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"My sister's friend is blind too. Do you know her?" the cab driver asks Vic.

The question amuses me. This guy is too stupid to even be mad at.

"Nope, no I don't know her." Vic chuckles awkwardly but I can tell he's getting some amusement out of this.

"Are you sure? Her name is Franny, she's tall, blonde hair..."

I'm trying not to snort as he continues to list off physical traits. He does understand blind people can't see, right?

"Doesn't ring a bell." Vic shrugs, playing along.

"You'd know her if you saw her. She has these huge–wait, have you ever seen a pair of tits, man?" the driver asks.

My jaw drops and Vic flushes red.

"Can't say I ever have." Vic answers calmly.

"Oh that sucks, dude." the driver sighs.

"Mm, yeah, it's a tragedy." he sighs with mock exasperation.

The cab pulls up to the curb and I realise we're finally at our hotel. Thank god.

I reluctantly pay the driver then usher Vic out of the cab as fast as possible. I go around to the trunk and get out our things, and gladly watch the cab speed off.

"He was a real piece of work." I snort.

"He was fucking hilarious." Vic chuckles. "Although I really hope he doesn't procreate."

I chuckle a little.

"And I thought I was ignorant."

I place Vic's suitcase in his hand then take his other one. I wonder if he likes holding my hand or if he would just rather not use his cane.

Part of me certainly hopes I have some kind of impact on him. He definitely makes me feel things.

We go into the hotel and I check us in, then I locate our room. When I swipe card into the door, I'm half expecting it to flash red, but it immediately unlocks.

I let out a relieved sigh and open the door. But my relief is short-lived.

"Are you kidding me?" I whine.

"What?" Vic frowns, unsure of what's going on.

"They screwed up our room." I sigh. "We got a double bed instead of two singles."

"I'm sure they'll fix it." Vic chirps.

"Yeah, but I can't be fucked going down to reception again. I'm exhausted." I sigh.

"We'll fix it later. Don't stress, Kell." Vic chirps.

"Okay," I nod, taking a breath to relax myself.

"Wanna show me around the room?" Vic chuckles, seeming a little embarrassed.

"Of course." I pipe, enthusiastically. I really want him to understand that I'm more than happy to help and that he shouldn't feel embarrassed about it.

"If we turn left, here is the bathroom."

I walk Vic into the bathroom and he runs his hand along the open door.

"Shower is over here."

He feels along the shower as I walk him through the room.

I spend the next half an hour guiding Vic around the room, getting him familiar with his surroundings, until he tells me he has a basic idea of how the room is set up.

"What time is it?" he asks.

I drop Vic's hand to pull out my phone.

"2:30." I read, then slip the phone back in my pocket.

"The tour is at four, so why don't you nap for an hour? You need some rest." Vic suggests.

I want to argue but I'm so tired. I don't think I'll enjoy this trip if I don't get some sleep.

"What will you do?" I ask Vic.

"Go back over the room, then I might listen to music, or a book or something." he shrugs.

"Okay, well if you don't mind." I breathe gratefully.

"Of course not." he smiles. "Go sleep. I'll be fine."

"I know you will." I whisper, which makes him smile.

I leave his side and sit on the double bed. I slide my shoes off then lay down. I melt into the mattress and almost fall asleep right then and there. This bed is so comfortable.

I watch Vic for a bit though, just admiring him as he walks around the room, feeling for walls and objects.

"Kellin," he says after a while, as he's running his hands along the sofa. "I can feel you staring. Get some rest, please."

I blush furiously, once again being caught in the act of appreciating him.

"Sorry." I whisper, closing my eyes.

I then listen to his footsteps and his quiet breathing until I finally fall asleep.

--

I smile from afar as I watch Vic run his hand along a 3D printed version of the Mona Lisa. He's concentrating on it really hard which is great. It shows that he's actually interested in it and not bored out of his mind like I feared he would be.

I make my way back from the bathroom and go back over to him. I slide my hand in his which earns a smile out of him.

"Hey, having fun?" he asks.

"So much fun, you?" I question hopefully.

"Yeah, this is all really interesting. It's crazy how this was painted five hundred years ago and now it's being 3D printed for blind people." he says in awe.

"That's what I love about art. It's timeless." I smile.

"Close your eyes." he chirps.

I do what I'm told and he brings my hand up to the painting.

"Your eyes are closed, yeah?"

I hum to reassure him. He places my fingertips over an indent which I can only assume is the mouth of Lisa.

"Feel her smile?" he asks me.

"Yeah," I beam. "This is such a unique perspective on a very well-known piece of art."

I suddenly feel Vic's fingertips brush over my cheek, causing me to open my eyes.

"You're so cute when you talk about something that interests you." he murmurs softly.

His words make me blush, but thankfully he drops his hand and quickly changes the subject.

"What's next?" he chirps eagerly.

"There's a pretty cool replica of Michelangelo's David over there." I say, eyeing the smaller version of the famous statue.

"Lead the way." he beams.

I take his hand again and lead him over to the sculpture. I lift it up to the sculpture, placing it there so he can feel the marble.

