Page 78 of Break the Rule
“You look beautiful.”
Silence.
No ‘shut up, Charlie.’
No ‘fuck off, Charlie.’
Nothing.
“Do you like them?”
No reply.
Eden spreads his fingers wide, laying it across the center of the canvas. When he speaks, his voice is so achingly small. “Why?”
“I paint. Everything. When I’m mad, happy, sad. Some people think, but I paint. I like to get the feelings on the canvas. I needed you to see before I put them in a gallery, and make sure it was all right.”
He waits for a reply to that. Surely Eden has a wise remark.
Nothing.
“Eden?”
“Why?”
“I just told you, I?—”
“Why me,” he whispers, spinning so that his hand is on Charlie’s chest, fisted in his shirt. His hand shakes, and Charlie has never seen anything more beautiful than Eden right now. He looks absolutely terrified—why, Charlie can’t imagine—yet he’s not running. He’s demanding a truth that Charlie is only too happy to give.
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, you captivated me.”
“You have horrible taste.”
“I think we’ve established that,” Charlie laughs, tracking the play of emotions on Eden’s face. He’s so expressive, the wrinkle of his nose and the furrow of his eyebrows such an easy tell. He’s confused, and that is a travesty.
“You are incredible, Eden. You deserve to know that. I just needed you to see yourself the way I see you.”
“I have one more rule.”
“What kind of rule?”
“Don’t fall in love with me,” Eden’s voice cracks. “I’m not…justdon’t.”
“Eden.”
“That’s the rule,” Eden whispers, and a part of Charlie’s heart twists. Fuck, is this how his brothers felt all those times they talked about crushes and feelings? When they said they’d do anything to make someone else happy? What the actual fuck.
“What if I don’t like the rule?” Charlie dares.
“Then we can’t happen. Besides, you don’t even date. You wouldn’t want something serious, right?”
“I’ve never wanted anything serious before,” is as close to an answer Charlie can give without flat out lying.
“Good, Then…then whatever this is, it doesn’t have to be anything serious. Right?”
“You’ve met me before, when am I serious about anything?” Charlie laughs, that tightness in his chest releasing when Eden nods.
“Also, this is kind of stalkerish behavior.”
