fandomtownies | The York Galleyr, Saturday [7/26]

No, Kevin was not trolling the internet for random hookups. Okay, yes he was.

Charlotte got to thinking that she should probably be talking to her employees a bit more, especially with what she had planned for the next exhibit, so she made sure to come down to the gallery to chat a little. "Hi, Kevin! How's it going?"

Kevin jumped a little and started to rapidly close some chat windows on the computer screen. "Oh, you know, I'm okay," he lied. "Um, how are you?"

"Good, thank you," Charlotte said with a smile and a nod. "Just thought I'd stop in and check how things were; I don't get around to catching up with you kids nearly as much as I should, although I suppose sometimes an invisible boss is the boss some people would rather have."

Her head tilted slightly. "Classes going well?"

Kevin had to think about it for a moment. "Yep," he responded. "The one class is just like, you know, working out and stuff, so I've got that down alright. And the other is about karaoke." He shrugged.

"Ooh, karaoke sounds fun," Charlotte said, because she figured she could do a much better job of pretending to like that one than working out, although, admittedly, she'd probably rather avoid them both if she could. Although she shouldn't avoid working out. Not with these thighs. "And staying fit is important," she added, thoughtfully.

He leaned back in the chair and unconciously flexed his pectoral muscles, making his chest bulge out in his tight t-shirt. "Yeah, and working out just makes you feel good, you know? So I do it as much as possible."

He frowned slightly and looked down towards the desktop. "Doing it a lot more now that I'm single," he added softly.

And Charlotte could spot the meaning of a soft tone like that a mile away. She'd heard it more than enough, and her expression was nothing but full of sympathy for Kevin. "Ohh," she said, frowning with concern, "recent breakup?"

He nodded. "It's probably for the best, though. He just doesn't seem to know me," he said. "And we've been together for like, ever."

By 'ever', he meant off and on for the past few months.

"It's always hardest, too," Charlotte emphasized, "when it's long term. You seem to be respond to it very bravely, though."

Especially since, if the roles were reverse, by this point in the conversation, Charlotte would probably already be crying.

"Thanks." He gave Charlotte a warm smile. "So how about you? And hot mommasitas heating it up in your world?" After living in Dante's Cove, Kevin naturally assumed every woman was a lesbian. It was safer that way.

"Hot mommasit--Oh!" Charlotte laughed a little, shaking her head as she waved her hand, blushing a bit. "No, I'm straight." And she'd been through this before with a few of her contributors at the gallery back in New York, too. "But I have met someone here that I've been dating for a while now, and he's wonderful. And, really, Kevin, I came here after a really bad breakup with my exhusband, and then I met Dale and everything's much better now. Maybe you'll meet someone, too! The island certainly doesn't seem to be lacking in interesting people."

Kevin thought about the guy he had hooked up with immediately following the breakup. He had been kind of interesting, but what was him name? He kept thinking it sounded like a facial expression...

"Yeah, that's true," he said. "But I was also thinking I could use this time to channel my energy into something else. Like, I've been learning about art and stuff so I can, you know, talk to people about it."

"Oh, that's a good idea, too!" Charlotte beamed at that thought. "Who needs someone else, anyway, right?"

Well, she did, but that was beside the point.

"You know, I majored in art history, Kevin. If you ever want to borrow some books that might enlighten the subject for you a little more, I'd be happy to lend them to you."

"Oh, I found a book," he replied. He figured one was enough. "It's excellent. Did you know that an artist kind of creates his own world? And that each little thing he paints is like his friend?"

Well, the friend part sort of had Charlotte giving Kevin a little bit of a look, but she shook her head, dismissing it, and nodded instead. "Well, that's very true," she said. "In this business, you talk to a lot of artists, and they're very passionate about what they do. A good art critic can tell, too, when an artist puts all of himself into his work, and when he doesn't."

She knew from quite a few experiences that the passion held over into many other aspects of their life, too.

Ooh, maybe that's what Kevin needed, an artist! She wondered if she could try to hook something up there. The next exhibit could open up a lot of possibilities there!

"So this dude here," he nodded towards the gallery, "would you say he put himself into his work? Cause I mean, it looks very much like he, um, knows the joy of painting." Kevin's artistic vocabulary was nonexistent.

"Well," Charlotte said, her expression a thoughtful frown as she glanced toward the gallery, hand to her chin as she considered, "I think, with this one, it's not so much putting himself into it as it is his message. You definitely know that he has the drive to get it out there, because his main medium of graffiti is actually quite illegal, so he puts himself at a risk. And his messages are so loud and clear that they're hard to ignore, but they're the sort that really pushes buttons, you know? He's gutsy; not afraid to make a statement with his art, and that's why I like him. Don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah." Kevin nodded vigorously. "It's totally like graffiti. I figured that out a few weeks ago." He was pretty proud of that revelation. "It's very hip."

