Mathew Baynton x Reader

win/lose

     i stood nervously next to my painting. it was a large still life of a dock, boats tethered to it, seagulls flying over head. i gripped my dress in fright. it was the first art show that i had ever participated in and i was petrified. i looked around. everyone's art was 1000x better than mine. it was a large, airy white room with huge floor-to-ceiling windows facing the busy london street outside. the high-noon bustle of downtown london was like clockwork, everything going separately yet all together making a beautiful image of life. i glanced at some of my other paintings. a medium-sized portrait of an elderly woman and a perspective piece of the new york street i grew up on.

     a family walked past my set-up and didn't even care enough to stop and look. then, i realised that the entire hour that i had been here, no-one even stopped to look. i pursed my lips in order to stop myself from sobbing and ran to the marble bathroom.

      after a few minutes, i composed myself enough to return to my station. "hey, even if nobody cares enough to stop, at least this is a good learning experience, right," i reassured myself. when i reached my corner of the gallery, i was surprised to see someone standing there. it was a guy, about 5'10 or so with brown hair standing with his arms crossed behind his back, closely examining my works. i stepped next to him and he turned to face me. "beautiful, isn't it," he said, calmly. my face turned bright red and i forced out a nervous "thank you." he raised his eyebrows slightly and asked "are you the artist? the depth in the ocean is.. breathtaking." he ran a long finger across the painting while gazing at it with a sense of expertise. before i could think, i blurted out "you know, you're the first person to say that." he looked at me again and raised one eyebrow then smiled sweetly and with an cheerful and calm laugh said "people are stupid sometimes."

     the sun had completely set and all the tourists and  christmas-shoppers had left the street. instead of the cool mid-day light, there were street-lights and the lights that had been left on in empty offices of large buildings. the man and i were still talking, even though it had been hours since the last visitor and art critique had left. i had learned his name was mat, he was 28 and he was an actor. we walked out of the studio together talking and laughing. he hailed a taxi and we shared it. my house was before his so i got out first. before i did, we exchanged numbers. when i got inside i laid on my bed in a fluster. did this all just happen?! no way! i decided that even if the whole art gallery was a fail, i did win long-term. yes i definitely did.. my vision blackened and i drifted off to sleep. definitely a very good day indeed..