!"

"Yay!" Cass cheered. "Congratulations!"

"Wow." LA laughed, though perhaps a bit awkwardly. "That's, uh, great! And now you work with Mrs. Penny?"

"Yeah! Just started yesterday!"

"She's been a lifesaver organizing all of our paperwork and our filing system," Penny said. "You two will be working a lot together."

Anna blinked. "Oh really?"

"He's the funeral director I told you about," Penny explained. "Brandon's old friend."

"Oh!" Anna laughed. "The giant dickhead!" Her eyes widened. "I mean, uh—"

"No, it's okay." LA cringed a bit but nodded. "I was having a bad day and I was indeed a giant dickhead. But, uh, definitely looking forward to working with you! You know, provided the interview goes well and all that."

Penny chuckled, teasing, "I have a feeling it will."

Kevin hurried up behind Brandon, whispering something in his ear.

Brandon grinned and then cleared his throat. "Sorry to break up the party, but uh, I gotta go make a special announcement." He nodded at LA. "You might wanna be sitting down for this."

"Totally not concerning at all," LA muttered, his pulse fluttering wildly.

"Here, let's get you back in your chair, sweetheart." Cass offered his arm to lead LA back into his seat and then stood beside him, his hand on LA's shoulder. "I'm sure it's going to be wonderful news!"

LA grumbled. "How can you be so sure?"

"Well, certainly he wouldn't be going over there to make some awful announcement, would he?" Cass kissed the top of LA's head. "He did say it was special, after all."

LA grimaced.

Brandon whistled loudly as he stood in front of the gallery, Georgina at his side. He cleared his throat, speaking up as he said, "Hey! Could I have everyone's attention, please? Hi!" He grinned, waiting for the chatter of the crowd to die down. "First of all, I want to thank you all for coming out and making another Community Art Night such an awesome success!"

Everyone cheered and clapped.

Brandon waited politely for the applause to die down. "I also want to thank our artist for the evening, LA Holmes. He's been out of the world for a while, but I am so, so happy that he's back and that he shared his incredible art with us."

More cheering.

LA waved awkwardly and then clung to Cass's hand, wishing it was a big furry paw right about now.

"Now, most of you know Georgina." Brandon gestured to her with a grin. "And you know what an awesome supporter she is and how much she loves our community here. So, I'll let her take it from here."

Georgina waved to everyone, laughing when she got applause too. "Come on now!" she scolded lightly. "Please, let's have another round of applause for Brandon and Kevin, without whom this wonderful evening wouldn't even be possible!"

LA clapped as hard as he could, whooping along with the rest of the crowd.

"Now!" Georgina smiled slyly. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid to say that I have purchased the entirety of the gallery. So, if anyone wants to see the art of Mr. Holmes again, they'll have to come to one of my little parties until he blesses us with some new work."

LA's hands dropped along with his jaw, and he stared dumbly.

Cass squeaked and the air was instantly filled with bubbles.

Luckily, no one seemed to question it.

The applause was deafening, but Georgina still had more to say. She waited again for the noise to quiet. "Also, I am thrilled to announce that one of his works, that stunning one with the trees, will be a permanent feature of the Upcycled Art Collection at the Schumacher Art Museum."

Cass squealed and even more bubbles appeared.

LA thought he might throw up.

Or scream.

Maybe both.

He should probably stand. Something. He should probably say something. Everyone was staring at him now and he gulped, unsteadily rising to his feet.

Cass was right there to help him and wrapped a supportive arm around him. He leaned in to kiss LA's cheek, whispering, "This is your moment, sweetheart. It's yours to do whatever you want with. You can just wave and sit back down if you'd like."

"Thank you," LA whispered back. "Don't worry. I got this."

Cass grinned and rubbed his hip. "Heck yes, you do."

LA took a deep breath, raising his voice so everyone could hear him as he said, "Wow, thank you! Thank you everyone! I am seriously stunned by your kindness and support for my work. Thank you to Brandon and Kevin for dragging me out of my cave and being better friends than I deserve. I love you both so much. Thank you, Georgina, for your incredible generosity. I…" His eyes burned a little but he smiled. "Thank you."

There were a few aw's mixed in with the applause and LA quickly sat back down, wiping at his face before any tears could escape.

"That was perfect, Elly." Cass nuzzled the top of his head.

"Thanks, Cassie." LA grinned at Cass and urged him down for a sweet kiss.

Brandon and Kevin came up to him, and Kevin cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem! Hello! Get your tongue out of there!"

LA smirked. "Hi, guys. Hey, seriously. Thank you again so much." He started to try and stand so he could hug them, but Kevin pushed him back into his seat.

"You. Stay." Kevin grinned and then leaned down to hug LA. He didn't completely crush all the air out of his lungs this time at least. "Congratulations, sweetie!"

