make you stay (g.d.)

thirty-five

elizabeth:

keeping my promise, i show up at the studio through the back door at 5 am sharp. i took the day off from the cafe, and roy seemed to be in good mood, so he gave me until monday off. sometimes he can be nice.

i smile at the still goopy paint from the previous day, and internally thank max for his genius ways. i stare at the canvas and begin to work immediately.

while i wait for different sections of the canvas to dry, i debate texting grayson. but i always decide against it, because i want him to see the piece, and immediately be okay again. i want him to be proud of me.

max joins me a little after 11 am and compliments my tedious work. "i've never seen so many styles mixed together in one painting before."

i laugh. "shut up, it's not that contradicting."

"you got some abstract, some realism, and texture. that's grand. i love it."

i sigh, blowing a strand of hair out of my face. "i just have to crank out these last hours. i haven't even began on the background."

"is that where you're adding the most texture?" he asks.

i nod. "yes, and it's going to take forever to dry."

"elizabeth?"

"yeah?"

"i remember the story of how you met grayson, and i have an idea to add in the background."

i widen my eyes. "okay, what is it?"

he whispers it to me with a smile, and i grin back.
"that's perfect," i say. "just what this piece is missing."

he leaves me alone to work on the piece, and i smile at the realism i just finished. so much detail goes into it, and it took me the whole morning.

i work for another hour or so, then get artist block and take my lunch break with max. we eat turkey sandwiches, and in the middle of it, i get a text.

unknown: hey. it's ethan. grayson is pretty upset, and i just wanted to know what's going on. he won't tell me much.

i reply back immediately:

me: ethan! it's so good to hear from you. he's upset, but don't tell him what i'm about to tell you.

ethan: ...?

me: i made him something, and i've been working on it for hours. i promise that's all i've been doing, and i'm waiting to call him until i'm finished, so it can be a big surprise.

ethan: that's great, but i don't know how to convince him of that. he thinks you're going behind his back and stuff.

me: i would never.

ethan: good luck telling him that.

"something wrong?" max asks with his eyebrows furrowed.

"more boyfriend stuff," i shrug, taking a bit of a pickle. "but i love him, and this is going to make it all okay."

it weirds me out he easily the word love can roll off my tongue nowadays.

i stand up and throw my paper plate away. rubbing my hands together, i make a mental timeline of my next steps.

"i'm just going to push through until the morning. i'll definitely have it done by around 2 or 3."

max grins. "easy there, artists have to sleep too."

"never!" i sing as i slip happily back to the backroom.

everything is right as i left it, and i immediately get to work.