Manhattan

Epilogue

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enjoy :)

SIX YEARS LATER

Aidan felt pride welling up in him as he stood outside the art gallery.

His art gallery.

It was a small building, nestled between a flower shop and a ballet studio along the downtown streets of the city, but Aidan loved the location. He'd fought tooth and nail to get it. Often, when he would hear the melodic notes of classical music from the recitals next door making its way inside, or get a whiff of the fresh scent of flowers carried in by the wind, he knew it had been worth it.

Smiling slightly, he took the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. The familiar smell of new paint greeted him as he stepped inside. Sunlight filtered in through the storefront window, and he looked around at the lively paintings hung around the length of the room, contrasting vividly against the stark white walls. In the center, an easel with a large canvas was set up, though the painting was concealed behind a white cloth, the contents to be revealed today. He was both nervous and earnest about it, given that it had been the piece he'd been working on for years. He set about his usual business, flipping the 'closed' sign to 'open', turning on the radio and letting the gentle jazz tune filter into the air. Then, he waited.

It had only been a year, but Aidan was already in love with his job. After four years of art school, he'd worried about he would do. Sure, he could paint and try to sell his art, but realistically, he didn't think he could have made a living off of it. He remembered how he and his mother had struggled, and he didn't want to go through that again. Running an art gallery certainly hadn't been in his plans, but he loved every second of it. It gave him a chance to celebrate art while still getting to make his own.

A draft of wind swept inside as the door opened, and Aidan looked up to see Benji and his boyfriend, Sam, enter. Benji had a smile on his face, one that seemed to be permanently etched on these days.

Aidan greeted them both with hearty fist bumps.

"So," Benji started. "Finally the Big Day, huh. You nervous?"

Aidan shrugged. "Kinda. Trying my best not to be."

Sam placed a comforting hand on Aidan's shoulder. "Dude. I know you're gonna do great."

Aidan patted his hand back in thanks. He liked Sam. The guy was nice, and he was good to Benji. That was more than enough reasons to.

If he thought about it, he couldn't remember how exactly Benji and had Sam gotten together. One day, he didn't know of his existence, the next, Benji was introducing Sam as his boyfriend to Aidan, and ever since then, they'd been steadily dating for a year and a half. It was nice, how easily he had fit into their lives. And Benji was certainly happier. Aidan didn't think Sam was the sole reason. Benji had slowly been getting his life together, along with Aidan, throughout the years. He moved out, studied photography at college, gotten a good paying job as an editorial photographer, and supported his family as best as he could. Sam came after. But there was no doubting how important he was to Benji.

Benji walked over to the easel now, reaching for the cloth covering the canvas. "Ooh, the grand reveal. Can I peek?"

Aidan swatted his hands away. "Uh-uh. You've waited three years. You can wait a couple more hours."