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“I can’t believe you talked me into this, Rob.” Steve squeezes his hands into fists at his side while taking in the room around him.
His best friend, Robin, pulls his arm into the art studio. Last week, over some wine, Robin convinced Steve to go to this Paint and Sip event at her art studio. She’s been bugging him about it for months and found the perfect quantity of alcohol for him to accept.
“You’re going to have fun, plus the instructor is kind of your type.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him.
“You know I’m not looking to date right now. Especially after that trainwreck of a first date with Jessica a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah, but you can still look, can’t you? Relax, will you? You look like you’re my prisoner or something.” She puts her hands on his shoulders and shakes him a little. He lets her loosen his joints and flops in her arms.
“So where do we get the sip to this sip and paint?” He’s looking around for the bar when his eyes fall on a man standing near the paint supply table.
He’s about the same height as Steve, with brown curly hair pulled into a loose high bun. He’s wearing tighter-than-should-be-legal black pants, scuffed and untied combat boots, and a loose oversized shirt with the sleeves cut off, exposing his ribcage. When the man reaches over the table to adjust the pile of blank canvases, Steve sees a flash of a tattoo and immediately wants to get closer.
“Told ya.” Robin pulls Steve back from his thoughts, and he sees her standing there with her arms crossed, smirking.
“What?”
“He’s your type.” She gives him a grin that could be mistaken as pride.
“Wh-what are you talking about?” Steve looks away from her and sees the bar. Relieved, he heads towards the beckoning bottles.
“I saw you, Harrington.” Robin follows behind Steve, poking his back playfully.
“Saw me, what?” He knows what she’s talking about but won’t give her the satisfaction.
“You can play stupid all you want, but I told ya so. I could introduce you if you want. Eddie’s a good guy.”
Steve ignores her and puts his hands on the bar waiting his turn. Robin sidles up next to him and nudges her elbow against his arm.
“Yeah, I’ll take a glass of red, please.”
“Oh hey, Rob.” The bartender waves at Robin. “Do you want a bottle to share? It’s cheaper.”
“Excellent idea, my good man. Steve, we’re getting a bottle.” She grins wide and taps her fingers on the top of the bar.
“Is that a good idea? We are supposed to be painting. You know I can barely hold a paintbrush when I’m sober.” Steve puts his hands on his hips and furrows his brows. He’s so focused on Robin that he misses someone coming up behind him.
“Hey Rob, is this the infamous best friend?”
Steve turns toward the voice and stares into the largest, deepest pools of chocolate eyes he’s ever seen. Then, after a beat, he’s rewarded with a large toothy smile surrounded by adorably perfect dimples, which takes his breath away.
“This is Steve.” Robin puts her hand on Steve’s back and gently pushes him forward.
“Nice to meet you, Steve. Eddie,” and he reaches his hand out in front of him, offering a handshake.
Steve blinks and suddenly realizes he’s supposed to respond. “Oh, uh, hi. Yeah, nice to meet you too.”
Steve takes Eddie’s hand and mentally memorizes how Eddie’s skin feels against his before they let go.
Eddie puts his hand on the bar and hitches his hip out, then runs his eyes unabashedly down Steve’s body. A warm blush sprinkles Steve’s cheeks when he returns to Steve’s face.
“Virgin?”
Steve chokes on his spit a moment before collecting himself. “What?”
“You look like a first-timer to one of my classes?”
Steve’s ignoring Robin’s giggles coming from behind him. “Oh,” he huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, uh, uh huh. I’m not an artist at all. Rob got me drunk and tricked me into agreeing to do this with her.”
“Do you often get drunk and agree to do things you wouldn’t normally do, Stevie?” Eddie keeps his eyes locked on Steve while he runs his tongue across his bottom lip.
Steve’s whole equilibrium is knocked off his axis. That question sounds intensely sexual and shouldn’t make him feel weak in the knees.
“I see you’re getting a whole bottle of wine. Let’s see what we can get you to agree to do later tonight.” Eddie grins and presses the tip of his tongue to his canine. “I should get set up. Nice to meet you, Steve.” For the first time since he showed up, he pulls his gaze from Steve and looks behind him at Robin. “Thanks, Rob.” Then he throws her a playful wink before turning away and heading to the front of the room.
“Jesus,” Steve huffs. His entire body relaxes like he was released from a tractor beam.
