I'm For You

-6-

The city was loud, bustling with its usual chaos, but inside Crystal's studio, everything was still. He hadn't left the apartment all day, his mind restless as he waited. Gigi would be back in Los Angeles today. Her flight had landed earlier that morning, but they hadn't made any plans to meet right away.

There was a tension in the air, an uncertainty that had settled over him ever since their last conversation. Crystal had spent the last two weeks channeling his emotions into his art, completing the portrait of Gigi and starting several new pieces. He painted her in the way he saw her now, not just as the model, the icon, but as someone real, flawed, and complicated. He poured every emotion he had into those paintings, hope, fear, longing, and everything in between.

But now that she was back, the questions that had haunted him for days were creeping back into his mind. What would happen now? Would they pick up where they left off, or had too much changed?

His phone buzzed on the table, and for a moment, he hesitated before picking it up. It was a message from Gigi.

"Hey, I'm back. Can we meet up later today? Your studio?"

Crystal stared at the message for a moment, his heart pounding. He quickly typed a response.

"Yeah, sure. 3 PM?"

"See you then."

The time crawled by as he waited for her to arrive. He paced the studio, adjusting canvases, wiping down surfaces that didn't need cleaning, all to distract himself from the nervous energy building inside him.

When the knock finally came, his heart leapt into his throat. He opened the door to find Gigi standing there, her long blonde hair framing her face, her piercing blue eyes studying him with a mix of emotions he couldn't quite read. She looked beautiful, of course, but there was something softer about her now, something that made his heart ache.

"Hey..." she said, her voice quiet.

"Hey." he replied, stepping aside to let her in. The studio felt smaller with her presence, the air heavy with unspoken words.

Gigi walked in slowly, her eyes taking in the space that had become so familiar to her in the weeks before she left. Her gaze landed on the easel in the corner, where the finished portrait of her still stood.

She walked over to it, her fingers brushing lightly against the edge of the canvas. "You finished it." she said softly, her voice filled with something like wonder.

Crystal stood a few steps behind her, watching her reaction. "Yeah..." he said. "I wanted to finish it before you came back."

Gigi turned to look at him, her eyes filled with emotion. "It's beautiful, Crystal. You captured…so much. I don't even know how to describe it."

He stepped closer, feeling the pull between them, the magnetism that had always been there, even before they admitted it to themselves. "I painted what I saw in you. Not just the model everyone knows. I wanted to paint you."

She held his gaze for a long moment, her breath catching. "You did..." she whispered.

There was a beat of silence, the tension between them thick, and then Gigi sighed, stepping back from the painting. "These last two weeks..." she began, her voice wavering, "they've been hard. Paris was everything I dreamed it would be, but it didn't feel right without you."

Crystal's heart clenched. "I've been thinking the same thing." he admitted. "It felt like…I don't know. Like something shifted between us. I was scared that maybe you'd come back and things would be different."

"They are different." Gigi said softly. "But not in the way you’re thinking. I had a lot of time to think in Paris, and what I realized is that no matter where I am, whether I'm walking down a runway or sitting in a fancy hotel room, I couldn't stop thinking about you. About what we started before I left."

Crystal swallowed hard, his chest tightening. "I couldn't stop thinking about you either. Every day, every night, I kept wondering what would happen when you came back. Whether we'd still have…this."

Gigi stepped closer to him, her eyes searching his. "I don't want to lose what we have, Crystal. I don't care if our lives are different or if we're moving in separate circles. I want this. I want you."

Crystal felt the weight of her words sink into him, the sincerity and vulnerability behind them. He reached out, gently taking her hand. "I want you too, Gigi. I've been scared, but I can't keep pretending that what I feel for you isn't real. I don't care if it's complicated, or if it's not perfect. I just want to figure it out with you."

Gigi's eyes softened, and for the first time in weeks, Crystal saw a glimmer of hope in them. "We'll figure it out." she said quietly. "I don't know what the future holds, but I know that I don't want to let this go."

Crystal squeezed her hand gently, pulling her into an embrace. She fit against him perfectly, the warmth of her body grounding him in the moment. As they stood there, holding each other in the middle of his cluttered studio, it felt like all the uncertainty, all the fear and doubt, melted away.

They had no idea what the future would bring, but for now, they had this moment. And that was enough.

__________

Later that evening, after leaving Crystal's studio, Gigi returned to her apartment, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. The conversation with Crystal had been difficult, but it had also been exactly what they needed. She had been so afraid that the distance between them would break what they had, but now, she realized that it had only made their connection stronger.

As she walked into her apartment, she smiled to herself. It felt good to be back in Los Angeles, back in the life she had built, but it also felt good knowing that she didn't have to choose between her career and Crystal. They could navigate this together.

She sat down on her couch, pulling out her phone and scrolling through messages from Nicky and other industry contacts. There were more opportunities, more offers for international shoots and runway shows. But this time, Gigi didn't feel the same urgency to leave. She still wanted to pursue her career, but now, there was something else grounding her, someone else.

She opened her text messages and typed a quick note to Crystal.

"Thanks for today. I needed that. I'll see you soon."

His reply came almost instantly.

"Anytime. Can't wait to see you again."

Gigi smiled, setting her phone down and leaning back against the couch. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

__________

After Gigi left, the studio felt different. It wasn't just a place of work anymore, it was a space that held memories, emotions, and the beginning of something real. Crystal sat down at his desk, looking over the sketches he had made of Gigi while she was gone. Each one was a piece of her, a moment captured in time.

He picked up a fresh canvas, his mind swirling with new ideas. This time, he wasn't painting from a place of uncertainty or fear. This time, he was painting from a place of hope.

As the brush glided across the canvas, Crystal felt a sense of peace wash over him. He didn't know what the future held for him and Gigi, but for the first time, he wasn't scared of it.

Whatever came next, they would face it together.

__________

As the days passed, Gigi and Crystal found a new rhythm, a delicate balance between their separate lives and their growing relationship. It wasn't always easy, there were long nights when Gigi had to work late or last-minute meetings that took Crystal away from their plans, but they made it work.

They learned to navigate the uncertainty, the distance, and the demands of their careers, all while holding onto the connection that had brought them together in the first place. And through it all, they discovered that what they had was more than just a fleeting spark. It was real. It was lasting.

It was love, unfolding slowly, one moment at a time.

___________________________________________

Now this is sweet ain't it?