"Oh wow, it's so smooth." Vic says in awe.

He runs his hand down the sculpture's chest and I have to look away.

I literally can't even watch him touch a hunk of marble shaped like a naked man. What is wrong with me?

"Damn, David has a nice ass." Vic grins jokingly.

I turn back to see him practically groping the artwork.

"Oh my gosh, stop that." I whine, looking around to see if anyone is watching.

I then remember that majority of the room is filled with people who cannot see.

He chuckles, dropping his hand.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself." he grins goofily. "Hey, wasn't Michelangelo gay?"

"There's a lot of evidence suggesting so. How did you know that?" I ask confused and surprised.

"I don't know much about art, but famous gays is like my forte." he chuckles.

He takes my hand again and we begin strolling, although not really heading anywhere in particular.

"So what do you mean by evidence? Did he have a lisp? A collection of Madonna albums?" Vic laughs but the statement gets to me.

"That's an inaccurate stereotype." I mutter.

"Yeah no shit," he chuckles a little confused. "Madonna sucks."

I immediately realize how stupid I'm being.

Growing up I was taught to despise these stereotypes. I was taught that being effeminate was disgusting and disgraceful. And it was really hard on me, because I do have feminine qualities. I was never the most masculine guy growing up. I liked art, and I liked to sing, I liked my hair longer and tighter jeans. And my father made me hate those things about myself for such a long time.

"He wrote hundreds of sonnets about and for his male lovers." I tell Vic. "I've read a few of the translations and he's quite a passionate writer."

"Ah, a dramatic bitch." Vic grins, which makes me laugh.

"More or less." I giggle.

He suddenly stops walking which causes me to stop. He turns his face to mine, almost as if he were looking at me.

"I think it's beautiful the way you talk about artists and art in general. I can tell it means a lot to you. Thank you for sharing this with me." he murmurs, sweetly.

"Thank you for letting me. No one has ever really showed this much interest in what I'm passionate about." I smile sadly.

"Not even Brandon?" Vic blurts out, then clears his throat awkwardly.

I'm confused as to why he brought Brandon up so randomly.

"Brandon is very intellectually inclined. He's a literature major. He likes reading and writing, and philosophy. He's not really interested in art." I explain.

"Oh, is that why you broke up?" Vic asks, obviously trying to sound casual but he definitely seems interested.

"Did I break up with him because he didn't like art?" I laugh at the ridiculous insinuation. "No."

"Oh so you broke up with him." Vic pinpoints.

I realize how nosey Vic is being which makes me uncomfortable. Not even Brandon knows why I broke up with him. I'm definitely not going to tell Vic.

"I did. We had differences. It didn't work out." I say bluntly, hoping to close the conversation.

"Did you love him?"

The question startles me, but after some adjustment, I'm amused at the thought.

"No, no, not at all. We only dated for two months. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, we just never got there." I explain with a chuckle.

"Oh!" Vic says surprised. "That's so short. Have you had other relationships?"

I'm sickened by the question.

The only other relationship I've had, the most significant relationship, the one where I lost my virginity, was with a girl.

"Shit sorry, I just realized how invasive I'm being. You don't have to answer that. I got carried away." Vic apologizes quickly.

I let out a sigh of relief and gently squeeze Vic's hand to reassure him.

"It's okay." I tell him, then brush my cheek against his shoulder.

"I want to know more about you, but maybe I should start with some easier questions." he chuckles. "What's your favourite color?"

"Favourite color?" I snort.

"Yeah, what's your favourite color?" he laughs, but he seems intrigued.

I want to say yellow. It's a soft color, easy on the eyes, and it typically represents happiness. But it's also a rather effeminate color.

"Red." I mumble, instinctively.

And then I want to kick myself. Why am I like this?

I feel Vic squeeze my hand a little, which in a way comforts me.

"Actually it's yellow. I like yellow." I blurt out.

"Yellow is cute." he sighs.

"C-can you see colors?" I ask, hesitantly.

"I can't see anything." he replies. "I remember colors though. I can imagine them.

He pauses, so I wait, giving him time to collect his thoughts.

"I used to get so scared that I would forget what things looked like. That I would forget colors and..."

He stops.

"One of my favourite things when I was a kid was rainbows. I used to be obsessed with them. I was terrified of thunder but when the rainbow came out, it all seemed worth it." he explains. "I used to fear that I'd forget it. But in hindsight, I don't think I ever could."

I can sense heavy sadness hidden in the nostalgia of his words.

"Anyway," he says suddenly. "My favourite color is a greeny-blue. The exact color I imagine your eyes to be."

"Oh really?" I grin blushing.

"Absolutely." he grins back. "I bet you have the most beautiful eyes."

"So do you." I blurt out.

Vic immediately looks uncomfortable.

"Yeah right." he says quietly.

"I'm serious." I frown. "I think all of you is beautiful. You are for sure my favourite masterpiece in this entire building."

He chuckles and blushes at my words and I once again have to look away, dying at his handsome smile.

Somehow he simultaneously kills me and makes me feel so alive. And that simultaneously scares the shit out of me, but excites me beyond belief.

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