“And the sculptures?” his mom asked, moving her hold to his elbow.
“They’re all displayed in the gallery’s main hall.”
“Ah.” She beamed proudly. “The centerpiece.”
Max smiled. “Something like that, anyway.”
“Show me. Now.” Her eyes flashed eagerly. She tugged at his arm.
“Okay.” He laughed. His first laugh in ages. “So impatient.”
“No, my little bear. Just excited.”
Max’s smile dropped. “No. No little bears in public.” He grabbed a flute of champagne from a waiter as she passed, her tray laden with both empty and full glasses. “Here. Drink this.”
“Oh, my. How elegant.” She swooped it from his hand.
They arrived a moment later at their destination. A large marble platform of various heights, each sleek, white surface draped with swaths of slate-blue satin. Nearly a work of art in its own right. Max’s students had helped him dress it. And they’d all seemed pretty satisfied with the result. How it showcased their hard work with such sophisticated prestige, each sculpture displayed on its own little platform.
“Max, these are stunning. Your students made these?”
Max nodded, staring wistfully at the rich, bronze statues. So glossy and smooth, so rich in intricate detail. He tried not to focus on the man they embodied, on the handsome face they’d all captured so impressively. But it wasn’t that easy. In fact, it was impossible.
That deep, raw ache resurfaced in his chest as he relented and let his gaze move to the center. To the center of the exhibit, where his own piece sat perched. His personal version of Sean in all his glory. Max could feel the frown forming. He missed him so much.
“Is that him, woodatsi?” his mom murmured.
Max cleared his throat. “Who?”
She gestured to the sculpture he’d just been staring at. “The one you weren’t looking for. The one who found you.”
Max stiffened. Goddamn it. Must she be so fucking astute? A lump welled in his throat. He couldn’t do this; talk about Sean.
He shook his head and pretended to scan the room. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.” But he could feel her watching him. Reading him down to his posture.
Finally, she sighed. “You were right. He is beautiful.”
Max clenched his jaw and looked back at her. She was staring at his sculpture. “He’s just a model, Mom.”
“Of course he is.” She canted her head, studying it further. “Does he still want to be with you?”
Ugh. She was relentless.
He frowned with a shrug. “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, though. We don’t talk anymore.”
“Oh… That’s a shame.” Her whole demeanor wilted. She gazed at Sean’s face. “He looks so nice.”
“He is. As close to perfect as they fucking come.”
His mom stilled and looked at him. Max shuttered his eyes and shrugged. But right as she opened her mouth to weigh in, a big hand clapped Max’s shoulder from behind.
“Wow, Max. You really outdid yourself. Cocktail waitresses and everything. I’m impressed.”
Impeccable timing. Max turned around. “Scott. Glad you could make it. Hey, Tad. Thanks for coming.”
Max’s mom lit up. “Scott!” She all but elbowed Max out of the way. “So good to see you! Give me a hug.” She snapped her arms around him. “So big!”
Scott chuckled and hugged her back. “Hey, Ms. Kelley. How’ve you been?”
“Lonely! You and Max need to visit me more!”
Scott shot Max a “See? I told you” look.
Max grunted and looked at Tad. “You guys just get here?”
“Yeah. And more are coming. Jay and the others will be here soon.”
Max lifted his brows, surprised. Tad’s buds didn’t seem like the art show type. In fact, he suspected that they probably weren’t and were just coming to be nice. Which was very fucking cool of them. He’d have to cut them a little slack.
Scott let go of Max’s mom. “I got a handful coming, too. Kai and some clients. A couple of workout buddies also.”
Max nodded, feeling, well, quite frankly, kind of touched. That these people he barely knew would take the time to come and support him? It meant more than he expected, and the turnout was definitely appreciated. Tonight’s outcome was being watched very closely by the art department. If attendance was low and didn’t cover the expenses, he could pretty much forget about doing this next year.
He glanced around, then blinked. Damn. The place had filled up fast. Looked to be nearly at capacity already. But how? The gallery was huge. And while he’d made sure to put an announcement in the school paper, even the gallery owner admitted it was hard to get people in. Especially on a Friday night, on the cusp of graduation. Students wanted to party, not critique pieces of art.
Scratching his head, he had no choice but to leave it a mystery as familiar faces started lining up to say hello. His mom wandered off to go look at more pieces. Tad’s friends showed up not long after and hit the bar. Scott and Tad joined them. As did Kai when he finally arrived, that blatant tension between him and Breck igniting not two seconds after they spotted each other. Max, however, stayed swamped the whole time, stuck interacting with chatty guests. He pawned as many as he could off on any art students in close proximity, but even then, the droves just kept on coming.