Chapter 54

In the living room, Finn was sitting on a stool from Julian’s kitchen counter, his canvas in front of him. To the right of his pallet was his phone, which was rotating through a 1980s punk playlist. He turned, brush in hand, to see Julian approach. “Oh, hey! Morning!”

“Mhrm…” He yawned widely. “It’s not even seven. What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t really sleep.” He turned back to the canvas. It was Ethan’s Dorian Grey portrait. “I decided to work a little bit.” Julian walked up behind him, eyes squinting in the early morning light.

“You’re painting your boyfriend? A little weird, don’t you think?”

Finn laughed. “It’s the picture of Dorian Grey. Ethan’s first role. I didn’t know what else to get him for Christmas.” His smile dropped a bit. “It’s not…thatweird, is it?”

Quickly, Julian righted himself. “No, no, it’s not that weird. Just not that common, either. Unique.”

That plucked Finn’s mood back up. “I figured I’d finish it up while I was waiting till we left.”