Page 59 of Thirst

I'm not available for the next couple of days. I have an art exhibit coming up

Really? That’s great. When is it?

Day after tomorrow. 84th Street. Seven o’clock. I can't see you before then because I still have work to do to prepare. Plus, I don't know if I'm ready to be alone with you again. Not yet. Come see me in public first. But not at the club. Not after what happened the last time you were there

Understandable. When?

At the exhibit. Come toward the end and we can talk after

Okay. I’ll be there. It’s dope to see you making your dream come true. I'm proud of you.

I let out a sigh and shake my head. The only thing worse than a vampire is a charming vampire.

Thanks. I’ll see you in a couple days

Okay. One more thing before we wrap it up …

What’s that?

Have you spoken to anybody about me? About the conclusion you said you formed?

And just like that, my heartbeat goes into panic mode. It pounds away at my ribcage like a construction worker, sending fear and adrenaline rushing through my body and making me lightheaded.

No. Of course not

Again, he takes a moment to respond, and my mind immediately creates the assumption that he's pondering whether I'm lying or not, and deciding his next course of action. Then, a new question forms in my mind that wasn't ever there before.

If he's really a vampire, does that mean Amari has killed people?

As alarm bells blare in my head about the possibility of the answer being yes, and what it could mean for other people if I told them about Amari, he responds and sends a spike of terror through my heart.

Good … Don’t …

Thirty-Six

My dreams come true tonight. It’s the day of my exhibit, and I have been on a nonstop grind ever since Stanley and I locked this date in. I never took my eye off the ball leading to today, and I ended up creating five more abstract pieces. They're beautiful, albeit very different from the Amari piece that I know will steal focus. I tried to create a few realism pieces like Stanley suggested, but I was able to do the Amari piece because he inspired me to. His presence, his demeanor, his mysteriousness, his … fangs. I didn't force it, and when I tried to make it happen again, I quickly learned that my best work comes when I don't make it happen. It’s better when I let it happen. So I didn't risk forcing it, and chose to let the abstract art come to life instead. It’s not Stanley’s art anyway. It’s mine, so he’ll just have to understand.

We’re only an hour away from the doors opening when I pull into the parking lot, my nerves on high alert and spiking my heart rate. So much is happening today I can barely keep myself together. It’s my first business venture that has nothing to do with Fantasies, and I'm partnering with a real-life art dealer for it. Stanley’s connections are going to come in and critique my work, which is a first in and of itself. The only people who have ever looked at my art are my parents and Janae. Now I'm going to be surrounded by strangers, all of whom have a history of buying paintings from popular artists. This is a test like never before. Is my art as good as some of the other people they've given their money to? Am I good enough? I've been so nervous about it that I didn't even invite anybody I love to come see me, to spare myself the embarrassment if it’s a disaster. I don't want to waste my time, but I don't want to waste Stanley’s either. He's the one who really put all of this together. It’s his venue and his clientele. If this doesn't go well, I might not ever get another shot. Everything is riding on what happens tonight.

As I grab as many canvases as I can carry to take them inside, I feel a tickle in the back of my mind. I try to focus on the exhibit, but the shadow of Amari is still lurking in the background. Even with all of this in front of me, I know that he will be here at some point tonight, and he's coming to discuss the craziest topic I've ever encountered. Is he a vampire? It’s the most ridiculous thing ever, yet it’s happening for real. I have to shake my head and sigh as I walk to the entrance to the venue, because I can't let him occupy my mind right now. It’s a bridge I’ll have to cross when I reach it. For now, all I can think about is the exhibit. It’s my time to shine.

Stanley lets me into the front door when he sees me struggling to get it open by myself. He's dressed in a black suit that looks expensive, per usual, and I see a black duffel bag sitting in the middle of the floor as I come in. I nearly trip over it making my way to one of the concrete pillars.

“Sorry about that,” he says as he snatches it up and takes it to the back room. When he returns, he's smiling. “So, how are you feeling? It’s your big night. Our big night.”

I set my canvases down and stand up straight, looking around the room and picturing which piece will go where. Stanley that tonight is our big night reminds me far too much of Von, but I choose to ignore it. Today is too important.

“Yeah. Umm, I'm nervous,” I answer, still not really focusing on him. “I can't believe it’s happening, to be honest. I can't thank you enough.”

“You will,” he replies, and even though it sets off a quiet alarm in my chest, I'm too focused to really pay attention to it.

“So, I see you put hooks up,” I say, totally locked into the exhibit. “I assume I'm using those to hang each piece?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” he answers. “I put as many as I could since you said you’d be bringing a couple of extra pieces. Just place each one how you see fit and we can remove any hooks you don't use.”

“Got it,” I reply, my eyes still scanning and picturing it all taking shape. I nod to myself, then I'm out the front door again and headed back to my car to grab the rest of the pieces.

I manage to get everything inside in three trips, and Stanley sits in a chair in the corner while I hang every piece of art in the exhibit. I put it all together like a puzzle, filling gaps with my smaller canvases and using the big pieces as main attractions at the center of walls and on the pillars. I use Amari’s piece on the biggest wall and leave plenty of space between it and the next piece, making sure it grabs attention as the sole piece that isn't abstract. By the time I'm finished, I'm smiling proudly at the end result. It looks incredible, and I'm shocked by the tears that come to my eyes. This is what I've wanted for so long, and I can't believe I'm looking at my childhood dream taking shape. I'm about to have an art exhibit. Unbelievable.