The painter's lover

painter*?

Gulf lay in his bed, gazing at the wall beside him, contemplating how to spend his free week.

"Maybe I'll just stay here... it's so comfy."

And with that thought, he drifted off to sleep.

Today was Christmas, and Gulf watched through the window as children played in the snow outside. He couldn't help but think of Bright's kids.

"They're probably out there playing in the snow too."

A smile crossed his face at the thought of the children. His phone rang, and it was Bright calling.

He chose not to answer; he knew his friend would invite him again, and he would decline once more. Christmas was meant to be celebrated with one's true family, and no matter how many times Bright insisted they were like family, Gulf knew they weren't. His family was his wife and kids, and he was nowhere near them.

He headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, but to his dismay, he found nothing to eat. Putting on his comfy black jacket and shoes, he grabbed some money and headed to the bakery to buy something to eat.

On his way, something caught his eye – the same advertisement for painting classes he had seen yesterday.

"If I believed in signs, I'd think this was one for me,"

he chuckled to himself, then continued on his way to the bakery.

"Can I have one loaf of bread and a piece of that chocolate bread over there, please?"

he requested at the bakery.

The old woman handed him what he asked for, but she kept staring at his face, making Gulf feel uneasy.

"Is there something wrong, miss?"

he asked nervously.

"Nothing, it's just that you are so beautiful that if I were your age, I would never let you go. I'd hold onto you with my hands, legs, and teeth,"

she said with a strange intensity.

Gulf was shocked, unable to even blink.

"Hey, old lady, don't scare the kid away, or he'll never come back here,"

a manly voice interrupted from the door.

Angelic. That was the first word that crossed Gulf's mind when he saw the man.

"Pay her and run, or she'll really hold onto you with her teeth, young man,"

the man advised with a smirk.

Gulf was utterly bewildered.

He handed over the money and left without bothering to collect the change.

Now far from the bakery, Gulf muttered to himself,

"She is a crazy woman..."

His thoughts then drifted back to the angelic man he had encountered.

"So handsome..."

he couldn't help but think.

As he pondered the man, he noticed the advertisement once again, but this time Gulf decided to take down the address and phone number.

"I won't lose anything though,"

he reasoned.

With that, he returned to his cozy apartment, the mysterious encounter lingering in his mind