Page 24 of Rivals

He shrugs. “So what if I am?” I can’t help myself, and a little giggle bubbles from my lips.

I lean toward him and say, “I think I like that.” His eyes go a little darker, hinting at what we could possibly have, and I’m into it. Ryan is a you-get-what-you-see kind of guy. He’s kind, not a bad artist, smart, and charming. He is what many would call the full package. My mind goes to the kiss I shared with Lachlan. Ryan isn’t Lachlan, and I think that’s a good thing, but hesitation sits in my gut. I don’t get close to people, so Ryan and I may have some fun, but that’s where it will end. That may make me a bad person, but be that as it may, it’s for his own protection.

“Are you from New York?” I ask him.

“I am not. I’m actually from Wyoming.” He takes another drink.

“Long way from home.”

He shrugs. “I wasn’t meant to stay there. My other option was being a cowboy, and maybe I still am at heart. But I’ll always be an artist first. Luckily, my family doesn’t own a ranch. Otherwise, it would have never been a decision for me.”

I frown, not sure I understand. “When you come from a ranching legacy, your future is ranching. You always need hands to make it all work, is basically what that means.”

I nod and take a watered-down sip of my gin. Legacy. That word means so much to some and so little to others. I don’t come from a legacy, but I think I would like to leave one. Not to be remembered but to show that art does matter in this world. It can give people a reason to keep living.

Beauty comes in various forms, and art is one of them. People consider art frivolous in many ways, but have they ever considered what the world would be like without art? I don’t like thinking about it myself.

“What made you say yes to me?” Ryan asks. My first answer is because Lachlan was right there, and I said yes to spite him. I don’t want to hurt Ryan’s feelings, so I don’t say that and go with, “Because I wanted to.”

“Simple,” he says.

“Sometimes it really is.” His hand slides behind my chair, and as the live band starts their set. They improv for a little bit, then transition into a slower song.

Ryan stands and holds out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

My gin is long gone, but my buzz has me feeling normal for once. “I would love to.” He takes my hand and spins me before drawing us close together to rest his hand on my back. The jazz music plays, and we sway slowly. Ryan is a little taller than me, even with my heels, so I have to look up at him. He looks down at me with stars in his eyes, and I’m afraid I will snuff them out.

Chapter 21

Lachlan

IknowIshouldn’tgo, but Revna and I don’t have time to waste. I let her go for a week, hoping she would come to me, but she hasn’t, and I know I will have to make the effort. We have a lot of work to do and about three weeks to make three pieces. A project of this size would take any normal person six months, but that all depends on the details. I think if we start now, we’ll be ok because there are two of us. I hoped that after working together, I would feel a little bit of inspiration for what we could do and start it myself, but I feel like a caged animal instead. I know I need Revna. She has the key. We can bounce ideas off each other to find a concept, theme, or anything to get us there. When the judges announced we made it, she looked at me heavily and then walked away. I couldn’t tell if she was surprised, scared, or angry. Maybe it was all of it. I had half a mind to call her, though something tells me she wouldn’t have picked up.

She’s on her date right now. I pace my apartment, wondering why I’m doing this. She should be withmeright now. I canceled a tattoo session to go on this date rather to crash this date.

She has no business being out right now anyway, right? She should be working on finals like I am or working together on our own pieces. There is too much on the line for us to be laid back about it.

Screw this. I grab my keys and leave my loft. I’ll go get her myself.

***

I go down the stairs of the dark speakeasy and look for Revna. She’s dancing with Ryan as he slowly turns them. I duck to the side to avoid them and head for the bar. I have no business spending the cash on this drink, but this could take a while.

This is as far as I’ve gotten. I stupidly didn’t have a plan once I got here. The need to separate Revna and Ryan was stronger than anything else. I get my beer and go tuck myself into a dark corner, so I’m not spotted right away, achieving stalker status all at the same time.

The song changes, and they’ve gotten closer than they were before. Revna looks like she’s having a good time, and I hate that. I don’twanther to have a good time. I want her to be stewing like I’ve been over the lock-in. Every look, touch and that kiss has played in my mind on a loop. I want it to stop, but it also tells me something is there. Revna may not like it, but she had to feel it like I did. So, really, she’s just wasting her time with Ryan.

Wait. Why would I want a relationship with Revna? We are partners, that’s it. Yeah, that’s what I meant. She will leave Ryan in the dust the moment we make it to the MoMA.

Ryan says something in Revna’s ear, and she nods and smiles. Then I watch in rapt attention as a gnawing feeling crawls over my skin, and my teeth grit, trying to beat it down. Revna iskissingRyan.

Unable to take it anymore, I launch from my seat and take fast steps to the couple on the dance floor. I get a few odd looks, but I ignore them and tap Ryan’s shoulder despite the desire to punch him in the face instead.

Ryan turns to look at me, but my eyes are only on Revna. Her glare could kill a normal man, but I am not a normal man. “What the hell are you doing here, Lachlan?” Revna spits before Ryan has a chance to say something.

“Can I cut in?” I ask in mock politeness.

“No,” Revna snaps.