Chapter Two #2
“Ria doesn’t want me. She’s made that quite clear, but I can’t stop thinking about her.
I have this canvas that I’m painting for her.
Started it when we were together, and I was going to finish it for her as a present.
But now I’m going through stages of… do I finish it and send it to her anyway, or do I scrap it and use it on a bonfire?
I don’t fucking know.” Nate’s eyes are glistening.
“I know she wanted it, but would she still?”
I purse my lips. “Can I see it?”
Nate exhales, seeming to slump down further, if that’s possible, before pulling himself into a standing position and walking over to a covered canvas.
He pulls off a piece of long, white material covering the artwork and reveals an almost finished piece.
It’s lovely, and I can see why Zaria would’ve liked it.
A grin creeps up on my lips, and I shake my head slightly in awe of what he’s achieved.
Most of his artwork is moody and somewhat depressing, but this?
This has a romantic air about it. It’s quite striking, and even with the darker tones and his flair, it would be a perfect gesture for him to send to Zaria.
Nate channels his brows. “You’re shaking your head. I should scrap it, shouldn’t I?”
I let out a chuckle. “No, just the opposite, bro. You gotta finish this, and you have to send it to her. It’s far too good to let it go to waste.
Zaria wanted it. You’ve been painting it for her.
So give it to her as a thank you for the gallery…
for Alex… for everything. Even if it amounts to nothing, you should do it as a thank you, bro.
You owe her that much for everything she’s given you. ”
He inhales sharply. “You’re right. I owe her some acknowledgment. Thanks, Matt. Sometimes, I just need a clear voice of reason.”
I tilt my head. “Someone’s gotta have the brains in the family.”
He rolls his eyes and covers the canvas. “So, what’s happening with you? I feel like I haven’t touched base with you enough lately.”
I shrug and drop into my seat, then flop back into it. “Same ol’, same ol’. Been catching up on life between work, you know? Finally finished that show everyone’s been losing their shit over.”
Nate grunts, staring into his drink. “Which one?”
“The Boys. Took me three nights. It’s fucking brutal. I’m still deciding if I’m impressed or mildly traumatized.”
That earns the faintest smirk. “Yeah… it’s messed up.”
“Yeah… but it got me thinking,” I say, leaning back. “Might write something inspired by it. Kinda twisted, kinda heroic. Feels like the right mix.”
“Everything you write’s about chaos or heartbreak,” Nate mutters.
I shrug. “Hey, heartbreak sells.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah… tell me about it.”
The silence that follows isn’t awkward—just heavy enough to feel real.
I drum my fingers on the table. “You’ll get there, man. You just need something to pull your head outta the mess. A new hobby, maybe. Or a rebound?”
He shoots me a look that tells me to back the hell down. “Not really in the mood to repeat my mistakes, bro.”
I grin, ignoring him completely. “Which means we need to find a girl worth the wreckage. You know… someone who checks all the boxes.”
Nate groans, dragging a hand down his face. “Not the damn checklist again.”
“Hey! It’s foolproof.”
“It’s delusional. You’re never gonna find a girl who ticks every box.”
Shrugging, I smirk at him. “I can dream.”
“How many are we talking here, dreamer?” he raises his brow at me insinuatingly.
I grin. “Ten. Ten perfect traits.”
Nate lets out a snort-laugh. “Ten? You’ve got an actual numbered list?”
“Yup. And until I find her, I’m not settling.”
“Christ, Matt,” Nate says, shaking his head. “You don’t need a girlfriend. You need a fucking miracle, or maybe a therapist.”
I pull in a deep breath. “Okay, one… she has to be a nice, respectable girl. Not trashy, classless, or edgy, but really stylish and sophisticated.”
Nate smirks and nods. “Oh, you’re just gonna list them?”
“So two… I’d like her to be a little shy, maybe even reserved, but definitely not crazy and in your face like Lunar and Tillie. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but I find them exhausting. High energy makes me tired.”
Nate raises his eyebrow. “So, you want someone to stand there, look pretty, and shut up?”
I scoff. “What? No. God no. Nate, you make me sound terrible.”
He chuckles. “I think you’re doing a great job of that yourself. Anyway, keep going.”