Brandon was next for a hug, giving LA's shoulder a little rub. "Congrats, man. I'm so fuckin' happy for you. A museum! Your work is going into a fucking museum!"

"Yeah! Wow!" LA laughed. "I don't think it's fully sunk in."

"Don't forget about us little guys when you're a rich and famous artist, painting things for Madonna and Gaga," Kevin teased.

"Ha ha." LA scanned the crowd. "Hey, Brandon, where is your mom?"

"Oh, uh…" Brandon followed his gaze. "Oh! There she is!" He waved to get Penny's attention.

Penny hurried back over with a grin. "Hey! Sorry! I was saying goodbye to Anna. She wanted me to tell everyone bye and all that." She hugged Brandon and smooched his cheek, and then she turned to smooch and hug Kevin. "Sorry, but I'm right behind her! It's been so much fun though!" She grinned at LA. "And you! Monday work for an interview?"

"Wow, yes! Thank you!" LA laughed as Penny stooped down to give him a big hug, "You just tell me what time and I'll be there."

"Probably ten, but I'll text you, okay?"

"Sounds great!"

Cass waved excitedly. "Bye! It was so nice to meet you!"

"Aw, you too!" Penny laughed and reached out for a hug. "Here, you can have a hug too!"

Cass squeaked and his eyes looked damp. "Oh! Thank you so much!"

Penny smiled warmly. "You boys all have a good night and get home safe! Love you!"

"Here, we'll walk you out, Mom." Brandon waved at LA. "Hey, we'll be right back!"

LA waved and stifled a yawn, leaning back in his chair. "Damn."

"Tired, sweetheart?" Cass stepped behind him and gently rubbed his shoulders.

"Exhausted." LA laughed. "I need a horizontal surface and a fucking muscle relaxer."

"It's been quite the night."

"That it has." LA smiled, his chest light and bubbly. "It's been amazing. I, I can't believe it. Everything's happened so fast, and wow. It's been like a fuckin' dream or something. It definitely hasn't hit me yet. Not really."

"Take all the time you need so that you can fully appreciate the many wonderful things." Cass purred. "You deserve each and every one."

"Thank you." LA sighed and then yawned again. "Ugh, I'm ready for bed. Can I just go to sleep now? Do you think anyone will notice?"

Cass gave LA's shoulders a firm squeeze. "Try to stay awake just a little longer. Georgina is coming over!"

"Oh shit!" LA jerked forward so he was sitting up straight.

Georgina was indeed approaching, grinning from ear to ear as she gushed, "Darling! Hi!"

"Georgina! Wow. Thank you. Thank you so much!" LA fought to stand, though his back complained miserably. He offered his hand and instead got a warm hug.

"Thank you!" Georgina sighed happily. "I am so excited! Oh, I am going to redecorate my entire living room. You'll have to come by! It's going to be very Edgar Allan Poe meets Bohemian. I can't wait."

"That sounds awesome. I would love to."

"I know it's late and you're probably exhausted, but I did have a quick question!" Georgina turned, pointing toward the gallery. "The painting you just brought tonight. It didn't have a price tag on it. Is it not for sale?"

"Which one?" LA blinked. "Oh! The one with the rainbows?"

"Yes!"

LA smiled, reaching over to wrap his arm around Cass's waist. "Sorry, ma'am, but no. I'm keeping that one. It's, uh, pretty personal."

"Oh!" Georgina pouted. "I understand. Perhaps you'd be interested in having prints of it made? It really is so stunning. Obviously, you lose all sense of the texture in a print, but still! It's so full of light and love and hope. It's lovely."

"Thank you." LA blushed a little. "It's actually a portrait of me and, uh—" He glanced at Cass. "My boyfriend."

Cass squeaked.

"Aw, that's wonderful." Georgina chuckled. "I got your number from Brandon. I hope you don't mind. When we add that piece to the collection at the museum, I'll let you know so you can come out and see it! We'll have another party! Oh, it will just be incredible! You just wait!"

"Thank you so very much," LA said earnestly. "Call me anytime!"

"Good night, gentlemen! Take care!" Georgina gave them big hugs and kisses on their cheeks before heading off to the door.

LA sagged back into his chair with a groan. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit indeed," Cass said with a shy little grin. "So. About the, hmm, the thing you said. You, uh…"

LA smirked up at him. "Yeah?"

"You called me your boyfriend."

"Yup. That I did." LA smiled sweetly. "I, uh, I should have asked you first. If that was okay. And if it's not, it's fine. I just—"

Cass kissed him.

LA melted, cupping the side of his face as the kiss deepened.

Someone—probably Kevin—whistled at them.

"As your boyfriend," Cass declared, "my first official act is going to be taking you home, drawing a hot bath for you, and baking cookies so we can snack while we cuddle on the couch and watch more Resident Alien ."

"Fuck." LA grinned. "That's some pretty good boyfriend-ing."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't make that word up."

"See? Perfect boyfriend-ing."