masquerade ≠ ethan dolan

three

Most guys didn't like to talk about the fact that this was something they paid for, or that it could be 100% curated. Ethan, however, saw no reason to avoid that topic. It felt more awkward not to acknowledge it.

"Yeah," Clover shrugs. "You're cute when you blush." Her comment makes his cheeks heat up more.

Usually, he didn't get nervous so easily. But he chalked it up to the unusual situation this was.

Ethan cleared his throat as the car pulled to a stop, already parked. Her eyes lit up as she realized he'd brought her to an art museum.

"I love art museums," Clover mumbled, looking back to him. No one ever wanted to go to them with her, and most clients certainly don't take her to them either.

She grabbed his hand the second they were both out of his Jeep, dragging him toward the doors almost so fast he has to jog to keep up. "Hey-shit, you never told me your name-slow down!"

"...Alison," she nods. That was her middle name, though she hated being called it, it made it easy for clients. "You can call me Alison. And sorry, I'm excited!"

He knew it wasn't her real name, but was happy to finally be able to put one to her face. Thinking about her without even knowing what to call her felt weird.

Seeing how excited she was to be at the art museum made him smile again. It was as if he hadn't stopped smiling since he picked her up.

He figured it would be a calm place to actually talk, to get to know her more. Plus, he'd been a few times and really liked the exhibits. Ethan always wanted to go on a date here-he thought this counted.

The two walked around, chatting, still holding hands. Most of the other people were middle aged and didn't spare them a glance.

"Alison! Take a picture of me with these statue guys?" Ethan pleaded, trying to copy their pose. "They're pretty cool,"

"You look like a dork," she snorts.

Clover gets a few good ones of him posing, and some of him laughing afterward. He deletes a few but keeps most, intending to post them later.

His brother is definitely gonna ask about who took them, but fans won't question it at all.

Ethan also takes a few of her messing around with the statues-some of them are her making obscene gestures to make him laugh-and they begin to attract a bit of attention with their loudness. Neither really cares though, they're too busy having fun.

"I probably look like a douchebag wearing sunglasses inside," he mumbles, ignoring the glares from the elderly.

"Let's fix that," she says, mischief in her eyes. He watches as she takes his sunglasses off and slips them onto a marble statue. They definitely weren't supposed to be touching those. "...we should leave before we get caught."

Ethan shakes his head as they rush away, ducking out a side door and being overcome with hilarity.

The two find themselves in the garden, which is empty due to the slightly chilly weather. They do not mess with the statues this time around. Instead, they sit on a bench to talk.

"We so would've gotten kicked out if we didn't leave on our own," Clover sighs contently, playing with his fingers.

"It would've been worth it."

She leans up against his shoulder, swinging her legs over the side of the bench to lie down partially. Ethan just watches her, forgetting everything he wanted to say.

"Tired?" He asks instead, seeing her nod.

"Yeah, I didn't get to bed until a little before six last night," she hums.