Robin leans in and whispers next to Steve’s ear. “I’m sure he’s ok with ‘Eddie.’”
“Don’t start.” He runs his hand through his hair and turns back to the bartender, giving Steve a sympathetic smile.
After paying, Steve carries the bottle, and Robin takes their empty glasses to two seats near the front.
“How about here? Gives you the perfect view of the show.” She sets their glasses down and motions toward the supply table. “Let’s get our stuff.”
Steve sets the bottle of wine down and follows behind her cautiously, avoiding bumping into anything.
There’s a list of supplies they need to collect taped to the front of the table, including their paint colors. While gathering everything they need, Steve’s eyes wander to Eddie, who organizes his supplies.
There’s a small stage at the front, lifting Eddie above the class. It’s holding a bar stool, an easel with a blank canvas, a round table, and a speaker. While Steve’s staring, something rolls off the table’s edge, and his mouth drops open as Eddie has to bend over to grab it.
“You’re drooling.” Robin pushes her finger on Steve’s jaw and closes his mouth.
“No, I’m not.” Steve looks around the room, pretending to not be ogling their instructor.
“Help me carry all this stuff.” She begins handing Steve plastic cups filled with different colored acrylic paint. He has to hold them close to his body to juggle them all. “Oh shit, we should’ve put our aprons on first. I think you got some paint on your shirt.”
“Oh crap, will it wash out?” She gives him an apologetic look, and there’s his answer. “Well, there goes one of my favorite shirts.”
“Sorry, really, I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. Come on before I spill more.”
They head back to their seats, and Steve carefully sets the cups between them so they can share, and then he inspects his shirt.
“Looks like you’re gonna need to get out of that shirt.” Steve looks up to see Eddie standing before him, looking down at the blue blob of paint. “Need my help?”
It takes everything in Steve’s brain to not respond with a breathy ‘please.’
“I-I just need to wipe it off. I’m ok.”
“Follow me,” Eddie motions, and Steve’s feet immediately move. Robin doesn’t make a peep when Steve passes behind her. Eddie leads Steve past a side door to a cleaning sink. “Come here.”
Eddie grabs the hem of Steve’s shirt, pulling him closer. Steve’s breath catches in his throat when he inhales Eddie’s scent of cigarettes and something musky.
He stares as Eddie grabs a nearby palette knife from the sink and carefully scrapes the excess paint off the shirt. When Eddie looks up, he catches Steve’s gaze and gives him a small smile. He then drops the palette knife into the sink and looks back to the spot on Steve’s shirt.
“Don’t move,” Eddie commands, and Steve wouldn’t dare. Eddie releases Steve’s shirt and dampens a paper towel carefully at the sink. “It won’t come out completely, but at least it won’t be ruined.”
“Thanks,” Steve says quietly.
Eddie turns back and smiles a little wider, taking the hem of Steve’s shirt between his fingers and then sliding his hand up inside the fabric. Steve inhales quickly and sucks his stomach in a little, nervous about having Eddie’s fingers brush against his skin.
“I don’t bite, Steve.” Eddie drops his eyes back down to the paint spot. Then he carefully wipes the damp paper towel over the fabric, using his hand under the fabric as leverage.
Steve huffs and tries to give a witty retort, but his brain can’t come up with a reasonable response. So instead, he’s staring at Eddie’s fingers, gingerly rubbing the paper towel across the fabric.
“How long have you and Robin been friends?” Eddie asks casually.
“Uh, bout 4 years. We met at this shitty mall job.”
“The mall? Where did you work?”
“This ice cream place. It was the worst.” Finally, Steve starts to relax a little.
“Hmmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing, just imagining how sticky you must’ve been at the end of your shifts.” Eddie flicks a glance up at Steve through his eyelashes.
“Yeah, sometimes up my arm or even on my legs. It was ridiculous. We had to wear these sailor uniforms.”
Eddie stops rubbing the fabric momentarily and looks like he’s collecting his thoughts before responding.
When he looks back up into Steve’s eyes, Eddie’s eyes are darker than they’d been previously, creating a knot in Steve’s insides. Then Steve feels a brush of skin against his stomach when Eddie’s fingers graze him, and he jumps back a little.
Something shifts in Eddie’s face, and he releases Steve’s shirt and steps back, giving them both space.
“There ya go.” Eddie rolls the paper towel into a ball and tosses it in a nearby trashcan while Steve looks down at the wet spot on his shirt.
