Status: complete :)
Set on False Pretense
15
I smiled as I walked down the street. I looked into the music store window and felt pride burst within me as I saw my newest album, released today, in the window. I looked at the cover and smiled. Chad had designed it. 10 red horizontal lines ran across the middle, a male figure was above the lines looking into the distance and beneath the lines, upside down, was a female figure, looking back. Along the top of the CD case was my name and along the bottom was the album title, 'For You, With Love'. Only Chad knew that it was him I had in mind when I came up with that title.
I continued down the road to one of London's many art galleries. I was dressed in black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a black tie. I walked through the doors and was then surrounded by paintings. Chad was sharing this exhibition with another artist, Chelsey. She was a photographer, and so her contributions were very distinct from Chad's. I walked in and saw Chad to one side, talking to several people. He didn't notice me at first and so I looked around at his paintings. I had seen them all before, of course, but that didn't make them any less brilliant. I went to my favourite. It wasn't what Chad would consider his best, but I loved it. It was a sketch of me from when we were back at school. I remember him doing it when he had first discovered my bruises. I smiled slightly and then I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and lips press onto my neck. "Hey, baby," Chad whispered and I entwined my fingers with his.
"Hey," I said softly. I turned around, he kept his arms round my waist, and looked at him. "I'm so proud of you, Chad." He grinned down at me and kissed me softly.
"Thank you," he smiled and I smiled back. "Guess what?"
"What?" I whispered as he leant his forehead against mine.
"I've sold one of my paintings," he whispered and I pulled back and grinned at him.
"Really? Which one?" I asked and he smiled.
"The funky sunset," he laughed and I joined in. He had painted that while in university as a joke but everyone had loved it.
"Congratulations," I smiled and kissed him again. "Now, you've got to go talk to your guests. You can talk to me when you've finished." He grinned, nodded, kissed my cheek and then walked off and was instantly caught by someone.
I couldn’t believe our luck. I was selling hundreds of CDs and Chad had become a successful painter. I walked around the exhibition slowly, taking in all of Chad's paintings. I loved each and every one, and wished he didn't have to sell them, that we could keep them at our place. I sighed and turned and saw Mr and Mrs Tyler walk through the door. They both saw me and smiled and made their way over to me. Toby, Chad's dad, shook my hand. I was surprised how unlike my dad – who I hadn’t seen since I turned 18 – he was. Initially he had been awkward around me but when he saw how happy I made Chad, he accepted me. He knew that Chad wasn't meant to be a footballer. He was an artist. Sandra hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "Hey, cutie," Sandra said and I grinned. She rarely called me by name. To her I'm always going to be Cutie.
"Hey," I smiled and looked back at the paintings. "He's already sold one and it's only been going an hour," I told them and they both grinned, proud parents.
"Where is he?" Sandra asked and I turned to where he had been a minute ago, but he had gone.
"I don’t know," I shrugged. "Many people keep talking to him and I lose track." She nodded and smiled.
"Well, we're going to look around for a while, we'll catch up with you later," Toby said and I nodded and smiled. Once they had gone I went slowly over to the bar and ordered a drink. I decided against alcohol because I wanted to be aware for Chad's first show.
I looked around the room at all the happy people and located Chad again talking to someone different. He was beaming and nodding. He then looked at me and motioned me over. I smiled slightly and went over to him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me to him tightly. "This is him," Chad said and I looked at the 2 men and woman in front of me and smiled, unsure of what was going on. They were all grinning at me.
"Nice to meet you," one man smiled and shook my hand. "I'm Gary, this is Tom, my boyfriend, and this is Tasha, his sister."
"Hey," Tom smiled and Tasha smiled warmly. I smiled back at them.
"Well, we'll see you both again later, I'm sure," Gary said and the three walked off. I turned to Chad, a smile on my face.
"What was that about?" I asked him and he smiled down at me.
"They wanted to meet my muse," he smiled and I smiled at him tenderly. I kissed him softly and then we walked around together for a while.
Once the exhibit was over, Gary, Tom and Tasha invited us out for drinks. I was happy to go along, but before I could say anything, Chad declined. "It's our anniversary, sorry, another time?" I smiled up at him and Tasha cooed.
"Aw, of course, no problem," she smiled. "How long have you been together?"
"Three years," Chad smiled and squeezed my hand.
"You had your exhibition on your anniversary?" Tom asked and glanced at me as well. "Don't you want to spend the day together?"
"We have, practically," I said, feeling like I had to defend Chad.
"And this show is dedicated to him anyway," Chad said and I felt my heart melt. That is how Chad and I had planned this day. His first art exhibition and the release date of my second album made this day as memorable and important as possible. The three of them smiled and nodded and then left. I turned and smiled at Chad and kissed him tenderly.
"You're so cute," I smiled and he grinned. "Did you see your parents, by the way?"
"Yeah, they left about an hour ago," he smiled and I nodded.
We walked home slowly, our hands linked tightly. I smiled as I thought over the last 3 years. I couldn’t believe how amazing the last 3 years have been. I've never been happier than the time I've spent with Chad. We got back to our apartment and slowly walked in. Chad went into the kitchen and I went and sat on the sofa and sighed. Chad walked in with two champagne flutes and passed one to me, smiling softly. He put his down on the table so I did the same. He then passed me a small, flat box and I frowned at him. "I thought we agreed no presents," I said and he just smiled and shrugged. "I've got one for you, but it's a song," I told him as I took the box from his hands. He kissed me softly.
"That's the best kind of present," he whispered and I smiled. He looked down at the box in my hands. "Open it, then," he smiled and I smiled back and took the silver wrapping paper off. Inside, I was presented with...my CD.