His head tilted. "When you look at it, do you see a lot of, um, you know." He pointed towards his crotch.

"A lot of what?" Charlotte tilted her head, not quite following at first, mostly because a good deal of her natural decorum refused to allow her to follow the direction of Kevin's pointing. Once she finally did, though, it hit her. "Oh! Penises? Well, um...a bit? Especially considering that some of the pieces do actually have them. Crude renditions, of course, but they're still there."

It was art. It was a completely acceptable term to use when talking strictly about art.

"Good," he said, sounding a touch relieved. "I mean, I thought something was wrong with me for a bit. Everywhere I looked it was like, bam, co... um, penis." Not that he really minded, but still, given his current state, it was cause for concern.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't...exactly...say that they're...everywhere," Charlotte admitted, gazing toward the gallery again, "but there still minutely present, so don't worry."

She wondered if this was one of the oddest conversations she'd had.

And she feared for what it would have done to poor Kevin if he'd been around for the Neville Morgan exhibit...

"Is it a problem that I haven't sold anything yet?" He was suddenly a little concerned about why Charlotte was stopping in today. "I mean, I know where the dots are now." It had taken him a few shifts to located them.

"Oh, no," Charlotte waved a hand absently, "that's alright. This one's not a big seller, except for a few prints I've been asked to order."

"We can order prints?" Kevin was a bit surprised. "Are they that expensive? I mean, there is one I think Toby would really like." The words were out before he realized what he had said.

"Not, you know, that I need to worry about that now." Kevin blinked, trying to stop himself from tearing up.

"It depends, really, on which one," Charlotte said, but her attention was elsewhere. "Toby...is that...the name of the person you've broken up with?"

Kevin nodded. "I can't help but think I've made a serious mistake. I mean, when I got kicked out of the house, Toby took me in. He's always been there for me."

"Well," Charlotte took in a deep breath, a steeling sort, to prepare herself for what was feeling like a much needed release for Kevin. She only regretted that there wasn't a chair nearby that she could easily pull up to give him the utmost attention. "Where do you suppose it went wrong? Is it anything that could be easily rectified, do you think?"

"Well, we were having sex," he explained. "And I had just given it to him good. Like black out good. And we were laying there, all spent," or so he thought, "and then Toby got like all pushy. He wanted me to bottom. I don't do that! And he knows, but still, he pushes for it."

He looked thoroughly depressed. "I'm just not ready to give that part of myself up."

Or was he?

That was...probably a bit more information that Charlotte had needed, but she was more than used to that. "Well," she said, reasonably, after a bit of thought, "have you...talked to him about it?"

Because talking was the solution to everything.

Except maybe her marriage.

Hum.

"We have the same classes, but when I saw him, all he did was glare at me. I think he's mad because I hooked up with someone. But, what does he expect? If you're going to move on, it's best to do it quickly, right?"

Plus, the dude had been a virgin, and you don't pass that up lightly.

"But maybe he's not quite ready to move on," Charlotte offered after considering the predicament for a moment. "Or maybe you're not either, otherwise you wouldn't be as concerned as you are right now, right?"

It made her so sad when things like this happened...

"You're right. I should probably try and... talk to him," he admitted. "And to be honest, I don't think I'll ever meet anyone who's as good in bed as Toby. He knows everything I like. I don't even have to tell him, it's just like he knows, like he can read my mind."

Kevin crossed his legs.

...wait, but didn't Kevin say that the problem was that Toby had tried to do something in bed that Kevin didn't really like...?

She shook her head. Details like that were sometimes just not important when there was a potential make up to be had.

So she just nodded. "You should try," she encouraged him. "Definitely."

"Thanks, Miss York," he said, smiling. "I really needed this chat."

Of course, ten minutes from now, he'll think over the situation again, and decide that it's probably best to just write Toby off and just sleep around as much as possible.

But that was still ten minutes of success for Charlotte. She beamed happily at Kevin, trying her best to refrain from bouncing or applauding or something. "I'm just glad to help," she said, bobbing her head and turning her beam up even brighter, which was pretty impressive. "So, you're welcome, Kevin. Anytime."

"Cool. So, um, is there anything you need me to do around here? I feel kind of bad just sitting around. I could, like, sweep or something," he offered.

"Oh! Um..." Charlotte thought about it. "Sure! Sweeping sounds good. Maybe dust a little, too? I just wanted to check and see how you were doing, so...I guess I'll leave you to your work, Kevin?"

"I'll get right on that," he said, looking about. Finding a broom will give him something to do.

"I'm glad you came by. Thanks again."

Seriously, everywhere he looked, something phallic just seemed to jump out.

I <3 black and white apparently.

IT IS REFLECTIVE OF HOW DARK HIS WORLD IS WITHOUT TOBY. *nods*

So very insightful and true!

The York Galleyr, Saturday [7/26]

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