“Thanks, I guess I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t wear one of my favorite shirts to paint in.” Steve feels weirdly uncomfortable now because of the shift in Eddie’s mood.
“Well, you’re all set. Should probably get the class started.” Eddie points toward the door.
“Right, uh, thanks again, man.” Steve presses his lips together in a straight line and walks out of the small space back to his seat.
Steve pulls the apron draped over the back of his chair and puts it over his head, knotting it in the back.
Robin doesn’t say anything at first when he sits down. He nervously starts lining the cups of paint between their two spots and straightens his table easel a few times.
“What’s wrong with you?” Robin finally speaks.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re acting like this is a test or something. Chill out. We’re here to have fun. What happened back there?”
“Nothing,” Steve answers a little too quickly.
“Uh huh, and nothing is why the two of you refuse to make eye contact?”
“I’m just getting ready. Nothing happened.”
Robin doesn’t push any further and slinks down into her chair. She hands the bottle of wine to Steve, who gives her a curt smile and takes it, pouring himself a larger-than-necessary glass of alcohol. He takes a hefty swig and then runs his hands over the apron to calm his nerves.
“Ok, hello everyone, hello.” Eddie’s voice fills the room, and Steve’s head snaps to see he’s wearing a headset microphone and looking more like his previous relaxed self. “So, we’re gonna get started. How many newbies do I have here tonight? Raise your hand if you’ve never done this before. I know Stevie up here is a paint virgin. Anyone else?” Eddie points to Steve and throws him a quick wink before looking around the room at the rest of the raised hands. “This is exciting. Well, I promise I’ll be gentle for your first time, but no promises for next time.” Eddie looks back at Steve, and it feels like he’s saying the end of the sentence directly to him.
Steve clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably in his chair. He can feel Robin’s eyes on him but avoids glancing in her direction.
“Some of you may think you can’t do this or don’t believe you can be an artist, but I promise, you will leave here tonight with a painting you can be proud of. I will walk you through each step and show you how simple it can be. Ok, so let’s get started.” Eddie claps his hands together and rubs them playfully.
When Eddie turns to his easel to get situated, Steve feels like he can finally take a full breath. He’s barely spoken to the man, and he’s already turned him into a nervous idiot. He takes another sip of his wine and sighs heavily.
“You ok?” Robin leans over and whispers.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Steve, you’re white as a ghost.”
“Uh, yeah, maybe I should splash some water on my face or something. Where’s the bathroom?” Steve starts looking around the room.
“Back there.” Robin points to a far door in the corner of the space.
He nods, pushes his chair back, standing unsteadily on his feet, and walks behind the row of people preparing to paint.
He ignores the dark brown eyes following him as he crosses the room and shoves the door open. He stumbles into the small singular bathroom and grips the edge of the sink.
“Jesus, breathe, man, what the fuck?” He huffs to himself and slaps his cheek gently. “He’s just some random guy.” Steve runs his fingers over his forehead and tries to calm his racing heart.
There’s a quiet knock on the bathroom door. “Steve?”
He runs his hands through his hair, making himself appear relaxed and fine. He pulls the door open carefully, and Robin stands there looking concerned.
“Hey.”
“You ok? Can I come in?”
He opens the door wider, offering her entrance. She comes in and shuts the door behind her, leaning against the metal.
“I’m good, really I am.” He avoids eye contact because he knows she can see right through him.
“Is this because of Eddie? What did he do, Steve?” She asks nervously.
“Nothing,” Steve rushes out. “Nothing, no, he didn’t do anything. I swear.” He shakes his head, trying to convince her.
“Ok, then what is it? Are you getting sick? Was it dinner?”
Steve lolls his head back and exhales, leaning against the wall and staring upward.
“It is Eddie, I think. I don’t know. It’s crazy that he’s making me feel like a nervous teenager, right? I mean, I don’t even know him. I fucking met him, what, like 30 minutes ago. But, Jesus, look at me. I’m fucking shaking, Rob.” He lifts his right hand to show his trembling fingers.
“Damn, I knew you two would hit it off, but I didn’t think you’d turn into a mumbling idiot.” She chuckles a little and crosses her arms.
“What? I’m not…shut up.”
“If it makes you feel any better, he looks flustered too. I think you fucked him up a little.”
