Troublemaker - 17. Chapter Seventeen

Todd

The double doors opened, and the lobby of people started funneling through to the other side where the art exhibition took place. Barrett and I rejoined with our group before walking together. Nerves were roiling inside my body, but bubbles of excitement as we walked past the doors and entered the main attraction.

The art curator definitely had an eye for talent as I gazed at the other masterpieces on display that ranged from sculptures and paintings to shadow art and motion graphics. I wanted to take my time to appreciate every artist’s work, but I needed to see my own art piece that was located right in the center of the exhibition.

I led my group to my painting that was almost six feet in height. I hadn’t originally planned to make it so big, but decided to increase the scale if I wanted my art to have a chance at being seen. Thank God I used a vector art program that allowed me to increase the size without blurring and sacrificing any of the details.

“Well, here it is. What do you guys think?” I asked.

“Oh, my goodness, Todd! Your art is amazing!” Sabrina said, hands on her cheeks.

Barrett squeezed my shoulder. “Looks even better in person.”

I smiled. “Th–”

Anthony stumbled as he got closer to the painting, and I sighed upon seeing my brother slightly drunk and holding his wine glass precariously in his hand.

“Oh, wow. Todd. You drew Mom. That’s Mom right there,” Anthony said, getting even closer.

Anthony swayed a little and his wine sloshed in the glass, a stab of fear went through me over the possibility that my brother would spill on my painting or something equally as horrible. I was about to tell him to be careful when Barrett approached him and steadied my brother with both hands on his shoulders.

“I think you had a little too much to drink, my friend,” Barrett said calmly.

“I-I’m fine,” Anthony slurred.

Barrett reached for the wine glass, and Anthony had enough sense to let him take it. A breathed deeply, knowing a crisis was averted as Barrett guided Anthony away from my painting. I smiled at Barrett with appreciation, and he winked back.

“Well, Todd. Want to show off your work’s main feature?” Channing asked out loud.

Channing’s voice caused a few spectators to turn to our direction, and I thought this was the best time for the reveal. Standing up close to my work, I peeled off a sticker the size of a quarter that had a quote from Superman on the back. I then picked up a transparent card from a stack on a table placed right under the piece and positioned the sticker in the center.

I raised the card in the air, which caught the attention of a couple who approached me. They asked me if they could peel a sticker, and I nodded with excitement. Other people started coming forward, more quickly than I anticipated. Dillon helped pass the cards, while Channing recorded everything with his phone.

I watched as people one by one peeled the stickers and placed them on a card. I received plenty of compliments and answered any questions they had about my work, my eyes constantly returning to Barrett who gaze at my work with admiration.

Couldn’t have done this without you.

The small crowd eventually dispersed, and the image under the stickers was revealed. A depiction of me as a scrawny preteen wearing a rainbow cape hugging my mother from underneath her own cape. She wasn’t only my supporter when I came out to her, but also my superhero.

I saw Anthony approach my work again, thankfully without any wine in his hand. I expected him to crack a joke about me being a momma’s boy or that I needed to cut the umbilical cord already. Instead, he gazed at the image of our mom with what appeared to be awe.

I stepped closer and saw that his lips were trembling, his attention transfixed on my painting. Just like our dad, I rarely saw my older brother exhibit any emotions that he believed would make him look weak. It was likely the wine that caused him to lose the inhibition to hold back his emotions, but seeing him almost teary eyed from seeing my piece was still a shocking sight to behold.

Standing beside my brother, I said, “You okay, Anthony?”

Anthony gave a small nod and sniffled.

“Need a tissue?” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Closing his eyes, Anthony said, “I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?”

Anthony opened his eyes again. “That you still care about her so much.”

“Of course I do,” I said, stating the obvious. “I love her; I’ll always love her. She was a great mom. Don’t you feel the same?”

“Of course I feel the same. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

“Then what?” I said, crossing my arms.

Anthony sighed and looked down. “I don’t know. I guess looking at your art, showing how much you love her and how much she means to you…makes me wish I was that close to her as well.”

“Anthony?”

“I know I teased you all the time about being a momma’s boy when we were growing up… But looking back at it now, I realize I was kind of jealous.”

“Jealous? Mom loved you too, Anthony.”

