Chapter 9 Oil and Canvas #2
Tyler grinned.
"He wants your number."
Several people immediately became invested.
Apparently this was entertainment now.
Elliot sighed.
"I don't know."
"Why not?"
The answer should have been simple.
Jake seemed nice.
Attractive.
Age-appropriate.
Available.
Objectively, there was no reason not to say yes.
Yet something inside him resisted.
The hesitation confused him.
Because before moving to Willow Ridge, he probably would've accepted immediately.
Now...
Now things felt different.
Dangerously different.
Mia studied him.
Then her expression softened.
"One date won't kill you."
The logic sounded reasonable.
Maybe too reasonable.
Elliot looked down at his sketchbook.
Maybe she was right.
Lately, he'd spent entirely too much time thinking about someone unavailable.
Someone complicated.
Someone who repeatedly warned him away.
Maybe a normal date was exactly what he needed.
Perspective.
Reality.
A reminder that other people existed.
The decision formed slowly.
Then finally—
"Okay."
The table erupted.
As though he'd agreed to something far more dramatic.
Elliot immediately questioned his life choices.
Three days later, those doubts multiplied.
The date itself started well enough.
Jake picked a restaurant near campus.
Nothing fancy.
Just casual.
Comfortable.
The young man arrived on time and greeted him warmly.
Objectively speaking, Jake was attractive.
Tall.
Athletic.
Easy smile.
Good conversation skills.
The entire package.
By all reasonable standards, this should have worked.
Instead, something felt off almost immediately.
Not bad.
Just... wrong.
The conversation remained pleasant.
Classes.
Career plans.
Family.
Movies.
Normal first-date topics.
Jake talked easily.
Confidently.
Elliot listened.
Responded.
Participated.
Yet a strange disconnect persisted.
The chemistry simply wasn't there.
At least not for him.
Several times he caught himself comparing.
The realization horrified him.
Because comparisons were unfair.
Jake deserved better than that.
Yet his brain refused to cooperate.
Jake's laugh wasn't as warm.
His smile didn't make Elliot's stomach flip.
His stories didn't hold the same attention.
The problem wasn't Jake.
The problem was that someone else already occupied the space where attraction should have been growing.
Someone older.
Someone stubborn.
Someone covered in tattoos.
Someone who smelled faintly of motor oil and coffee.
Someone named Damon.
The realization settled heavily.
Unavoidable now.
Halfway through dinner, Jake smiled.
"You seem distracted."
Elliot winced.
Busted.
"A little."
The honesty surprised both of them.
Jake studied him for a second.
Then unexpectedly laughed.
"There's someone else."
The statement wasn't angry.
Just observant.
Elliot opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Apparently his face answered for him.
Jake nodded knowingly.
"Thought so."
"I'm sorry."
The apology came immediately.
Sincere.
Because he genuinely felt bad.
The other man shrugged.
"Don't."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Jake smiled.
A genuinely kind smile.
"I'd rather know now."
Relief flooded through Elliot.
The conversation became easier after that.
Oddly enough.
Honesty removed the pressure.
The expectations.
The awkward pretending.
By the end of dinner, they had settled comfortably into friendship territory.
A much better fit.
When they finally left the restaurant, Jake offered one last piece of advice.
"Whoever he is..."
Elliot blinked.
"What?"
The other man laughed.
"The person you're thinking about."
Heat immediately flooded his face.
Jake continued anyway.
"Maybe stop pretending."
Then he walked away.
Leaving Elliot standing alone beneath the evening sky.
The words followed him.
Maybe stop pretending.
The problem was that Elliot didn't know how.
How exactly was he supposed to stop pretending?
The truth felt impossible.
Embarrassing.
Dangerous.
Yet walking through town afterward, he found himself examining everything more honestly than before.
The date had answered a question he'd been avoiding.
A big one.
The attraction wasn't temporary.
Wasn't a crush.
Wasn't curiosity.
It had become something real.
Somewhere between late-night porch conversations and shared coffees...
Between rainstorms and youth center stories...
Between laughter and quiet understanding...
He had fallen for Damon Blackwell.
The realization arrived with startling clarity.
Not gradually.
Not reluctantly.
Completely.
Elliot stopped walking.
The sidewalk stretched empty before him.
Streetlights glowed softly overhead.
His heart pounded.
Because now that he'd admitted it, everything suddenly made sense.
Why other men felt uninteresting.
Why every good moment made him want to find Damon afterward.
Why seeing the older man could instantly improve entire days.
Why he kept painting him.
Drawing him.
Thinking about him.
The answer had been obvious all along.
Love.
Maybe not fully.
Maybe not yet.
But something close enough to scare him.
The thought should have sent him running.
Instead, it brought an unexpected sense of peace.
Because at least now he understood.
At least now he wasn't lying to himself.
The problem, of course, was that understanding changed nothing.
Damon still kept his distance.
Still carried enough emotional baggage to fill an entire truck.
Still insisted Elliot deserved better.
The older man would probably panic if he knew the truth.
The thought made Elliot smile sadly.
Because Damon genuinely believed he was protecting him.
Even while becoming the person Elliot wanted most.
By the time he reached home, the evening had grown cool.
The neighborhood sat quiet.
Most lights were off.
Most people asleep.
Instinctively, Elliot glanced toward Damon's house.
A porch light glowed softly in the darkness.
Nothing more.
Yet the sight immediately warmed something inside his chest.
Ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
And utterly hopeless.
Standing there beneath the Texas stars, Elliot finally allowed himself one simple truth.
The disappointing date hadn't shown him what he wanted.
It had shown him who he wanted.
And unfortunately for his peace of mind, that person had dark hair, rough hands, a complicated past, and a habit of looking at him like he was both temptation and trouble.
Damon Blackwell.
No matter how hard Elliot tried to ignore it, his heart had already made its choice.
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