Steve looks at her as if he doesn’t believe what she’s saying. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when you got up to come in here, he sort of forgot what he was doing and just drooled at you until the bathroom door shut. Then, he fumbled to return to what he was supposed to do. It was cute, gross, but cute.” She rolled her eyes and smiled gently.
“Oh,” that filled Steve with something warm.
“That means you could get the upper hand. Like, take a little control. I know that’s not your usual MO, but come on, dingus. Live a little. Let’s drink that bottle of wine and have some fun.”
Steve thinks about that for a minute, contemplating tapping into that charm that’s always helped him through his dating career. The idea of teasing Eddie and making him flush as he’s done to him sounded enticing. Unfortunately, the artist had knocked him off kilter so quickly Steve had forgotten who he truly was.
“Yeah, ok, I can do that.”
“I know you can. I’ve sadly seen it in action. Plus, you already know you’re going to get his number at the end of the night.”
Steve furrows his brows and scrunches his face up a little.
“Come on, oh my god, are you serious? Steve, don’t be so dense. Let’s go before you hurt yourself thinking too hard about that.” She puts her hand on his bicep, and her voice sounds more comforting. “But seriously, you ok?”
“Yeah, no, I’m good.”
“Ok, well, let’s look at you and see if we can make him trip on his stupid boots.” She pulls him before her and starts looking over his face and hair. She pulls a few strands down over his forehead and slightly adjusts his shirt. “OH! Here.” She digs around in her pocket, pulls out a lip balm tube, and hands it to him. “It has a little tint in it, and I know you well enough to know the second you put something on your lips, you can’t stop rubbing them together.”
“It won’t look like I have lipstick on, will it?”
“No, no, just make them shiny and a little pinker. He will die. Let me tie your apron tighter. Show off your slutty little waist a little.”
“What? Rob.”
“You know you have a slutty waist. Stop it.”
“I didn’t even know that was a thing.” He rubs the lip balm over his lips and immediately starts rubbing them together. Robin might have a point.
“Like you’ve never checked out anyone’s waist before?” She cocks an eyebrow at him and takes the tube of balm back, tucking it into her front pocket.
“Oh, yeah, ok.”
“Untie it and then bring it around to the front.”
Steve fumbles with the knot he made in the back but eventually gets it undone and then pulls the strings tight and wraps them around his midsection.
Robin pulls the ends tight, bringing the apron in, and cinches it around him.
“I need to breathe.”
“No, you don’t, ok, there.” She steps back and looks at him. “Yeah, that’ll do. I officially give you permission to crank up that obnoxious Harrington charm.”
“Thanks so much, don’t make it sound like I’m putting you out or anything.” He rolls his eyes and puts his hand on his hip out of habit.
“Yeah, like that. Ok, let’s go.”
Steve almost runs his hand through his hair but remembers Robin’s hair adjustment and moves his hand to the back of his neck instead. He needs to put the nervous energy somewhere.
When they return to their seats, the rest of the class has already started painting their background.
“Remember to blend it, just across like this.” Eddie’s voice booms from the speaker with his back to the class. He’s swiping his brush across the canvas horizontally with a light touch. “Then once you have the…oh, um,” turning around midsentence, Eddie’s eyes fall on Steve, who is smiling up at him. Eddie smiles back nervously and swallows hard to continue his sentence when Steve unknowingly rubs his lips together. “Mmm,” Eddie releases a pleasant hum through the microphone when his eyes caught the movement.
His voice at that volume shakes him out of the glance, and he clears his throat, trying to hide the sound.
“Told ya,” Robin said under her breath.
“So, when you have the whole thing covered, we’re going to wait a little bit for it to dry before we do the next layer.” Eddie pulls his headset off, carefully rests it on the nearby table, and then jumps off the stage. He begins to head directly to Steve and Robin when someone on the end pulls his attention away to ask a question.
“So, what are we supposed to be doing?” Steve asks Robin as he looks around the room, completely lost.
“Eddie will come over and help. Just wait.” She nudges his foot under the table. “Drink some wine.”
Steve does just that and swallows another swig of the beverage, then runs his fingers up and down the glass stem while letting his eyes run over Eddie’s body at the end of the table. He’s bent over a little to help the person at the end with their painting. Before he does something stupid like crawl on his hands and knees to be before the artist, Steve takes another sip of his drink and feels a little more relaxed.
When Eddie stands up, he looks towards Steve and appears surprised to see his eyes already on him. Steve gives him a smile, then bites the corner of his bottom lip, pulling it slightly into his mouth. He can see Eddie’s chest begin to rise and fall a little more prominently.
