"Shawn, come look at this one!" You gesture towards a new painting, of what assembles a modern remake of one of Monet's works. You recognize the lines and the familiar choice of colors. This is definitely inspired by Mr. Claude Monet. You let your eyes drift over the art as you stand there astonished by its details. To you, this is breathtaking.
But according to Shawn? - Just another piece of painting.
You were promised a visit to the gallery downtown with the company of your beloved boyfriend. At first, it didn't seem like a bad idea to Shawn. He thought of it as a way to please his art-crazed girlfriend, and besides; how long could an art gallery go on for? Two, three hours, tops?
- He thought wrong.
You've been here now for almost 4 hours, and Shawn is getting impatient. Quite frankly, bored. He's been feeling this way since the first hour of being here.
As he stifles a yawn, he nods agreeing to whatever you're commenting about the art. He's honesty stopped listening. All he seems to be wanting to do right now is to get you home and take you up against the wall as a punishment for forcing him here.
- But he knows he can't. Because he knows how important this is to you; how important art is to you.
So instead, he lets you ramble about stuff he doesn't understand. But when you quiet down, he goes for it.
"Hey babe?" He asks you. You turn around as he hides his bored expression. "When do you think we're gonna' finish this up? Just wondering,"
A pang of guilt hits you when you take a quick glance down at your watch. 5 pm. Only now do you realize how long you've been here. You said two hours, it's been almost twice as long.
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry." You say guiltily as you look at him. "I completely forgot about the time. I must be boring you with all this..."
"No, no, no. You're not." Shawn lies. "It's just that, we haven't had dinner and...-" I haven't gotten to fuck you, his subconscious echoes.
"Right," you say and bite your lip. You glance around the room and the many artworks you have yet to discover. You're not ready to leave just yet.
"Actually, do you mind if I stay a bit longer?" You take a quick glance at the back of the room. "I have a few more works I'd like to see. You can leave though, it's fine. You shouldn't have to suffer any longer," you joke.
A flash of anger curses through Shawn's mind. Whether it's at you for wanting to stay, or at himself for not wanting to is unclear. He wants you home, but he also wants to share your interest and be a good boyfriend. Caught up in his stubborn way, he smiles and says,
"Actually, I think I'll stay."
"Really?" You ask him surprised. You're very aware of Shawn's lack of interest in art. "I don't want you to feel like you have to..."
"Trust me baby, it's fine. I want to be the one who takes you home." And then you'll show me how sorry you really are. His eyes darken.
"Okay," you smile and walk further into the gallery with Shawn trailing behind. As you study another painting in wonder, you faintly hear your boyfriend mumble a quick 'excuse me'. You nod briefly as you feel his presence behind you move.
You continue your trip down the gallery as you come across a new genre of paintings; History. Your favorite. A small smile plays on your lips as you let your eyes wander around the first artwork of the collection. It's a drawing of the first civil war. A man hangs on the edge of a ship in desperation and as you look a bit closer, you can see land from afar, with men carrying burning torches and pointy pitchforks.
