Page 44 of Epidermis

This is not about what you need. He just kept repeating that to himself. Konrad wasn’t responsible for offering penance, for alleviating Jasper’s guilt.

“I like Emily,” he said, cutting a piece of the braised lamb on his plate.

“She’s a very hard worker.”

Jasper looked over at the note of fondness in Konrad’s voice, his lips pulling upward. “You like her.”

“I value her as an employee.”

“Mm. You’ve taken her under your wing.” It was just a guess, but Konrad’s silence was the sound of Jasper hitting the nail on the head. Jasper grinned. He didn’t need any familiarity with the restaurant business to see the nervous way Emily fumbled between the more experienced servers, how she had to focus so hard on balancing a tray when she carried it.

“It wasn’t charity. She has a good work ethic, skill can be learned.”

Jasper’s smile widened. “Okay.”

“I’ve missed you.”

He almost choked on his wine. Konrad was gazing at him like he’d never left, and Jasper’s glass rattled against the table as he sat it down with a shaky hand. “Not enough dog hair on your clothes without me around?”

“Scarcely any, I’m afraid.”

Jasper laughed. His hand was still on Konrad’s knee, and he held on just a little tighter, unsure if this moment was a reunion or just a more definitive goodbye than they shared at the airport. “You should get back to your opening. Enjoy it.” He withdrew his hand to his own lap, missing the contact as soon as it was gone.

“I am enjoying it at present.” Even so, Konrad stood up and smoothed his jacket. “I’m glad you came, Jasper.”

“Me too.”

Their eyes met and it didn’t feel like goodbye this time. Jasper gave a twitchy, nervous smile. “Talk to you later?”

“You have my number.”

Jasper let out a long breath as Konrad walked away. Maybe he hadn’t burned them to the ground after all. Maybe, underneath the ashes, there was enough left of them to be salvaged.

Or maybe they were still ablaze, even now. Both choosing to burn together.

fourteen

Jasper changed out of his suit when he got home and started sketching. A black rose, dripping ink or perhaps blood. He used a paint marker for the red string that wrapped around the stem. A different medium for something that was out of place in his art, yet somehow looked like it belonged there. He dropped his head back against the wall. Usually he sketched at his desk, but this time he was propped up in bed, with various pens and pencils scattered around on either side of him. Corvus was laying at the foot of the bed, snoring.

He picked up his phone to send a text to Konrad, deeming that it had been long enough not to appear desperate. It had actually been far longer since he’d got home than he realized.

Jasper (11:41 PM)

Hey

He groaned. That was a terrible first text to send after so long. He stared at his contact photo for Konrad, a picture he’d taken in Vegas one morning when Konrad had first woken up. Jasper had done it just to be a menace and Konrad had laughed, leaving Jasper with a picture of him at his most gorgeous—hair not yet styled for the day, his smile a rare one in that his lips weren’t closed, exposing his slightly crooked canines. Jasper chewed the inside of his lip for a long moment before sending another text.

Jasper (11:44 PM)

It was good to see you

The reply came a few minutes later, while Jasper was cleaning up his art supplies.

Konrad Iversen (11:52 PM)

The feeling is mutual, though your choice of wardrobe was unkind. I found it rather difficult to focus on my work after seeing you in that suit.

Jasper was glad there were no witnesses in the room to see how he smiled at that, save for the four-legged kind. He realized he’d never changed Konrad’s name in his phone from the one it had automatically suggested, and updated it while he thought of what to say.