Page 145 of King of Pain

But Sunday night, I still sent my usual:Good night, Beautiful.

And this morning?Good morning, Beautiful.

This morning, he texted back one word:Morning.

Pretty sure I split the corners of my mouth smiling at that.

I haven’t asked him about his date. I don’t want to know. I really don’t.

And I don’t want him to think I was snooping either. It was an accident. One glance at his phone when it lit up on the counter. He really should change his settings so that full messages aren’t visible on a locked screen notification.

But now that I know? It’s all I can think about.

I don’t have a right to question him. Not yet. But it’s going to drive me mad.

Whoever Jason is, he’s not a factor.

Ant and I are meant to be. And no one’s going to stand in my way.

“What do you think?” Liz asks, snapping me out of my spiral.

“Hm?”

She smiles, amused but patient. “Should we reconstruct the graffiti wall at the back of the gallery or on one of the sides?”

I glance around the space, grateful for the distraction. “Definitely the back wall. It’ll be the first thing people see when they walk in. Maximum impact.”

Liz hums her approval and nods. “I couldn’t agree more. You’ve got good instincts, Chance.”

I smile faintly, trying to refocus.

I want this internship to go well. I need to be present; to show Liz she made the right choice taking me on.

But first?

I need to get things with Ant moving in the right direction. Because until I do, no amount of graffiti or gallery talk is going to silence the storm inside me.

Not when someone else is laying eyes on him this week.

Not when that someone isn’t me.

Liz glances down at her phone and says, “I have some calls to make. My staff will get you acquainted with everything.”

I nod. “Thank you again for the opportunity, Liz.”

She smiles warmly. “It's my pleasure. I'm excited for you to work your first exhibit.”

“Me too,” I say. “I'll do whatever you need to help get ready.”

She hums in approval, then looks up again. “Oh, and Chance?”

I glance her way.

“We need to set a time for me to come by your place this week and view your pieces. I'm not going to let it go, so you might as well show me sooner than later.”

She turns and heads for her office before I can respond.

I sigh, watching her disappear behind her door. I can’t even muster the energy to be nervous about showing her my paintings of Ant. Everything is Ant anyway. It has been since the day I met him.