“Jesus Christ, crank it down a little, dude,” Robin whispers. “He looks like he’s going to fuck the shit out of you right in the middle of this room.”
And that thought sends a chill up Steve’s spine making him shudder involuntarily. It looks like Eddie catches the movement and bites his own bottom lip. Then as if remembering how his feet work, he begins heading to them.
“You ok?” Eddie asks Steve genuinely.
“I’m perfect,” Steve replies smoothly.
“Yeah, you are,” Eddie huffs. “I guess you two need to catch up with the rest of the class, huh? Was this some ploy to get some one-on-one time with the teacher?” Eddie puts his hands on the back of Robin and Steve’s chairs and leans over them.
Steve looks over his shoulder and up at Eddie, who’s mere inches away. “I could always go for some hands-on learning.”
Eddie smirks and nods a little before replying. “I don’t usually offer private lessons, but for you, Stevie, I might be willing. But you have to be a good boy and follow my instructions.”
Both of the men miss Robin covering her mouth and stifling a laugh.
The air feels like it was punched out of Steve’s lungs, and he can only nod in reply.
“Thought so,” Eddie grins wickedly down at Steve. “Ok, so you’ll need to hurry up and catch up with the rest of the class. You will start with a dark blue at the top and then work down to lighter shades. See my painting up there?” Eddie motions with his chin to the stage, where Steve glances. “You’re going to do that.”
“Ok,” Steve replies, a little breathier than he’d hoped.
“Take your blue, put some onto the plate, and dab in a bit of black.”
Steve does as he’s told and carefully scoops some of the blue out of the plastic cup with one of his paintbrushes and smears it onto the mixing plate. Robin follows suit but has been entirely forgotten by the two men.
“Good boy, ok, now the black.”
Steve’s brain goes fuzzy for a second before he blinks himself back and moves his hand to the black paint.
He’s about to dip the entire brush in when Eddie’s hand moves quickly over his wrist and stops him. His fingers wrap tightly around him, and it feels like a branding iron sizzling into his skin.
“Ah, ah, just a little.” Eddie lowers Steve’s hand, and the bristles dab into the paint before pulling it back up. “That’s it. Now mix them together.”
Steve does as he’s told after Eddie releases his grip and mixes the two colors into a cohesive deep blue.
“Like that?” He asks, suddenly needing approval.
“Yes, that’s perfect. Now start at the top and work about a third down the canvas.
Steve lifts his brush to the top with a shaky hand and runs the bristles back and forth. He can feel Eddie crowding behind him, his hip near his shoulder blade.
Eddie leans over to Robin to check in on her progress but stays close to Steve, running his hand across the back of his shoulder and resting his hand around him. Steve relaxes into the touch and feels more confident with his brush strokes.
“You are terrible.” Steve hears Robin’s voice cut through.
“Me? Never.” Eddie replies with a hint of sarcasm. “How you doing over here, Stevie?”
“G-good, good.” Steve’s mouth is strangely dry. He grabs his wine glass and tilts his head back to take a sip when his head hits Eddie’s arm. His eyes flutter shut as he enjoys the touch, letting the liquid slip down his throat.
“Ok, now you’re going to add more blue and brighten it back up.” Eddie then walks the pair through the remaining steps until their canvases match the rest of the class’s. “Now you’ll need to blow on it, Stevie, to get it ready. We’re going to move on soon. Do you know how to blow, big boy?”
Steve sputters and choked a little on his breath when suddenly he feels Eddie’s hand slide down his chest, resting over his sternum and giving him a gentle pat. The hand on his shoulder slid between his shoulder blades, holding him in place.
“Ooooh, be careful. I don’t need you choking,” Eddie hums in a low voice.
Steve’s pretty sure he’s the same color as the primary color, red paint sitting in one of the plastic cups beside him. So much for keeping it together and one-upping the sexy artist.
“Jeesuuus.” Robin sighs with zero hints of actual annoyance.
“You ok?” Eddie moves his hand up Steve’s chest, resting it on Steve’s collarbone. Steve nods and then feels Eddie’s thumb brush back and forth across his skin just above his shirt collar. “Good boy.”
Steve can’t control his body when he shudders at the praise, and Eddie feels it roll through his palms pressed against Steve’s body. An uncontrollable groan rolls up Eddie’s throat, but he catches it in his mouth before accidentally letting the entire class hear how turned on he is, although Steve hears it.
