The Color of Roses

The sounds of horns, drums, and guitar urged Julio’s hips to sway from side to side as he walked around the living room to gather his things. It seemed that his day could never start off right without his bachata playlist to set the mood. Adding some shoulder movement to his groove, Julius brought his pencil case to his mouth like an impromptu microphone. The chorus of this particular song was his favorite part.

“Soy incondicional… Un amor tan real…” he sang, trying his best to mimic Prince Royce’s vibrato.

“Ok, Ricky Martin. Breakfast is ready.”

Julio pivoted to drop his pencil case into his bag before turning towards his lover with extended arms. With a flourish and a hair flip, he advanced seductively, all the while, still singing. Gary was middle aged, tall, and dignified but didn’t have an ounce of rhythm. Nevertheless, Julio put his arm around his waist and laced their fingers together, leading them around the, now, spotless living room. “Descubrí… Que un amor verdadero… Se entrega por completo… Y eso hice por ti…” Julio kept on singing as he twirled Gary around and pulled him back. The smiles on both their faces were sweet enough for a Hallmark card and Julio could feel Gary’s heart pounding as they swayed, chest to chest.

All too soon, the song was over, and a flustered Gary mumbled something about their food getting cold. Julio smiled and followed the older man into the kitchen where they at a small wooden table across from each other. Two places had been set with plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, slices of avocado, and toast, and glasses of orange juice.

“For the record,” Julio said, “Ricky Martin is from Puerto Rico.”

Gary looked stunned. “Is he, really?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. I won’t tell him that you couldn’t tell.” Julio winked as he pulled his long curly hair into a bun, so it wouldn’t fall into his plate. Every other day he told himself he should cut it, but he knew his sisters would disown him. Not only was their hair their pride and joy, it was the one trait they all inherited from their Dominican mother- long, black, curly, and silky to the touch. Otherwise, they all looked like their father who was black; prominent noses and full lips with skin the shade of cedar tree. Julio tucked a stray curl behind his ear, leaving the thought of a haircut for another day.

The couple finished their breakfast over talk about the art exhibit they had tickets to see next week. It was supposed to be an interactive exhibit where patrons could paint and color on some of the pieces- Julio was especially excited about it since he’d been a fan of the artist for the past few years. Once their plates were clean, Julio thanked Gary with a quick kiss before scooping up his bag from the couch. “I’ve got a late night meeting with Tiffany tonight so I’ll probably just sleep at my dorm instead of coming back here,” he said as he headed toward the door. “We might be able to do dinner, though, if you’re done with your day.”

Gary gave Julio the once-over. “I’ve got a pretty light load today. Just going to see a few pieces around town so just give me a call.” He straightened Julio’s skinny black tie then nodded. “Alright, off with you. Go make the world beautiful.”

Julio smiled brightly before walking outside into the fresh morning air. The sun had risen completely and the birds still chirped merrily from the comfort of tree branches. Julio got into his trusty old Mazda and pulled out of Gary’s driveway. While he liked spending the night with him, it added an extra twenty minutes to his drive to the art studio. Ever the optimist, though, Julio chose to roll down the windows and enjoy the wind whipping through his hair while the radio played Top 40 hits. His mood brightened even more when he managed to snag a primo parking spot on the first floor of the parking deck on campus. He pulled his portfolio from his trunk and toted it past the gigantic auditorium and into the arts building. His latest project, as it turned out, did not include his own creative works but he liked having his supplies nearby in case he got a free moment. The exhibit he was planning with his fellow interns hadn’t afforded him any free time so far, but he would hate to see something inspiring and not have his sketchbook and pencils, at least.

There were a few classes going on as Julio walked down the wide hallway to get to the administrative office. He’d spent so much of his own time in those very classrooms during his first three years and it made him faintly nostalgic to see fresh, new faces frowning with concentration as they moved their paintbrushes and pencils in deliberate motions. The feeling passed as soon as he stepped into the office; he was a senior and an intern with his very own desk. His sat down with pride at his desk and slid his portfolio into the cubby slot on the left side.

Another of the four interns walked into the office with two mugs of steaming hot coffee and Julius recognized his own mug in Bobby’s left hand. “You’re a real doll,” Julius said as he accepted his coffee. “I don’t care what anyone else says about you.”

Bobby laughed and sat behind his desk that was front-to-front with Julius’s. “It couldn’t possibly be any worse than what they say about you, sugar.”

They went back and forth a few more times before Ashley and Lucille entered the small intern’s office. Ashley blew a kiss to Julius as she sat, which he caught and placed over his heart. The four had been hand selected from the pool of one hundred seniors in the art department to intern and gain immeasurable experience by working side-by-side with their professors. While Julius got along famously with Ashley and Bobby, Lucille had a shell around her that was not to be cracked so easily. It didn’t bother them too much, though, since she still managed to pull her weight with the assignments they were given. The exhibit they were meant to put on in two months’ time required all hands on deck since they could only pick ten pieces from each class and nearly every student had submitted something to be considered. Just as they gathered around the stack they’ve yet to sift through, a knock came at their door.

Julius noticed Ashley and Bobby stifle a groan when they realized it was Neil- for the third time that week. The others found him annoying, but Julius knew that Neil had an overzealous spirit and an incredible drive for his piece to be one of the chosen. For him, it transcended annoyance and became admirable.

“Neil,” Julius said with a smile. “What a pleasant unsurprise.”

Neil’s pale cheeks colored as he chuckled lightly. He ran his fingers through his greasy blonde hair. “I know I keep bugging you guys. I just get so anxious to hear what you think about my painting. I worked really hard on it…”

Lucille, who hadn’t looked up from her laptop since she sat down, didn’t move her eyes from the screen as she spoke. “There were two hundred submissions and there’s only four of us, Neil. You’ve got to wait just like everyone else.”

The blonde looked slightly dejected. “I guess I didn’t think about that part…”

“Don’t you worry, honey bun,” Bobby said, waving his manicured hand. “Julius will personally email you our critique and if you’ve made it into the exhibit or not, won’t you Jules?”

Julius nodded emphatically. “Yes, of course.”

“Alright then.” Neil dug into the messenger bag he had slung across his shoulders and went around the small room depositing shiny red apples on each intern’s desk. “For the record, this is not a bribe. I just had extras and… Well. There you go. I’ll see you all later.”

Bobby wiggled his fingers as he exited.