“Mmm… well, three… brunette preferably or a redhead maybe. With curves. I like a girl who’s maybe a little shorter than me…” I pause to think, “… so tall, yeah, but not taller than me.”
Nate exhales and nods. “No blondes. Okay, got it.”
“Four… she has to be able to travel. I want her to be able to come on tour with us. So her job has to be flexible to work in with mine.”
Nate’s now looking at me like I’ve officially lost my mind. But, I keep going.
“Five… must want kids but not have any of her own.”
Nate nods. “That’s a fair call.”
“Six… has solid family values and has a strong family behind her. Her family comes from a stable background. I don’t want someone who comes from nothing.”
Nate lets out a bemused laugh. “Wow.”
“What?”
“Matt, you sound like a fucking douche.”
I jolt back a little. “I just know that I’m sick of groupies and fucking… I don’t know… sluts. I just want someone who’s right. A woman who can bring something to the table and not just mooch off me for who I am. I need an equal, Nate.”
He inhales. “I get that, but the whole what she looks like thing? That’s a bit much, right?”
“Would you want Zaria if she looked like, I dunno… Tammy from the bakery down the road?”
Nate swallows hard. “That’s incredibly judgmental of you…
Tammy is great. Just because she has a giant wart on the end of her nose does not make her ugly.
Or the bald spot in the middle of her head, either.
She’s unique, her personality is amazing, and fuck are her baked goods the best in all of LA! ”
“You’re dodging the question, Nate.”
He groans and rolls his eyes. “Okay. So sure, if Ria looked like Tammy but had Ria’s personality, sure I would probably struggle a little more—”
I scoff. “A little?”
“Okay, fine, so looks are important to me, too. But you shouldn’t base your future on looks alone, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m not. I have nine other dot points to go by.”
He chuckles. “Speaking of which, I still have four more to hear, so fire away.”
“Oh, right. Seven… must have good hygiene, washing, brushing, all that stuff. No unkempt girls allowed.”
Nate chuckles and nods. “Yes, that’s actually a good point.”
“Eight… no tattoos or piercings. I want her to maintain that sweet image.”
“What do you want? Like a Betty Homemaker? A desperate housewife?”
I chuckle. “No, I just…” I sigh. “I really want a nice girl.”
He tilts his head and shrugs. “Just because a girl has tattoos and piercings doesn’t mean she isn’t nice. I mean, look at Alex out there. That woman has piercings, and I’m pretty sure she’s got tattoos too, but she’s one of the nicest people I know.”
I think back to the blonde and aqua-haired, petite grunge girl out in Nate’s gallery—the complete smasher of pretty much most of my rules—and smirk.
She’s a quirky little thing. Cute as hell, and I’m sure she’s super nice, but not the image I want hanging from my arm.
She’s too similar to me. I have that rocker look down pat—tattoos, piercings, everything rock star—so I want my girl to reflect the innocent side of me.
“Yeah, Alex seems nice, but how does the world perceive her? When they look at her, they don’t think of her as a nice girl, do they?” I question.
Nate gnaws on his bottom lip with a slight nod. “Yeah, probably not. I gotta admit, the first time I saw her, I was like… okay, who’s this grunge chick.”
“See, she doesn’t exactly ooze… ‘I’m a nice girl, and I’m perfect for you,’ does she?”
Nate exhales. “But I guess the saying ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ is true. She’s been through a hell of a lot to get to where she is. The hair and the piercings are all defense mechanisms for Alex. She’s a fucking tough girl. She has to be with what she’s been through.”
Nodding, I sink a little further into my chair.
I’ve judged Alex without knowing her story.
I thought she was a tough chick with maybe an attitude problem.
I didn’t realize her ‘look’ was because of her demons.
She’s far more intriguing than I first thought.
I want to know more about Alex. Where she came from.
What she went through to get to where she is.
“So, what’s number nine?” Nate asks.
I smile. “A sense of humor.”
Nate nods. “That’s a good one. Okay, so number ten must be good. Hit me with it.”
I look him in the eyes. “Has to get along great with my twin.”