Eddie immediately moves away from Steve, releasing his hands from his body, and runs his palms down over his chest.
“Ok, you’re both good, right? Yep, ok.” Before they can reply, he’s moving away quickly to the front of the classroom.
“Holy shit, I don’t want to be anywhere nearby when you two fuck.” Robin says quietly.
Steve’s breathing is heavy, and he’s a little too lightheaded to reply with a snarky comment.
“Ok, are we ready to move on? Our canvases nice and dry?” Eddie’s adjusting the microphone back over his head. His cheeks are flush, and he’s pacing a little on the stage. “So, um, we’re going to move to the boat.” He blinks a few times, then grabs his glass of water on the table nearby and lifts it, chugging most of it down in one gulp. “Right, uh,” he clears his throat and then sits down on the stool, sliding the nearly empty glass back on the table.
Eddie avoids coming near Steve and Robin when he gets off the stage again to roam the class. Steve’s relieved and disappointed at the same time. He promised Robin to do this class with her without getting so turned on that he jumps the instructor in front of everyone.
“Oooh, you’re doing so well. See, dingus, you might have a little artist in you after all.”
Steve smiles happily at her. It didn’t look half bad; Steve was surprised. Eddie was an excellent instructor.
“Yeah, I don’t hate it.”
“I told you, you’d have fun.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’m hoping to convince you to come back and paint with me sometime. I’m sure Eddie wouldn’t mind seeing you around the studio more.” She smirks at him and pokes his shoulder with the tip of her paintbrush handle.
Steve blushes but tries to hide it by ducking his head down. “Maybe.”
“How are my two favorite pupils coming along?” Eddie moves in behind them, looking over their paintings. “Oh, these are good. I’m impressed.”
Steve glances over his shoulder up at Eddie. “We have a good teacher.”
Eddie grins at Steve, “it shows you can follow instructions well. I like a man that can follow directions. And you, Rob, of course, the consummate professional. Show off.” He laughs a little and nudges her shoulder.
“I can’t help that I get paid to do this. I’m still having fun, though. So is Steve, aren’t you?”
“Y-yeah, I am.”
“Good,” Eddie softens slightly and looks nervous for a moment. “Hey, we’re almost done here, but would you want to stay and have a drink with me while I clean up?”
“Um, I have to uh….”
“Nope,” Robin interrupts. “I’ll take an Uber. But, yeah, he’d love to.”
“Great,” Eddie grins and taps the back of Steve’s chair before heading to the stage again.
“Don’t look at me like that. You know you wanted to.” Robin keeps her eyes on her canvas while she taps a few splotches of leaves above one of her trees. “You can thank me tomorrow by buying me lunch.”
“How long have you been planning this?”
“Since the moment I found out Eddie was gay.”
“When was that?”
“Months ago. You refused to come to one of these with me, so I had to get alcohol involved. I’m not sorry either.” She smirks. “He’s a lot, but when he’s just himself, he’s one of the sweetest, kindest, most generous people I know. You deserve a little of that.”
Steve’s surprised to hear this version of the sexy, commanding, sensual man that’s been driving him wild all night. He looks up to watch him moving effortlessly across the stage. Eddie has a gentle smile on his face while he sets up for the next step of their painting.
“Did he know?”
“Oh yeah, I told him I would set him up with my best friend. He wasn’t so convinced, though. Guess you won him over.”
“Why wasn’t he sure?”
“He said he doesn’t like to mix personal life with work. Says he got burned before, something about an ex breaking his heart.”
“Oh,” Steve’s still watching Eddie when Eddie looks up and catches Steve.
Eddie gives him a sweet smile and then winks. Steve responds with a smile, and the two stare at each other for a few seconds before someone raises their hand, trying to get Eddie’s attention.
Eddie jumps off the stage and moves to the participant to offer assistance.
“I think you two would be perfect together. And I don’t mean like a one-night stand kinda thing. So give him a chance, ok?”
“Have you talked about me a lot? To him?”
“Well, I mean, I haven’t spilled any secrets or anything, but he saw a picture of us on Instagram after I’d mentioned you, and then he would sometimes ask questions. So I think he’s had a crush on you for a little bit, even before meeting you.”
“On Instagram?”
“Yeah, we follow each other.”
