His Vision of Art

18 months

Tarq:

I tighten my yellow tie for the hundredth time, and I quickly glance at my watch.
5 minutes.
I hear a small knock and I turn to see Uriah around the corner, his knuckles resting against the wall.

I smile. "Hi."

"Hi." He says after a beat.

I take a deep breath, striding over to him and reaching for his suit jacket.
"You look very nice." I comment as I kiss him briefly.

He blinks, blushing afterwards, and I will always love that part about him.
"So...so do y-you." He manages.

I give him another peck, but quickly get addicted to his taste, pressing him against the wall and giving him a long lingering kiss.
He kisses me back, wrapping his arms around me neck and melting against me.
I pull him closer but he breaks away, but I don't let him get that far. He laughs softly, but quickly, and he refuses to look at me, burying his face into my neck.
I rest my head against his, one arm around his waist and my free hand carding through his hair.

"Nervous?" I whisper.

There's another pause before Uriah nods.

"Don't be. We've been practicing and you've been working so hard. I have so much faith in you, and I'll be there on stage with you." I murmur against him.

"You're just there to...to in--intimidate the people who make fun of me..."

I laugh, his mouth moving against my neck, tickling me. I tighten my grip on him, "True...but I'm there to see you start over again...and this time I want to be a part of this beginning...this--this breakthrough you're going through..." I whisper against him.

I feel him shiver against me,"I'm going to...I'm not..."

I feel his jaw lock, and I know how frustrated he is, finding the words but grasping onto them before they float away. It's awful...knowing you can only hold onto something so simple for a split second, and only have that split second to get your words out.
Uriah struggles, grinding his teeth again, and I let him, pressing him closer to me.

"Take a deep breath." I whisper against him, "just try again."

Uriah growls, but he complies, taking a deep breath. Thinking. Processing. Executing.
"...my presentation won't be--won't be perfect."

I pull him back so I can really look at him. "All I ask is for you to express yourself."

Uriah swallows, and his fingernails dig into my arms.
"I--I sound like a five year...five year old who can't...speak prop--properly."

I peck his lips one last time.
"But you don't express yourself with words."

------------

"Um hi. Hi..." Uriah says into the microphone.

The crowd settles down and everyone slowly turns to him.

He stiffens, quickly turning his head to look back at me. I stand a few feet behind him to the side, my hands clasped behind my back.
I give him a smile, and he turns around just a quickly, looking back at the crowd.

The people watch him quietly, respectfully.

"Sorry--I...um." Uriah swallows. His hands shake. He quickly reaches into his back pocket, grabbing the flash cards I gave him in case of emergencies.