Page 6 of Beck

Kole nodded and watched as Ethan led her over to Ani and they finalised the purchase before Ethan took her to Beck. It was both a blessing and a curse that the muse for the design was the one doing the tattoo, but it was the right choice. Beck’s flair was extensive and extravagant, and he would do it justice.

Taking a deep breath, he faced his empty drawing pad and let it out slowly. Not even a few seconds later, Ethan drew his attention by bringing another person over to him.

“Kole is one of our designers today. Would you like to explain to him what you’re thinking of and see if he can create something you like? Naturally, you don’t have to choose his design, but if you like it, we can go from there.”

“Yeah, sure,” the guy said.

“Fantastic. Let me get you a stool.” Ethan grabbed a stool from behind the tables and took it around to the other side for the client. “I’ll leave you in Kole’s capable hands.”

Kole tucked away his reservations and smiled at the guy. “So, what’s your name?”

“Andy.”

“Nice to meet you, Andy. What are you looking for?”

Andy described what he wanted, and Kole rolled with it. He erased and redrew some things a few times, but eventually, Andy was happy with the result. He took the design over to Ethan and so went the rest of the day. It was exhausting and exhilarating all at once. He took several breaks, especially when his hand cramped, but mostly, he drew to his heart’s content. And when there weren’t any clients to draw for—whether that was becausethey’d chosen to ask an artist themselves or because they weren’t busy—he drew what he needed to, what his soul pushed to express.

When the announcement came that the event was closing, a ripple of awareness swarmed the venue. While Joey, Beck, Dallas and Finn finished up on their last clients, Ethan and Ani closed up their table, and Kole tidied away his designs. Whether they saw the light of day again was something he’d decide later.

“What was the final figure for today?” Joey asked Ani.

Ani shared a smile with Ethan. “Twenty-nine.”

Dallas threw his hands in the air, Joey and Beck hugged, and Finn stood with a grin on his face, the most expressive Kole had ever seen him outside of the shop.

“We’re over halfway, baby!” Joey said, lifting Ethan and spinning him around.

“Put me down, you big oaf!” Ethan said, laughing, belying his words by wrapping his legs around his boyfriend’s waist.

Kole chuckled at their antics. Their need to break last year’s record was cute. He hoped they hit the mark the next day. Kole might need to ice his hand that night if he was to draw for twelve hours the following day. He also needed some sleep. He stood.

“Congrats. I’m glad you’re on track. I’m heading back to the hotel.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Same time tomorrow?”

Joey held out his hand despite still holding onto Ethan. “You were amazing, man. I appreciate you helping us out so much.”

“It’s not a problem at all. I’ve had fun.” He smiled. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”

Kole waved and headed out, torn between wanting to celebrate with them and wanting to crawl into bed and sleep for hours. As soon as the frigid January air hit his lungs, he could breathe a little easier. Why, though, he wasn’t sure. It hadn’t been stifling when he’d been working, but as soon as they’d stopped, the walls had closed in on him.

He wandered slowly down the street, lit only by streetlights, and the now-regular feeling of someone watching washed over him. He quickened his pace, his pulse pounding in his ears until he started a jog. Only a few steps away from the hotel, a hand grabbed his arm.

“Kole!”

Kole yanked his arm away, held his hands in front of him and backed into the wall.

“Kole?”

He blinked a few times, trying to understand what else the person said, but still only catching his name.

“Kole.” Indistinguishable mutterings. “Kole. Beck.”

The new piece of information slipped in, and his gaze darted over the face swimming in front of him. The dark hair, the beard, the full lips, the blue eyes staring at him with something Kole couldn’t name in them.

“Kole. It’s Beck. Breathe for me, okay? Just breathe.”

His hearing cleared, and he sank into a crouch as his surroundings came into focus. Nausea swam around in his stomach like a tsunami, his head pounded, and his entire body shook.

“It’s okay. I’m here, Kole. I’m here.”

---