“Does he follow me?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think about that. You should check.”
Steve reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his phone, swiping it open and pulling up the app.
“What’s his handle?”
“Something about bats, I don’t know. Go to the studio’s account and look at tonight’s post. They usually tag him.”
Steve does just that and then recognizes the profile photo. He clicks on it and opens Eddie’s page.
“So?” She asks.
“Yeah, um, and I follow him.”
“What? How?”
“I liked his art. He followed me, and then I checked out his profile and thought it was cool. He never posts selfies or anything of himself. I didn’t know it was him.”
“Oh my god, do you two like each other’s posts?”
“Yeah, like every time.”
“Jesus Christ, like a fucking rom-com or some shit.”
“I kinda would get happy when I saw his notifications too.”
“WHAT?” She laughs and then ducks down behind her canvas. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I mean, he has these videos of him drawing, and he has kinda sexy hands, and he’s fucking talented, ok. Plus tattoos. I mean, Rob, I’m a weak man.”
“How is this fucking real? You had a crush on him, didn’t you?” She whisper yells at him.
“Yes,” Steve puts his face in his hands. “And he has the cutest dog. Rob, he has a dog. Oh my god. Now I’m weirdly nervous.”
“How do you know he has a dog?”
“He posts like normal stuff in his stories.”
“I better get the first wedding invitation.” She laughs and tilts her head back to look at the ceiling.
“Shut up. Now I’m nervous.”
“Why? Because you just found out the hot guy you’ve been eye fucking all night is also the cute Instagram man you’ve been crushing on? Yeah, that sounds terrible to me.” She rolls her eyes and swishes her brush back and forth in the cup of water. “This actually makes so much sense now.”
“Why? What do you mean?” He turns to her and crouches closer.
“Because sometimes, after we hung out on the weekend, he’d ask me pointed questions about what we got up to. You know I always put shit up on my Instagram stories, so he must’ve seen them. You two are actually so much grosser than I imagined. Ugh, I hate you.” She sighs with a smile and zero animosity.
“Why?”
“Because now I want a girlfriend.”
“What? He’s not my boyfriend, Jesus. Slow down.”
“He’s gonna be, and then I have to deal with what you two have been doing all night, all the time. It was funny until, apparently, I walked into a fucking Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie.”
“We may end up hating each other. You don’t know.” He huffs and awkwardly avoids looking up at Eddie.
“I don’t have that kind of luck, dingus.”
“So here we are, the last step of the night. I know it’s a shame, but if you realize you miss me giving you directions later this week, you can always come back. I do love telling people what to do.” The group laughs while Eddie’s eyes fall on Steve before he quickly looks away, turning to his painting.
Eddie walks the class through their last step and then reminds everyone to sign their finished paintings at the bottom corner.
“Don’t forget to drive safe, and come back next month where we’ll paint a saguaro cactus. I promise it’s cooler than it sounds.”
The class disperses, and everyone says their goodbyes. Some people approach Eddie to thank him and give him kudos. A few people are milling around finishing their last drinks when Robin and Steve move over to Eddie, who’s starting to throw cups of paint away.
“I would never say this sober, but you’re not a terrible teacher, Eddie,” Robin smirks at him and then playfully punches his shoulder.
“Oh shit, that’s high praise coming from you, Buckley. I won’t take that for granted.” He slides his hand around her shoulder and pulls her into a tight hug that she pretends to struggle beneath.
“Yeah, yeah. Apparently, you two have a lot to catch up on and divulge. Talk to you tomorrow, dingus. I’m outta here.” She looks between Eddie and Steve, then laughs and shakes her head while walking away.
“What is she talking about?” Eddie asks.
“Um,” Steve puts his hands in his pockets and looks at the floor nervously. “Apparently, you follow me on Instagram, and I have been following you this whole time and didn’t know it.” Steve’s eyes flit up to catch a surprised look on Eddie’s face.
“Oh, uh yeah, sorry if that’s weird.” Eddie nervously steps away from Steve and starts tugging on a stray strand of hair falling from his bun. “I didn’t- like it wasn’t some ploy or- I wasn’t….”
“Eddie, it’s fine.” Steve laughs a little and sees Eddie’s shoulders loosen slightly. “I think it’s kinda cute, actually.”
“Really?” Eddie sighs and nervously pulls his strand of hair over his smile. “Robin would just tell me how great her best friend was, and I mean, I saw her tag you, so I thought, how great could he be, really? No one is that great. It was research.”
