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“What’s going on?” A voice startles us. Turning around, I notice Noel, who closes the door behind him and steps into my loft. He has a second key, so it’s nothing unusual to see him around. “Mateo is here at such an early hour?”

“Yes, I came with good news.”

“Shades of Bluegot sold,” I add.

Noel has a gentle face with beautiful features, soft brown hair, and freckles on his nose. Everything about him looks pretty, and yet slightly melancholic, which is why I love drawing him.

“Oh,” he smiles. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“It’s fantastic,” Mateo says. “Aden Randall bought it.”

“That’s the guy you talked about last week, right? The gallerist?” When Mateo nods, Noel turns to me. “Congratulations, Ster, you deserve it.”

“What about you? Did you work all night?”

“Yes,” Noel says, sitting down on the free chair. “I worked two shifts at the club.”

Neither Mateo nor I says anything. We don’t like him working there. It’s a sleazy, sticky nightclub with all the gross dudes you’d expect to visit such a cheap establishment. But his father left him quite some debt. If Mateo and I could earn more, we would pay it off in a heartbeat, but at the moment, we can only offer moral support.

Well, maybe I will make it as an artist after all.

Mateo’s phone signals an incoming message. “Work?” Noel asks.

“No, just my current flirt,” Mateo mutters.

Noel’s head perks up. “The cute girl you were dating. So, how’s it going?”

Mateo’s expression says it all.

“Oh,” Noel says. “I am sorry, Mateo.”

“Well, at the end of the day she just wanted to fuck, occasionally, and I wanted something stable. Not that the sex wasn’t good.”

I sigh. “This reminds me that I haven’t gotten laid in forever.”

“Me neither,” Noel agrees.

“Seeing how I am free today because I just got ditched, I will cook us lunch,” Mateo says. He points at me. “You, Sterlone, go back to work so you will become famous, and Aden Randall will stay interested. And you,”—he elbows Noel—“go and sleep.”

“Be glad that I work well under pressure,” I mutter.

“That’s always been your strong point,” Mateo says, making a shooing gesture towards me. “Do as I tell you. Lunch will be ready in two hours, by yours truly, Mateo.”

Noel and I exchange a look. Both of us know better than to argue with Mateo. He is the nicest guy I’ve ever met, but he is also persistent. Once he puts his foot down, it firmly remains there until we oblige.

three

*ADEN*

Shades of Bluenow has its proud place in my living room, giving me the chance to look at it every day. There is something about the intricate lines of his brush, the shading, and the emotions it captured. Sometimes, I just look at the picture, wondering what the man sitting on the edge of the bathtub is thinking or feeling. I wonder what his face looks like, and if his expression is as melancholic as the painting makes it seem.

During the last couple of weeks, I have bought every painting Sterling made. All of them have the same fascinating technique. None of them captures my heart like his first painting did, but that doesn’t matter.

I am intrigued now. The artist has caught my interest.

With all due respect to his talent, though, I doubt he will be able to repeat the feeling the first painting struck in me. Paintings with a soul are too rare.

Then, however, Lynn calls me and tells me of Sterling’s fourth painting.