Seraphine

fifty

Seraphine

The store is small, but cute, and Seraphine instantly feels at home surrounded by all of the different art supplies. She gapes and gawks at local artists featured on the walls, displaying watercolor portraits, charcoal landscapes, and macramé art, among other things. 

As the five of them step in, a young boy looks up from the counter behind the register and sends her a welcoming smile. 

"Welcome to Artsy Parts! Is there anything specific you're looking for?" He rounds the counter and steps up to the group, and Seraphine hums, thinking of something small she could get that would suffice until she could get back to the apartment. 

"How about a watercolor set, some brushes, and a small sketchbook?" She offers, and the boy's grin grows. He beckons her to a shelf in the middle of the store, already heading there himself. 

Seraphine moves to follow him, before she realizes who she's with, and she turns, silently asking permission. 

All four of them nod, and she blushes but turns to follow the employee. 

"A painter, huh? I paint myself, although I do better with acrylics and paint markers. I could never get the hang of watercolors--they were always too...well, watery," the boy says to Seraphine as he points out the massive collection of watercolor sets they have on display, and her eyes light up. She eyes the larger sets but picks up a small one with the basics instead, stifling a laugh. 

"Too watery, really? I love how the colors blend together, and how the opacity can change so easily, just based on how much you dilute the color." She gushes, and the boy nods his head, mumbling a simple "interesting" under his breath before continuing. 

"The brushes are over here. What's your most recent project?" He sidesteps before raising his hand, showing Seraphine a broad selection of brushes. She's taken aback by his question and hesitates for a moment, biting down on her lip. 

"I'm doing a portrait of someone. A friend," she says, smiling when she thinks of Liliana.

"I'm more of a still life guy myself. It's kind of overdone, but I like to do food." He scratches the back of his neck as a slight blush comes over his nose, and Seraphine nods as she picks out two brushes. 

"Fruits?" The boy shakes his head. 

"No, like...pizza." He mutters, and Seraphine's eyes widen. 

"You can do that?" She asks incredulously, and the boy laughs loudly, his blush fading. 

"It's art, isn't it? You can do anything!" He waves his hands around, and Seraphine nods enthusiastically in agreement. 

"I like you're thinking...Gabe," she smiles as she finds his name tag, and he sticks his hand out. 

"Ditto...?" He asks for her name, and Seraphine stares at his hand for a second. 

Derek would be pissed. 

She grins and shakes his hand, giving him her name. 

Derek doesn't matter anymore.

~~~

During their entire stay in Artsy Parts, Gabe sticks by Seraphine and her professors, giving them the run down on the local artists and reluctantly showing them his paintings of pizza, most of which Seraphine insists should be hanging up on the walls of the store. Her professors give their input and agree with her, and Gabe is beet red by the time they're ready to be rung up. 

Seraphine sets her findings on the counter--a small watercolor set, two brushes, and a mini sketchbook. 

Gabe glances up and stares with wide eyes before quickly shoving those things to the side as four pairs of hands set down a multitude of art supplies, all in the areas that she had stared longingly at before passing. 

"What--" before she can protest too much, Luca is handing over the black card he'd been using all day. "No! I can't--" 

"Seraphine," Enzo warns gently, resting a hand on her waist. She freezes under his touch, and the breath leaves her lungs. 

While she's incapacitated, Luca pays for everything the professors had picked out, thanking Gabe for his help and telling him he should display his art. 

The notion touches Seraphine's heart so much that she comes back to life and places one of her hands on Enzo's, ignoring the way he sucks in a breath, and lifts the other to grab one of the bags Gabe has packed. 

"Thank you so much, Gabe. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to seeing your art on these walls!" She waves as her professors escort her out of the store, and Gabe waves back, a knowing grin on his face as he nods to the men. 

"And," she turns back around, looking at each of them. "Thank you all so much for today. I really appreciate it," she blinks back tears as she voices her gratitude, clutching the bag of art supplies a little tighter to her chest. 

Nico steps up to her first, tucking a stray hair behind her ear before tilting her head down so he can press his lips to the top of her head. "Of course, dove." 

"Anything for you, Seraphine." Enzo confesses, grabbing her free hand and running his thumb along her knuckles, giving her a dazzling smile that makes her blush. 

"Our darling," Damien pipes up, smiling at her from behind Nico. Her blush grows tenfold at that, and she lets her head fall into Nico's chest. It rumbles from his laughter, and she bites her lip to keep from grinning. 

Their darling. 

The weight of a molten gaze settles on her, and Seraphine turns her head to see Luca staring at her with an intensity that makes her panties wet and her thighs clench together. 

He gives a nod as a subtle smirk settles on his lips, and she smiles hesitantly back at him. 

Theirs.