A soft knock sounded on the studio door and then it opened. David lifted his head and saw Javier step into the studio, looking around. “Is he here?”
“In the apartment,” David said with a remarkably steady voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured if you hadn’t killed him yet, that maybe you’d be ready to go to lunch,” Javier gave him a grin. “I had a delivery in this section of town and I’ve got an hour.”
David blinked and turned away from Javier so he could wipe his eyes before standing up. “That’s perfect.” David grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He took another look at the closed door and wondered if he should tell Christian he was leaving. Instead, he wrote a note on a sticky pad and tacked it onto the door before leaving the studio.
Out on the street in the sunshine, he instantly felt much better, but even so, as they walked down the street toward the local deli, he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder and up at the windows of Christian’s apartment.
Chapter Six
Christian was tired of looking at the same four walls, but he didn’t want to go out. He’d made a royal mess of everything. For the last week, David had refused to speak to him about anything except pure business, and even then he said as little as possible. While David had been doing his same thorough job, nothing was going right for Christian. Session after session didn’t work, and Christian knew it was his fault. Nothing looked quite right, and when it did, the pictures themselves weren’t right once he looked at them. A pounding at the apartment door pulled him out of his pity party and Christian got up to answer it. Pulling the door open, he expected to see the pizza delivery man, but instead, he was confronted with David’s friend Javier who looked fit to kill, and since he was the only other person around, Christian knew he was in deep shit.
“What do you want?” Christian asked.
“We need to talk,” Javier said as he barged through the door. Christian wasn’t sure he really wanted anything to do with Javier, but the man was already inside.
“Would you like a drink?” Christian asked as he stopped in the kitchen, pulling out a wine glass. Javier shook his head, and Christian opened the refrigerator, filling his wine glass before leading Javier to the living area. “So what do we have to talk about?”
“David,” Javier said, looking around before slowly sitting on the sofa across from him. “I hope you realize that you broke his heart.”
“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Christian gulped from his glass because he knew what Javier had said was true. He’d seen the looks whenever David didn’t know he was watching.
“No. But I’d like to beat you. David is one of the sweetest, kindest men I have ever met. There isn’t a mean bone in his body, and for some ridiculous reason he’s fallen in love with you. That incredible man chose to give his heart to you, and what did you do? Stomped it flat the first chance you got.”
“I did no such thing.” Christian countered, nearly spilling his wine as he placed the glass on the table. “I know we shouldn’t have done what we did, but I told him I wasn’t good enough for him. Don’t you think I know how I am? I didn’t want to hurt him.” Christian sighed and slumped back into his chair.
“You should have thought about that before you slept with him.” Javier’s voice softened, but still held an edge. “Is he speaking to you?”
Christian nodded slowly, “Barely.”
“You’re not alone. He doesn’t talk to anyone. When he isn’t working, he spends most of his time sitting in the park with his camera. I don’t know if he’s actually taking any pictures or not, but he’s withdrawing and it’s your fault.” Javier glared at him. “You need to do something.”
“What do you suggest? I’ve tried to talk to him, but he cuts me off unless it’s about the details of a shoot or how I’d like my photographs cataloged.” Christian shifted in his chair, reaching for his glass before taking another large gulp.
“What is it you want to say to him? Do you feel anything for him, or is he right and you were simply trying to get into his pants?” Javier moved so he was sitting on the edge of the sofa cushion. “And I’ll warn you, if this was just a sex thing, I’ll smack you right here and now. For some reason that man loves you—not that you deserve it, but he does. And you need to either tell him that you feel the same way or let him go from all areas of your life. It’s not fair to keep stringing him along.” Javier glared at him, and Christian felt distinctly uncomfortable. When Christian opened his mouth, Javier cut him off. “Don’t tell me—tell him. I don’t really like you. I’m only here because David is my best friend and I’m hoping you’ll have the decency to let him go.” Javier stood, and Christian could almost see the large man puffing himself up before looming over him. “No matter what you decide, I will tell you this: if you hurt him again, so help me god, I’ll beat you to a pulp. He deserves someone who will love and treasure him.” Javier stared into Christian’s eyes for a few seconds, chilling him to the bone before moving away. “Whatever you decide, just do right by him.” Javier walked to the door, pulling it open, and Christian saw a surprised delivery man. Javier stepped around him and disappeared as Christian pulled himself out of his thoughts and got up to pay for the pizza.
Shutting the door, Christian carried the box to the counter, standing there to eat his dinner. Javier had been right, David deserved to be treated like the special person he was, and Christian needed to be honest and tell David how he felt. He’d been miserable for days, they both had, and it was within his power to put a stop to it. Pulling out his phone, Christian looked up David’s number and was about to press connect when he closed the phone again, shoving it back into his pocket. David deserved to hear what he had to say in person, directly from him. He wasn’t going to take the coward’s way out. He’d done that often enough.
Christian finished his pizza, throwing the box in the trash, before hurrying into the studio. He had plenty to do and not a lot of time to get it done. Christian knew he’d made a mess of things and it was about time he cleaned it up. He knew what he wanted, now he just had to figure out how best to show David. He was a photographer—he told stories with pictures. Now it was time to tell the most important one of his life.