Lucian smiled, somewhat self-deprecatingly, before it softened a little. The fact that the man in front of him perhaps didnât see himself within all of his attractive qualities wasnât much of a surprise, considering the venue in which they had met, but it still was a bit of a shock. He had quickly came to learn that most people saw more beauty in others than themselves, no matter how true that beauty may be. It was so easy to look at someone or something else that wasnât a mirror and say that it was beautiful, because you knew it was, but when it came to yourself it was never so easy; that being his main reason for never having painted a self portrait, figuring that it would turn out to be disgraceful, no matter how great and realistic in ended up being in the end. He never painted something he didnât think was beautiful. âI guess weâll both have to work on that, huh?â he offered softly with a lopsided little smile, sort of like âwhat can you do with this low self-esteem?â.
He wasnât paying much attention to the closing distance between them, too focused on telling this man who was seemingly willing to listen about his endeavors with the arts. It was something he held a passion for, a great need for, because it kept him going when times go rough. It was at once his escape from reality and where he found his true self. If it were entirely up to him, he would never sell his art and give it away for free to those who liked it, but the economy wasnât one to work with him. Lucian had to pay his bills somehow and nothing was ever free; even being alive at that moment didnât come free but with taxes attached to every breath he breathed. At the end of his little rant, his breathing was vaguely labored, chest rising and falling swifter than it had been, and they were so very close. If he leaned forward just so then their lips would be touching and a part of him wanted that so much but he was too shy to do it, too unsure.
His eyes lit up a little brighter as he was question about what he saw in Cooperâs eyes, attention focusing closer on the very depths of his baby blues, where there was a great threat of being trapped. âSadness,â he began softly, entranced, âloneliness⌠the way they kind of⌠shine even when youâre not crying.â A part of him worried he was overstepping some boundary but getting a closeup, extended view of this man was something he cherished and wanted to milk it for everything it had to offer. âTheyâre a little⌠tough, showing that your life maybe wasnât the best that it couldâve been or⌠someone hurt you.â He bit his lip for a second before continuing, âBut thereâs⌠still a lot of soft spots, where you have more love to offer than probably most appreciate⌠probably even yourself.â He swallowed, resisting the urge to reach out and caress his cheek, fingers slightly shaky from the force of his gorgeous eyes. Knocking himself out of it, Lucian backed off quickly, muttering a soft apology, embarrassment flooding in his cheeks with a soft red.
The comment made his face flush a little brighter and he shifted his feet, laughter bubbling at his lips. His stomach tightened nervously, because he wouldnât exactly mind Cooper causing the blood to rush there. âLucian!â called out a voice behind him, causing him to jump, startled, before turning quickly to glance at the tiny form of Marisa. It was always such a great joy to see her, but he put on a sheepish face for his benefit, in the presence of his boss. She hurried over to him, though not making a great scene in front of her customers, and threw a brief smile at Cooper before turning to her employee. âWhile I appreciate you welcoming our customers so generously, there is other work to be done.â She gestured to the other customers sitting at the bar, giving off an expression of annoyance with the downward curl of her lips. The woman rushed off as quickly as she had come, disappearing behind the double doors with one quick shove to both doors.
âYes, maâam,â he called to her back with a sarcastically obedient tone. Turning back to Cooper, he rolled his eyes, completely unfazed by the display. âI guess that means I have to get back to work,â he told him with a little smile before reaching into his back pocket, acting without thinking it entirely through. Lucian ripped off a sheet of paper from the little notepad and pressed the tip of his pen into it, scribbling out his cell phone number. âOf course, call me over if you need anything more to drink, but, uh⌠hereâs my number.â He slipped it closer to the older man, a kind look on his face. âMaybe we can hang out sometime?â he offered, lifting his hand from the table and shoving it into his pocket, along with the other. Shooting a quick look over his shoulder at the other patrons of the bar, he gave Cooper another long look before he would be forced to leave. âIt was really great to properly meet you.â
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