“Yes, I know that. But we both know that you were closer to Mom, while I spent more time with Dad. And I love Dad too. It’s just…I wish I got to know Mom more and showed her how much I loved her before…”

Anthony bit his bottom lip, and I instinctively wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“I hope she knew I loved her and that I wished I visited her more in the hospital. I just didn’t want to see her all weak and frail.”
Squeezing his shoulder, I said, “She knew you loved her, and she loved you back. There’s no doubt about that.”

Anthony wiped away a tear.

“Do you want to know what Mom said to me the day before…she passed?”

Anthony choked. “W-What?”

“To look after you. He’s a big boy, but that just means he needs bigger hugs.”

Anthony chuckled and with shiny eyes, gazed back at our mom. “I love you, Mom.” He then faced me and said, “Thank you for letting me come and see your art. Mom would be so proud of you.”

I grinned and held Anthony closer to me. “I love you too, bro.”

After the unexpecting bonding moment I had with Anthony, the rest of the art exhibition went by smoothly with the gang and I exploring the other art submissions. I was completely fascinated by all these works of art and felt at home with these creative minds who would undoubtedly become famous and change the world in the future. Barrett and I even had a chance to venture the area on our own and got lost in a room of mirrors with tinted reflections of the rainbow and warps and cracks made to look like people if that was even possible. We ended up finding a way out, and I looked down and realized I was holding Barrett’s hand the entire time. He noticed our clasped hands as well, and just held my hand more firmly, which made me grin like a goofball as we traveled to another part of the exhibition.

I had a blast, but like all good things, it ended way too quickly and people began leaving the show an hour after midnight. As everyone slowly exited the exhibition, I had one last look at my masterpiece and thanked my mother, wherever she was, for being my inspiration before catching up with Channing and Dillon outside at the lobby.

“Well, that was a fun time!” Channing said, raising his near-empty wine glass.

Dillon rolled his eyes at Channing and smiled at me. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“Of course. You’re my best friends after all.” I looked around the large room that still had people conversing with one another. “Do you think this is the endgame for me? I mean, did I already reach my peak?”

“Hell no!” Channing objected before wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “This is just the beginning for you, my friend. A lot of amazing things are going to happen, and Dillon and I are going to cheer you on the whole way through.”

I grinned and said, “Thanks for the reassurance, Channing.”

“No problem!” Channing said and tossed back the last of his wine.

“You’re not driving home in that state, are you?” Dillon asked.

“Nah, I’m just a little tipsy is all,” Channing said before swaying a bit. “I’m completely, uh, fine to drive myself home.”

Shaking his head, Dillon said, “No way. I’ll drive you to your place. I’m not going to risk you getting into a head-on collision or any kind of accident.”

“That’s so sweet of you, Dilly!” Channing cooed, offering Dillon a half hug. “Sorry I can’t play pretend boyfriend for you at your family reunion, but I’m sure Todd is helping you out with that, right?”

“Huh? Say that again?” I asked.

Dillon huffed and lightly shoved Channing who stumbled backwards but managed to stay on his two feet. “God, Channing. You’re such a blabbermouth when you’re drunk.”

“You love me anyway. Always have, always will.” Channing giggled.

I cleared my throat, and my two friends looked at me. “Uh, still here. Channing, you know about Dillon’s plan to bring me to his family gathering as his boyfriend?”

Channing nodded sheepishly. “I told Dillon to tell his mom that you two are a couple just to get her off his back is all I suggested. Worked with my parents who think I’m noncommittal.”

“And who’s pretending to be your boyfriend?” I asked.

Channing asked. “No one yet…but I do hope that when the time comes, either you or Dillon could–”

“No way!” Dillon and I said in unison.

“Oh, come on! That’s what friends do. They help each other, right?” Channing pouted.

“Again, you’re drunk, Channing. Let me take you home,” Dillon said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We might have to throw some of your stuff from the backseat to the trunk, so there’s room for me,” I suggested.

“No, don’t worry about me. I’ll just take an Uber,” Channing said.

Someone waved at a distance, and I looked past my friends to see Barrett approaching us with Sabrina and my inebriated brother by his side. They came from where the restrooms were at with Anthony slightly more put together but still swaying slightly like Channing.

“Actually, I might get a ride from Barrett instead, while you take Channing home,” I said, waving back.

