Page 74 of Crystal Iris
“Actually, that’s his nickname,” says Gil.
“Right, his actual name is Michelangelo Merisi. Caravaggio is the name of the town he’s from.”
“He is a murderer,” says Christine.
“He did kill a man and lived in exile because of it,” I tell them.
“The best artists have dark shadows,” says Gil.
“Of course you would think that,” says Christine, stepping away from him toward Liam.
“Why are you taking this class again?” Gil asks her.
“It was the only one that fit with my schedule,” she replies.
I try to defuse the argument. “Okay, let’s move on toSaint Francis in Meditationhere.”
The trip to the museum turned out to be a little more intense than I anticipated. Gil and Christine bickered the entire time.
I’m heating up my leftovers when my doorbell rings. I check myself—my Harvard sweatshirt is covering most of my body; it’s enough to open the door.
“Hi,” says Hoyt from the hallway.
“What… are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
I move, opening the door wide. “How did you know... where I live?”
“Akira.” His eyes go straight to my bare legs.
“Hoyt, I’m… Give me a second.” I walk to my bedroom. I put on a pair of dirty yoga pants. My apartment is a complete disaster. I look at myself in the mirror. I look even worse. I wish I could at least take a shower.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, walking back to the living room, tying up my hair.
“I needed to see you.”
“I can’t believe you’re… here.”
“Where are you moving to?” He moves a box out of the way and sits in the chair.
“Nowhere. I’m… unpacking.”
“Akira told me what happened.”
“Why didn’t you tell me… about the money?” I ask.
“It never came up. I thought maybe you knew.”
“I didn’t. Hoyt, what if Aaron… does something with it?”
He shakes his head. “He won’t. Not if he wants to keep his business.”
“You should’ve seen his face… I don’t know if?—”
“As soon as a couple of deals are closed, I’ll transfer everything to another place.”
“He… how much money?” I ask. “Can he…?”