Nate’s smile falters, and his face becomes super serious. I wonder if he’s annoyed or genuinely shocked when he exhales and slaps my shoulder. “Thanks, man… that sure means a lot.”
“Any girl that’s with me has to be okay with you.”
He grins and stands, then moves over to the small bar fridge under the sink and pulls out a couple of Buds, handing me one. “Well, it’s going to be fucking hard finding a girl to check all those boxes. But if anyone can find her, Matt, you can,” he affirms, clinking his bottle to mine.
With a small chuckle, I nod. I know my list is not only long, but some of the things on there are somewhat odd.
And the chances of finding someone who has every single quality is almost next to impossible.
But somehow, someway, I know there’s a woman out there close enough to this checklist for me. I just have to look hard to find her.
Suddenly, the door swings open, and Alex flies in, smiling so beamingly full at Nate I know instantly she has something to share. “Okay, you want the good news or the bad news?”
Nate tenses instantly and sits taller in his chair. “Um… in that order, I suppose.”
“Okay, the good news is we sold your first painting.”
Nate looks at me, eyes wide in excitement as he lets out a thrilled cheer, and I high-five him. “Yes! Good going, bro. I knew you could do it!”
“Wait. What’s the bad news?” Nate asks, suddenly frowning.
Alex grins wider, bending down slightly for emphasis, and opens her eyes wide like she’s about to tell a huge secret.
“We sold all the paintings in the gallery, Nate.” She lets out a small squeal at the end as she jumps in the air.
Nate almost falls off his seat, reaching out to the wall to steady himself.
“Fuck… what? Sorry, what?”
“The collection sold out,” Alex replies.
“That’s good, right?” I ask, a little confused as to why that would be bad news.
Alex laughs. “It’s great. Amazing even. But now, he needs to paint a whole new collection.”
Now it makes sense as to why it’s bad—more work for Nate.
“Who bought them all?” Nate asks, and I instantly think Zaria must have had a hand in this.
“A heap of people. They’ve been streaming non-stop,” Alex replies.
Maybe not Zaria then?
“Fuck! What if I can’t keep up? I only have a couple of dozen finished paintings back here.”
In an attempt to calm his nerves, I decide to butt in.
“Well, the band doesn’t have anything happening at the moment.
So be here, paint, put your love of art and the misery of missing Ria onto the canvas, and get your business up and running.
Alex is obviously too good at her job,so you need to get ahead before we need to take off again.
Be here… paint, Nate. I’ll keep tabs on the Recoil side of things while you get lost in acrylic or whatever you paint with,” I tell him, not wanting Nate to get overwhelmed with all of this.
He can get bogged down so easily and not relish in the good.
He nods. “Thanks, Matt, this means a lot.”
“I know it does. That’s why I’m supporting you. I will always support you, Nate.”
“We need to celebrate,” Alex announces.
“Yes! We do,” I reply.
Nate groans and slumps further into his chair. “No, I have to get to work.”
Alex scoffs. “Work schmerk, you can start tomorrow, boss. Tonight, we gotta celebrate. You, your hunk of a brother, and me. The three amigos, the three musketeers, the dueling banjos plus… another… banjo. Fuck, I don’t know.
Don’t make me keep making up stupid puns.
Just fucking get your mopey ass out of that chair and walk down the street to Finlay’s. ”
“Finlay’s?” I ask.
“The Irish pub down at the end of the street,” Alex clarifies.
“Yes! I’m so down for that. Alex, you might just be an angel,” I state.
She laughs. “I’ve been called far worse. I’ve been called far better, too. So you have a ways to go there, sexy twin,” she sings, and I chuckle.
“Better? Than an angel?” I ask.
“It was something like, God… oh God… yes, yes, God… you get my drift?” she states, raising her brows with a smirk and then a wink.
Nate rolls his eyes as I clear my throat while images of Alex in all sorts of sexual positions suddenly spring to mind.
I clench my eyes tight, quickly trying to rid the thoughts, and she giggles, slapping my arm.
A jolt shoots through my flesh where she hits me, then she turns and heads toward the door.
Shaking my head as I watch her leave, Nate looks at me and furrows his brows.
“What the fuck is going on in that head of yours right now, bro?”
I exhale. “I have no fucking clue.”