Work Of Art | Milijah {editing}

2

"It's nice to meet you Elijah."

"I can say the same for you." Elijah bent down to pick up his tools and paint he dropped on the floor on his way in.

The older man slipped his hand onto his waist, causing him to tense up. "Let me get that for you, I am the reason you dropped them."

He began to pick up the supplies for the young boy and handed them to him. "Thank you."

"No problem, so what are you going to paint." Michael's eyes scanned through out the room to see everything, still packed. "More like where are you going to paint..."

"The wall." Elijah replied and the older man looked at him in shock.

"Did you just say the wall?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." The young boy took a brush and grabbed paint. "It's my canvas and it's waiting patiently for me to color it and give it meaning."

Is this what all artist are like? The older man thought. "But it's white, wouldn't you like to keep it that way instead? It's a form a class."

"Well if it is, class is something," The young boy splashed paint on the wall. "I don't have."

Michael stared at the wall, as he looked at the one smear of paint on the wall. He felt bothered by it, as if OCD was about to take over. He did't understand the young boy's way of art, but he could say it was very unique.

"Don't worry." Elijah let out a small laugh. "I'll feel in the rest from time to time."

"Time to time?"

"Yes time to time." He confirmed. "You may believe, my mindset is like a child's because well... I like to draw on walls. But the wall is like one everlasting painting, never to be finished. There will always be room for more. Why limit your mind to a small canvas when there's a huge one looking straight at you?"

The older man couldn't help, but stare. The young boy wasn't wrong when he said there was a huge canvas right in front of him. But I'm not thinking about the wall...

"You're beautiful." The older man suddenly said.

"Huh?"

He noticed what he said and came back to his senses. "I meant that was beautiful! What you said, it was beautiful and inspiring. If I was an artist I would fully take your advice."

"Really?" The young boy's voice filled with excitement. "Most of the time I just say what's on the top of my head."

"I guess whatever comes out of a beautiful mind is also beautiful." Michael smiled at him. The young boy felt embarrassed, but a good kind. No one has ever complimented him like that and he was glad that there was someone out there who finally appreciated him.

"Th-Thanks." He stuttered, while looking down at his fidgeting hands.

The older man grabbed his hands, to calm him down, but only made him more anxious. "Is it true you have no friends?"

Elijah frowned and looked away from him. "Did my mom tell you that?" He rolled his eyes. "I wish she would keep her mouth closed sometimes."

The older man chuckled. "It's alright, some people just can't find the right friends to have. It's just, I'm surprised, artistic types are usually open-minded. Right?"

The young boy furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean by artistic types? You can't just catergorize people like that."

"I'm so--"

"Don't apologize." Elijah sighed and pulled his hand away from the older man's. "That's why I don't have any friends. Everyone thinks I'm some type of crazy artist hippy guy who smokes weed and talks non sense about random things. When they don't even know me."

"But, I want to get to know you. You've sprung my interest. I feel like I can learn much more from you. I won't catergorize nor stereotype you anymore."

The young boy stood in amazement. He was confused as to why the older man even wanted anything to do with him. This was his first time ever experiencing something like this. He felt a warm feeling that made him want to smile forever. He loved the feeling.

"Okay then, I'll allow you to do so." Elijah grinned.

The older man took this as his chance. He had the boy practically wrapped around his sweet words. He knew sooner or later he'd be wrapped around more than those words.

"Let me take you out, on a date." Michael suddenly offered.

"A date?" The boy's voice raised. "But, I'm a male... don't you have a problem with that?"

"When I'm attracted to someone, I look past gender. I'm not just attracted to your looks," The older man softly grabbed the boys face by his chin and smirked. "I'm attracted to your personality."

The boy's heart began to beat fast and he backed away without thinking. "But we just met...today."

Michael chuckled. "Yeah, but not like you have a choice to refuse. You have nothing to eat."

The boy pouted in defeat. He was thinking of ways to refuse because he was indescisive on if he wanted to be involved with the older man in any way at all. Him being a male as well, he knew how'd they think.

"How about you just bring me something to eat and we eat here? Deal?" The boy put out his hand.

The older man smirked and took his hand. "Deal."