"You got me my CD?" I asked him, confused. "You know I could have gotten you this for free..." He just smiled and shrugged again. I frowned at him but then smiled and hugged and kissed him.
I continued down the road to one of London's many art galleries. I was dressed in black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a black tie. I walked through the doors and was then surrounded by paintings. Chad was sharing this exhibition with another artist, Chelsey. She was a photographer, and so her contributions were very distinct from Chad's. I walked in and saw Chad to one side, talking to several people. He didn't notice me at first and so I looked around at his paintings. I had seen them all before, of course, but that didn't make them any less brilliant. I went to my favourite. It wasn't what Chad would consider his best, but I loved it. It was a sketch of me from when we were back at school. I remember him doing it when he had first discovered my bruises. I smiled slightly and then I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and lips press onto my neck. "Hey, baby," Chad whispered and I entwined my fingers with his.
"Hey," I said softly. I turned around, he kept his arms round my waist, and looked at him. "I'm so proud of you, Chad." He grinned down at me and kissed me softly.
"Thank you," he smiled and I smiled back. "Guess what?"
"What?" I whispered as he leant his forehead against mine.
"I've sold one of my paintings," he whispered and I pulled back and grinned at him.
"Really? Which one?" I asked and he smiled.
"The funky sunset," he laughed and I joined in. He had painted that while in university as a joke but everyone had loved it.
"Congratulations," I smiled and kissed him again. "Now, you've got to go talk to your guests. You can talk to me when you've finished." He grinned, nodded, kissed my cheek and then walked off and was instantly caught by someone.
I couldn’t believe our luck. I was selling hundreds of CDs and Chad had become a successful painter. I walked around the exhibition slowly, taking in all of Chad's paintings. I loved each and every one, and wished he didn't have to sell them, that we could keep them at our place. I sighed and turned and saw Mr and Mrs Tyler walk through the door. They both saw me and smiled and made their way over to me. Toby, Chad's dad, shook my hand. I was surprised how unlike my dad – who I hadn’t seen since I turned 18 – he was. Initially he had been awkward around me but when he saw how happy I made Chad, he accepted me. He knew that Chad wasn't meant to be a footballer. He was an artist. Sandra hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "Hey, cutie," Sandra said and I grinned. She rarely called me by name. To her I'm always going to be Cutie.
"Hey," I smiled and looked back at the paintings. "He's already sold one and it's only been going an hour," I told them and they both grinned, proud parents.
"Where is he?" Sandra asked and I turned to where he had been a minute ago, but he had gone.
"I don’t know," I shrugged. "Many people keep talking to him and I lose track." She nodded and smiled.
"Well, we're going to look around for a while, we'll catch up with you later," Toby said and I nodded and smiled. Once they had gone I went slowly over to the bar and ordered a drink. I decided against alcohol because I wanted to be aware for Chad's first show.
I looked around the room at all the happy people and located Chad again talking to someone different. He was beaming and nodding. He then looked at me and motioned me over. I smiled slightly and went over to him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me to him tightly. "This is him," Chad said and I looked at the 2 men and woman in front of me and smiled, unsure of what was going on. They were all grinning at me.
"Nice to meet you," one man smiled and shook my hand. "I'm Gary, this is Tom, my boyfriend, and this is Tasha, his sister."
"Hey," Tom smiled and Tasha smiled warmly. I smiled back at them.
"Well, we'll see you both again later, I'm sure," Gary said and the three walked off. I turned to Chad, a smile on my face.
"What was that about?" I asked him and he smiled down at me.
"They wanted to meet my muse," he smiled and I smiled at him tenderly. I kissed him softly and then we walked around together for a while.
Once the exhibit was over, Gary, Tom and Tasha invited us out for drinks. I was happy to go along, but before I could say anything, Chad declined. "It's our anniversary, sorry, another time?" I smiled up at him and Tasha cooed.
"Aw, of course, no problem," she smiled. "How long have you been together?"
"Three years," Chad smiled and squeezed my hand.
"You had your exhibition on your anniversary?" Tom asked and glanced at me as well. "Don't you want to spend the day together?"
"We have, practically," I said, feeling like I had to defend Chad.
"And this show is dedicated to him anyway," Chad said and I felt my heart melt. That is how Chad and I had planned this day. His first art exhibition and the release date of my second album made this day as memorable and important as possible. The three of them smiled and nodded and then left. I turned and smiled at Chad and kissed him tenderly.
"You're so cute," I smiled and he grinned. "Did you see your parents, by the way?"
"Yeah, they left about an hour ago," he smiled and I nodded.
We walked home slowly, our hands linked tightly. I smiled as I thought over the last 3 years. I couldn’t believe how amazing the last 3 years have been. I've never been happier than the time I've spent with Chad. We got back to our apartment and slowly walked in. Chad went into the kitchen and I went and sat on the sofa and sighed. Chad walked in with two champagne flutes and passed one to me, smiling softly. He put his down on the table so I did the same. He then passed me a small, flat box and I frowned at him. "I thought we agreed no presents," I said and he just smiled and shrugged. "I've got one for you, but it's a song," I told him as I took the box from his hands. He kissed me softly.
"That's the best kind of present," he whispered and I smiled. He looked down at the box in my hands. "Open it, then," he smiled and I smiled back and took the silver wrapping paper off. Inside, I was presented with...my CD.
"You got me my CD?" I asked him, confused. "You know I could have gotten you this for free..." He just smiled and shrugged again. I frowned at him but then smiled and hugged and kissed him.
♠ ♠ ♠
one...more...
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