Page 80 of Chase
He takes a paintbrush to the canvas violently, making thick lines of neon pink first, then going in with orange, then pure black. The muscles on his back stretch and tense as he works, and?—
A message suddenly pops up on the screen, and I jump as it breaks my focus.
Chase Cameron
Need me again?
“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath.
I feel like I just got caught.
Even if he somehow guessed that the profile was mine…
There’s no way he canseehow many times a person viewed a video, is there?
Or that I viewed all of his paintings at least a handful of times today?
Holy shit.
There probablyisa way to see that.
I lock my phone like it’s a grenade that’s about to blow, but then I unlock it again a few moments later.
Logan
I used the QR code.
Chase Cameron
Knew it was you. I can’t fucking believe this profile is yours. You’ve been looking at a lot of my art.
You’re very talented.
Thank you. Want to buy a piece? Maybe the self-portrait of me that you viewed nine times today?
I pull in a shallow breath, looking out at the breeze rustling through the small garden beside me. I’m miles from Chase right now, but I may as well be right in front of him again, pinned by his gaze.
Not in the market for new art at the moment, but I’d consider it.
Fuck yeah. Are you at that big premiere right now?
At the afterparty. My costar Charlie likes any excuse to have people over.
Fancy fancy.
It’s not that exciting. My mind keeps wandering.
Wandering to my art?
That and other things. I’ve been contemplating doing something I really shouldn’t do, so your art is a good distraction.
He doesn’t respond for a moment, and I almost think he’s put off by what I said.
I’m thinking of doing a nude photoshootisn’t exactly a message I’m going to send in written, screenshottable form, and I’m pretty sure it’s not something I’d go through with, regardless.
My phone rings a moment later and it’s even more of a shock than when he messaged me.
There’s a little video preview of his face on the screen.