Steve bites back a smile and glances around the room, noticing they are alone. He takes a cautious step closer to Eddie but keeps his gaze down.
“What did you find out with this research?”
“Well, um- that you will order a caramel Frappuccino every few weeks and then absolutely bash yourself over it for days. Which is really unhealthy, by the way.”
“I know. That’s why I get so mad at myself. I know they’re unhealthy, but I have no self-control.”
“No, no, not the frap,” Eddie chuckles. “You being hard on yourself. You kinda do it a lot, or at least of what I’ve seen. You should be nicer to yourself, man. I’ve also seen you be kind to some kids you act annoyed by, but I can tell you care about them.”
Steve blushes but takes another step closer.
“What else?”
“You have an awful lot of plants in your apartment.”
“Robin’s always giving me grief about them. I can’t help it when I see a sad little plant on the verge of being thrown away. It just needs a little love.”
“Yeah,” Eddie says softly and catches Steve off guard.
Eddie takes a small step closer to Steve, now only a few feet away.
“What else?”
“You have absolutely terrible bedhead, but you sound really sexy right after you wake up. Those stories might be my favorite.” Eddie keeps his eyes on Steve and moves in closer. “When you’re complaining about having to go to work for an early shift, and you make this little groan when you stretch. But enough about you, what about me? If I remember correctly, you’re also following my account and tend to be one of my most active followers. Hmmm, why’s that?” Eddie asks just as he reaches out and lets his fingers graze across Steve’s wrist.
Steve raises his arm, letting Eddie wrap his fingers gently around him.
“I liked your drawings- and maybe your dog.” Steve bites back a smile while Eddie takes the last step between them.
“It’s always my dog. He’s cute, though. I understand. So much cuter than me.” Eddie grabs Steve’s other wrist and slides his hands up his forearms.
Steve feels a chill run up his skin and across his neck.
“I also liked watching you draw- your hands, fingers. You leave your rings on when you draw. It’s sexy.”
Eddie smirks. “These hands?” He asks, then rubs his palms up and down Steve’s arms.
Steve’s eyes flutter involuntarily. “Y-yeah,” he responds a little breathlessly.
“Maybe later you can find out what else these hands can do.”
Steve bites his bottom lip and blinks back at Eddie while lost in that thought, giving him a slight nod.
Eddie slides his hands further up Steve’s arms and over his shoulders, sending a shiver through Steve.
“Is this ok?” Eddie asks softly while his gaze gets pulled down to Steve’s lips.
“Mhm,” Steve nods.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” Eddie whispers and continues touching his hands over Steve’s shoulders. He moves them up over his neck, his fingers sliding into Steve’s hair at the nape.
Steve has to close his eyes at the feelings overwhelming his senses. He swallows hard before opening his eyes again. “Me too.”
Eddie moves closer, their chests centimeters apart, his hands lacing through Steve’s hair.
“I’m going to kiss you now, ok?”
Steve can feel Eddie’s breath woosh across his cheeks, and he nods, Eddie still holding his head.
“O-ok,” Steve whispers.
Eddie closes the gap between them and crashes his lips hard against Steve’s. They both inhale quickly while Steve’s hands rush to Eddie’s waist. Eddie groans against Steve as his fingers curl into Steve’s hair, pulling his mouth firmly against him.
Eddie angles his head, tilting his lips to slot perfectly with Steve’s. Steve spreads his hands wide across Eddie’s back, pressing him closer. The evening of sexual tension explodes into a rushed desperate need to touch.
They spend a few minutes exploring each other’s touch, taste, and bodies letting themselves slip into emotions they both have been missing.
Steve’s the first to pull back, trying to catch his breath.
“Wow,” he smiles, trying to hide his blush.
Eddie leans his forehead against Steve’s. “I bet that’s what you say to all the boys.”
“Naw,” he shakes his head slightly. “Just the really sexy artist types.”
Eddie moves his arms around Steve’s waist and hooks his hands together, leaning back to look at Steve. “So, I have to clean up real quick, but would you wanna grab a drink or dessert or something across the street? They make a pretty good cheesecake if you were up for it.”
Eddie looks bashful, and it makes Steve melt a little inside.
“I’d love to. I’ll help you clean up so we can get out of here quicker.” Steve leans forward and kisses Eddie softly.
“It’s a date.”