“Oh. Yeah, that works… Should I expect you home within the hour or…” Dillon said.

I chuckled and said, “Don’t wait up.”

“Go get him, tiger!” Channing cheered.

Dillon shook his head and led Channing with a hand on his arm. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah, see you,” I said back as I closed the distance between myself and Barrett. “Hey, do you mind if I catch a ride with you guys?”

“Of course not. Do you want to head out now?” Barrett asked.

I nodded, and we made our way out of the lobby and walked a short distance to Barrett’s car. I made a move toward the front passenger’s seat but was quickly taken by Sabrina. I held back a sigh as I entered the backseat with my intoxicated brother sitting next to me.

“I’m going to drive to my place first, Todd. That’s where Sabrina and Anthony parked their cars,” Barrett said as he buckled his seatbelt.

“That’s cool,” I said.

Sabrina whispered something into Barrett’s ear that caused him to chuckle. Her hand then touching his that was resting on the gear stick irked me, but I held back my displeasure as Barrett began driving through the nighttime streets.

During the ride, Sabrina talked to Barrett in an almost hushed voice, to the point that I couldn’t interpret any of it, and I did my best not to lean forward and catch what they were saying. And her hand was still on top of his even as moved the gear stick. An uneasiness started roiling inside, which Anthony didn’t help as he constantly leaned against me as he was on the verge of passing out through the whole car ride.

I looked through the side window next to my seat and just stared into the darkness outside, trying my best to ignore the giggling between Sabrina and Barrett.

The darkness slightly dissipated once we drove into a quaint neighborhood with lights dotting either side of the street. Soon Barrett turned the car into a nice-looking, one-story house with a brick facade and windows with white shutters.

Barrett laughed again at something Sabrina said, and I was only happy to see their hands no longer latched together. I should be more understanding though. Those two were a couple since high school, and Barrett and I have only been on one date. Well, we cooked together and had mind-blowing sex the same night, and Barrett came to the art exhibition for me, and… God, I was so jealous right then seeing them giggling and touching each other’s hands, and I shouldn’t feel this strongly over a guy this soon into a relationship. Were we in a relationship? I didn’t know. All I could do right then was exit the car and follow Barrett and Sabrina as they chatted quietly.

Barrett opened the front door with a simple turn of his key and stepped aside for Sabrina to enter. He smiled at me, and I forced one in return as I entered the small foyer.

“Uh, where’s Anthony?” Barrett asked.

“Probably passed out in the backseat of your car,” Sabrina said and giggled.

Sighing, Barrett said, “I’ll get him.”

Barrett left, leaving the door open, while I looked around his wall decor and the furniture in the dimmed living room that all matched a contemporary theme, not like the mismatched look of my apartment.

I then turned to Sabrina who was stretching her arms. She looked at me and smiled.

“That was a great art show. And your submission was marvelous to see,” Sabrina complimented.

I smiled weakly. “Yeah. Thanks.”

I couldn’t be mad at this woman. She was so nice the handful of times we interacted with each other when she hung out with Anthony and Barrett at my house, and she was still a very pleasant person to be around. She was also pretty, with blond hair and warm, kind eyes. She and Barrett looked great together, and I feel so inadequate when trying to envision Barrett and I holding hands and giggling together.

“So…you and Barrett,” Sabrina said with a smirk.

I cringed. “Y-Yeah. Sorry.”

Sabrina frowned. “For what?”

I shrugged. “You know, for taking your man… I don’t know.”

Sabrina laughed out loud. “Oh, sweetie, you didn’t take him from me. We’ve long been broken up even before we even knew it.”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I said, “Oh. Sorry, I just saw you two touching hands in the car and…”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry about that,” Sabrina said, cringing. “We’ve known each other for so long that it has sort of become second nature. But don’t worry! I’ll keep my hands to myself for now on.”

“Th-Thanks, but don’t feel like you have to distance yourself from Barrett just because we’re seeing each other. I don’t mind you two still being friends.”

Sabrina smiled. “Thanks, Todd. Barrett really did make the right choice by dating you.”

“Eh. I don’t know. We’ve only been on one date… Though, I hope we go on another one soon.”

“I hope so too! Ever since you two started seeing each other, Barrett has been so upbeat.”

