Arranged Marriage

Vol 1: Week 2 (3)

Vanessa excuses herself and walks back into the exhibition hall at a brisk pace. Seeing a group of people already arrived before them, Ash whispers in his ears.

"Everyone here is talkative like Vanessa, so you don't need to answer them all. I didn't bring you here to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Will it be okay?"

"Of course. You are a rare handsome man, Karlyle. They don't get to meet people like you often, you are also an aristocrat. They may bother you."

Ash, with that unfamiliar interpretation, laughs as he watches the people gradually approaching them. Before entering the exhibition hall, Ash tells him again.

"Stick close to me. I didn't bring you here for other people to flirt with you."

What Vanessa Lord said earlier crosses his mind. She said Ash was on guard about him, and that matches with Ash's action just now. However, he quickly shakes that idea off. No matter how hard he thinks about it, Ash has no reason to do that.

****

Today's exhibition is quite interesting to him, who has never made acquaintances with any artists. This private exhibition, which is opened ahead of the officially public one, is attended only by critics, collectors, the artist's acquaintances, and museum officials.

Time passes by faster than he thought. The experience of hearing directly from the artists the motif, process, and interpretation of their works is surprisingly fun. It feels different from simply hearing or learning about them. Oh, and it's also thanks to Ash who plays a major role in this unexpected pleasure.

Ash knows a lot, at least in this field. Karlyle can't compete with him in this. Ash explains to him not only Vanessa's works, but also about the artists she is influenced by. To make sure Karlyle doesn't feel awkward, Ash stays by his side and never leaves him alone for a moment.

After 12 o'clock, finger foods and drinks prepared by the gallery are served. With music played in the background, the gallery turns into a small party. Drinking alcohol at lunch is not that unusual for British people, so there's a variety of cocktails among the served drinks.

"Do you drink, Karlyle?"

After touring around the entire exhibition hall, they sit down at a table near the entrance. Looking at the menu to choose a drink, Ash asks him.

"I do. What about you, Mr. Jones?"

"I tend to have something sweet. I'm not a heavy drinker."

That's unexpected. He's always thought that Ash could do anything.

"What type of alcohol do you like?"

Ash seems to be curious about what he likes to drink. Ash was the same when they went around the exhibition. He asked him many trivial questions, such as which artist he liked, or whether he often went to exhibitions, as if they were very important things.

Maybe it was because he had never shared his preferences with anyone for so long. But for over an hour, he shared trivial things with Ash. And it was somewhat comfortable.

"I usually go for wine or hard liquor."

"Then how much can you drink?"

Ash rests his chin on his hand and fixes his eyes on him. He wonders what is so funny that Ash's smiling the whole time.

"I don't remember ever being drunk."

"There's nothing you can't do, Karlyle."

"I'm not that great."