Page 13 of The Art of Loving Ellie
Leading me down the steps to a solid black door, he knocks quickly four times, and a man I can’t quite see opens a sliding peephole that’s big enough so that just his eyes peek through.
“Tyler,” the man boasts from behind the door and opens it for us to enter. The person welcoming us is a large burly man, with a thick beard, who looks like he could crush me with one hand. He grabs Tyler and gives him a hug that is surely painful for him to endure.
“Who is this lovely lady?” the man asks reaching out for my hand, which I give to him, and he places a chaste kiss on the back of it.
“Ellie Clark,” I offer, and I can’t help but smile. I find it funny to see such a big, scary man giving me gentle affection. He politely takes my coat, and the one Tyler had given me.
I step back as Tyler engages in conversation with this man whose name I now know is Boris. Taking a look around the space, I notice works of art scattered about everywhere and conclude that we’ve stumbled into what appears to be an underground art exhibition.
The room is dark, EDM music pulses throughout, and I feel the thumping of the base lightly beating beneath my feet. People of all walks of life are milling around, mingling and laughing, and I’m quick to notice two women dressed in short black shorts, bustier tops, and torn fishnet stockings making their way around the room with champagne flutes. They are sporting bobbed neon wigs that the black lights in the room are enhancing, causing them to stick out in the crowd.
Tyler turns his attention from Boris to me and nods his head toward the crowd. “What do you think, Princess? Want to check it out?”
I take his hand as he leads me through the small crowd of people directly in front of us. “You’re really living up to your mystery man status!” I have to shout as we pass by the DJ. “Do you usually frequent underground art parties?”
Couples are bumping and grinding to the music in the center of the room, and small circular bar tables are scattered throughout for people to gather around. What captures my attention are the giant murals painted on the brick walls surrounding us. The blinding colors and geometric patterns stand out behind the people standing in front of them on each side of the large room. There are small and medium glass cases displaying various pieces of work such as clay sculptures, oil paintings, and magnetic architectures.
“This is one of my favorite spots.” He turns to speak over his shoulder so that I can hear him better. “It’s a great chance for artists who aren’t as well known to display their works—and it makes for excellent people watching.” He winks at me and I blindly follow him, utterly mesmerized.
There’s a space in the back where a few artists have set up large, hanging sculptures, and one of them catches my eye immediately. Dangling from the ceiling, at varying heights, are hundreds of little paper origami swans that are attached to thin silver wires. I walk around the piece to the left and watch as the swans appear to take the form of a giant heart, but as I walk around the massive piece to the right, I watch as the heart begins to break down the center.
Something about this feels ominous, but I don’t have long to dwell on the feeling before a couple makes their way over to Tyler and me. A beautiful, dark-complected woman excitedly swats Tyler on the arm. “What do you think you’re doing bringing this pretty girl in here, and not introducing her to anyone!” She politely shakes my hand. “My name is Heather, and this is my husband, Jordan.”
I smile back at her, liking her welcoming personality immediately. “Tyler was our wedding photographer, but we hit it off so well, he just couldn’t shake us afterward.”
Jordan, who has a bit darker complexion than Heather, elbows Tyler in the side, and raises his voice a bit over the music, “Yup, we all became pretty close after that. Couldn’t get him off our couch for weeks!” They share a laugh when Jordan grabs Tyler by the back of the neck, playfully giving him a shake.
He looks at me and explains, “There was a time in my life, about four or five years ago, when I wasn’t as financially stable during the upstart of my career. My parents aren’t exactly rich, so I didn’t feel right asking them for help. So, these guys offered to help get me through that time until I could find a place of my own.” There’s something tender in his gaze as he looks to his friends, and I think to myself, four or five years ago? It dawns on me that I don’t even know how old Tyler is.
The love he shares with them is obvious, and I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. My childhood best friend moved away shortly after we started high school, and even though I’ve had friends since, they are few and far between. Relationships of any kind are hard for me. There’s just too much uncertainty.
We talk with Heather and Jordan for a while as we all scan the different works placed around the room. I find that I'm truly enjoying myself for possibly the first time in what feels like a lifetime. Later into the night, the music takes on a life of its own and Tyler begins pulling me to the center of the room where other couples are dancing.
“No, no. Oh no we arenotTyler!” I’m trying to yell at him, but instead, find myself laughing and being dragged to the middle of what’s become a makeshift dancefloor. I’m a little bit thrilled, and a lot frightened by how completely hypnotized I am by this man. I watch him shaking his hips at me and motioning for me to join his silliness, and a vice-like pressure begins to grip my heart.
Heather and Jordan join us in dancing, and Jordan immediately starts doing the robot. When he switches to twerking, I throw my head back laughing at the absurdity as his wife spanks him playfully and pretends to throw him dollar bills. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard and we’re sweating, and throwing our bodies around to the beat of the music. It’s magical and intoxicating, and I’ve never felt so free in my life.
Tyler takes my hand and spins me around, bringing me back to him. He completely closes the distance between our bodies and I’m breathless as I move against him, trying to find some rhythm while enjoying the fun and friendship surrounding me. Our hair sticks to our necks from slick sweat, and we’re so in tune with each other, it’s almost as if he’s predicting my every move.
He smooths his right hand down my side to my hip and gives it a gentle nudge, inviting me to be bolder with my movements.
Challenge accepted.
I give him a teasing smile, and turn around so my back is to his front, and lift my arms above my head and around his neck. I give a swirl of my hips against him as I take my time sliding my body all the way down, and back up again. I can feel every bunch of muscle in his abdomen creating what promises to be an impressive six-pack.
When I look over my shoulder to gauge his reaction, he stares back at me intensely. Thus far, our friendship has been little more than that—a friendship. Now, we risk pushing ourselves over into territory that I fear I’m not exactly ready for, no matter how much I enjoy his company.
Jordan and Heather break our trance by bumping into us and laughing, and Tyler lets out a slow breath as he takes a small step back from me. We look like we got caught doing something dirty, and I’m trying to convince myself that we weren’t.
Heather grabs me by the arm and leads us out of the crowd, and over to an area devoid of people. Catching our breath, we laugh and people watch for a while and before I know it, it’s close to midnight.
Tyler reaches out to shake Jordan’s hand and hugs Heather goodbye. “I need to get Ellie home before she turns into a pumpkin.”
“I’m pretty sure that’snotwhat happens!” I hit his chest lightly, which causes his friends to laugh, and they wave to us as we leave. Saying goodbye to Boris on our way out, we grab our things and head back into the night where the cold air is a welcome change to the heat I felt inside.
Tyler is oddly quiet on the walk back to the car, and the air feels charged with a different energy as anxiety claws under my skin. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on how things were going, but as we walk back in total silence, I’m feeling more and more like I may have accidentally messed something up between us.
“Tyler,” I say, halting our walk. “What’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you? If I did please, I—” He turns around to face me, and the look on his face freezes the rest of my words in my throat.
