Chapter 15 Madi #2
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I winced. “Just based on how everyone talks about him, he sounds like he was special. And he was extremely talented. That painting is amazing.”
“We all miss him. I think Austin struggles the most, but Dallas and I also have our days. He was amazing. But we're not talking about that.”
“Right,” I chuckled as she took me through a doorway to a large room. "We’re talking about your hot boyfriends.”
“We sure are. Oh god, also, I'm sorry about when you called last week.”
I shook my head. “If I were also getting railed by two hot people who loved me, I'd be like that too.”
Avery’s laugh made my smile bigger. An unexpected feeling crept in like a cloud, dark and stormy. This feeling that I’d been missing friends in my life. Real friends.
When Justin and I got together, I’d assimilated right into his friend group. I used to have my own friends, but he didn’t like them, and eventually I stopped talking to them. His friends became my friends. Except they were never really my friends.
Talking to Avery was like this double-edged sword of happiness and sadness slicing through my heart.
Avery glanced up at me. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Technically, yes.”
“Ooh. Technically is rough.”
I winced. “It’s complicated. I have two younger sisters, and I do keep in touch with them. But they were raised in a different way than me. My parents had learned not what to do with me. I don't speak to anyone else in my family.” I swallowed hard. “Sometimes I think I'm a little cursed.”
“Not cursed.” She tsked. “But sometimes it takes a while to find the right people in your life.
Chosen family is more important in a lot of ways.
I know that's easy for me to say since I'm close with my brothers, but my best friends mean everything in the world to me.
I don't know what I would do without them.”
“I wish I had that. LA hasn't been the easiest for me. It didn't help that I wasted eight years with Justin . . . Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm just standing here complaining.”
Avery shook her head. “We're getting to know each other. That’s what friends do. It's not complaining if you're just telling me about your life. I have one of those types of exes too. I didn't think I'd ever find love again. But then Mateo and Levi crashed into my life, and here I am.”
“It was just so much of my life,” I said.
“Eight years. And the last two years, I should have broken up with him. I should have long before that, but . . . He helped with rent. It’s not cheap in LA.
And even though I'm pretty sure this wasn't his first time cheating, it was the first time it was so damn blatant.”
Avery scowled. “He cheated on you?”
“Yeah. They’re already engaged, too.”
“What a motherfucker.”
Her immediate hatred for Justin burst the bubble in my chest. I couldn't help but cackle. “Yeah. He never liked how much taller than him I was.”
“So not only is he an asshole, he is a small, insecure man.”
“Yep. He is . . .” I trailed off, then repeated it a lot more confidently this time. “He is a small man. But, I did throw eggs at his house on my way out. And I spent way too much money on lingerie as a big fuck you to him.”
Avery cackled, her grip on me tightening.
“Oh god. That’s amazing. I wish I would have egged my ex's place . . .” She trailed off.
“You deserve a lot better. Good riddance.
Eight years is a long time, but you have good things coming your way.
It'll make all of that look like nothing, I promise.
The scars will still be there but you'll meet someone who will kiss every single one of them. Or two someones.”
She had a lens straight into my heart. “Maybe.”
I finally pulled my attention from our conversation and looked around the room. There were tables and chairs for classes, and the walls were covered in more students’ works.
I hadn’t thought about it, but Avery really did have a lot of students. Not only that, the different art styles she was teaching them were amazing. All different mediums, all different sorts of talent. Some were arguably terrible, and it made me love them all the more.
You didn’t need to be good at art to make art. Sometimes it was just about creating something with your hands.
I’d missed that.
“You really have done something amazing here,” I said. “Truly.”
“Thank you. You should come to a class. It's fun. There's a lot of older people and they're all insane but funny. As long as Ms. Carlson doesn't sink her claws into you, you’ll be safe.”
I snorted. I wasn't sure who Ms. Carlson was, but I would have assumed she was a monster if I didn't know better. “When do you have them?”
“Come to the one on Friday,” Avery said. “It’s one of my favorites. Oh, let me show you the other space I was talking about since it’s yours to use. I can even get you a key if you want. Are you a late-night artist?”
“Sometimes,” I said. “I certainly have been this week. I was up until midnight last night, but I've been known to work until early morning. It's just like that occasionally.”
She nodded in understanding. “Yep. I'm like that too. I have my own little space, but it's private. Sometimes I'll just work there until Levi or Mateo come looking for me. Then they lure me out with food and sex.”
Our laughs echoed as I followed her down the hall. We passed the locked door she'd mentioned earlier, and stopped in front of an open one.
It gave way to a much smaller room, but one with plenty of natural light. There was a desk and a plush chair, along with a sofa that looked ridiculously comfortable. Plants grew in the corners, keeping everything alive and warm.
“This is perfect. You're keeping this space for artists who visit?”
Avery nodded. “Yes. Hopefully we'll have more after you. It's only annually for now, so I'm a little sad it'll be empty the rest of the year. But I'm excited. It'll be good for Whynot.”
It would be good to work here, I realized. As much as I loved the loft space at the hotel, there was something about this room that made my artist heart leap.
“You can't get rid of me now,” I sighed. “Hating on my ex with me and giving me a cool studio space? I’m never leaving.”
Avery beamed. “I think you'll quickly learn there's nothing I love more than hating on an ex.”
At the edge of my thoughts, I felt the creativity whispering, promising something new. Something I'd always dreamed of.
I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m really glad I came here. I think I needed this.”
“I’m glad you did too,” Avery said. “Do you want to go grab a bite to eat? I have to be back over here after lunch, but I have time before then.”
“Can you just leave in the middle of the day?” I asked
“Oh yeah. I just flip the sign at the front. People know we work when we want most of the time, believe me.”
“What about that couple?”
“They take the longest meals known to man. They know I’ll be back before closing. Plus, they have my number.”
The idea of being able to just flip a sign and be able to do whatever I wanted nearly made me giggle. “Maybe we could go visit June too . . .” I trailed off then blushed.
Oh god.
Those words had tumbled out before I’d taken a moment to think how it might sound.
Avery raised a brow and studied me a little closer, her cheeks turning pink. “My brother and my best friend?”
My mouth dropped. “I didn't mean . . . I mean, I—”
“It's okay. This must be what Austin and Dallas felt like. Except I'm not an idiot. I heard about the kiss.”
I grimaced. God, I was going to die of embarrassment. Why did I always put my foot in my mouth?
Avery held up her hands. “The only thing I have to say is that I don't care what you do to Dallas, but June is the love of my life. She deserves to be cherished after everything she’s been through. But also, she's an adult so if y’all have a fling, that's your business.”
Then, she got a devious look on her face.
“But who knows, Madi. Maybe you'll stay.”