“Really?”

“Hell yeah. I haven’t seen him smile so much before, and everything in his life has been the same except for one factor.” Sabrina pointed at me. “You.”

I smiled. “That’s really good to know. And I really hope things between us get more serious. I’ve been crushing on him since my teen years, even when I thought he hated me for it.”

“Why did you think that?”

“Anthony told me he did, which turned out to not be true. Then again, Barrett didn’t update me on their talk,” I clarified.

“Barrett was a bit homophobic when we were in high school, and looking back I chalk it all up to his internalized homophobia and him suppressing his attraction to the same gender. At least that’s what my years of being a therapist tells me.”

“I see. I guess Anthony was just trying to protect me.”

“He shouldn’t have lied and said Barrett hated you though,” Sabrina pointed out.

“Yeah. That’s true.”

“God, this guy weighs a ton.”

I turned to see Barrett almost carrying my brother through the threshold of the front door.

“Need any help?” I said.

“Nah. I got this. I’ll drag him to the guest bedroom since he’s too out of it to drive himself home. I’ll be back.”

Sabrina and I chuckled as Barrett hauled my brother with his toes squeaking against the light-wooden floor.

“Hey. Do you want to know a secret?” Sabrina asked.

“A secret?”

“Yes…about Barrett,” she said, smiling cheekily.

“Oh, um…sure.”

Waving her hand to come closer, I leaned forward. Sabrina then whispered a sensitive piece of information about Barrett, which caused my skin to form goosebumps.

Sabrina giggled as I looked at her with a look of surprise.

“Thanks, Sabrina. I’ll give that a try.”

“Tonight perhaps?”

Before I could answer her, I heard a door close and Barrett appeared once again with a tired look on his scruffy face.

“Sabrina, are you heading home now?” Barrett asked before yawning.

“Oh, definitely. I don’t want to get in the way of a good night in bed.” Sabrina winked at me.

“Drive safely then. And Todd, do you want me to drive you home now?”

“Oh. Yeah, um…if-if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Your place isn’t far away.” Barrett pulled his car keys from his pocket.

“No, I mean… Do you mind if I stay for a bit? Watch a movie, maybe?”

“Oh. Sure.” Barrett’s eyes lit up.

“Well, see you guys later then. Enjoy your night,” Sabrina said, giggling and leaving through the front door.

Once the door closed, I looked back at Barrett with the new info about him swirling inside my head.

“You haven’t been to my place before, have you? Want a quick tour?” Barrett offered.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Alright. Follow me.”

Barrett waved his hand, and I followed him to the quaint living room with warm neutral colors and decorated sparsely with floral items. He then presented to me his kitchen that had plenty of high-end appliances for cooking, which made total sense for a foodie like him.

We then walked to the hallway where the bedrooms were, including his. Barrett said something about buying the house while it was still under construction, but I didn’t hear the other details as I fixated on a specific spot on the side of his neck.

I didn’t know I was following too closely until Barrett stopped, and I bumped against his hard, muscled back.

“Oh, you okay?” Barrett asked, turning around.

“I’m fine.” I looked up at Barrett’s warm brown eyes and said, “Hey, how about we skip watching a movie.”

“That’s cool. What do you want to do instead? Have a snack?”

I bit my bottom lip. “Yeah, a snack would be nice.”

I then leaned forward and buried my face in the left side of Barrett’s neck and nibbled on the area right behind his ear. Barrett moaned, and I knew Sabrina was telling the truth.

Barrett took a step back and said, “Woah. Hold on there. How did you know…?”

I chuckled. “Sabrina told me.”

Barrett blushed. “Of course she did.”

“Do you want me to do it again?” I asked, my hand touching his firm chest.

“I…I don’t know, Todd. Your brother…”

We both turned our eyes to the slightly opened door of the guest bedroom where my brother was completely out.

I closed the door completely and said, “He won’t hear us. I’m sure of it.”

“But what about that snack?” Barrett asked shyly.

I smirked and leaned forward until my lips brushed his ear. “You’re my snack tonight.”

I then nuzzled my nose in the same spot, causing Barrett to squirm again.

“Alright. Let’s head to my room.”

Barrett held my hand and pulled me toward the room at the end of the hallway, and I knew this night was going to be special.