GENRE: Gay Erotic Romance (MMM)
LENGTH: 36,801 words
RATING:

Henry Cooke has lost his inspiration to draw. He’s frustrated because he can’t create a single piece of art. Since he has plenty of spare time, he hangs out with Charles Barrera. They choose to meet up at a bakery. When Henry sees Jason Ardolf standing behind the counter of the bakery, he knows he has found his muse.

Charles has a crush on Henry. Unfortunately, Henry doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Charles feels even more miserable when he notices the intense way Henry is looking at Jason, but it’s understandable. Jason is incredibly beautiful for a man.

Jason is attracted to Henry at first sight, but he doesn’t have a chance with the handsome man. After all, Henry and Charles are perfect together. They’re handsome and well-built, and the chemistry between them is obvious.

Can the three men resolve the misunderstanding and get together in the end?

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

Moments later, when Charles came to the final painting, he was stunned. The room within the painting was familiar. It was Henry’s personal studio. However, that wasn’t the reason why his heart had almost stopped beating for a second or two. Or why he felt like his breath had been stolen from him. He was gaping a little as he approached the painting so he could take a closer look. A part of him had a hard time believing that Henry had managed to infuse so much emotions into a single piece of art no matter how talented the man was. It was like magic.

In the painting, Jason was seated on a chair as he usually did whenever he was posing for Henry inside the studio. Henry captured every bit of Jason’s ethereal beauty, and the painting looked as if he had taken a perfect photograph of the younger man. Most importantly, he somehow succeeded in showing multiple emotions on Jason’s face. At a glimpse, Jason in the painting appeared as if his facial expression was completely neutral, but Charles noticed a hint of a smile as he leaned in closer to the drawing. When he further analyzed Jason’s face in the painting, the young man seemed simultaneously shy, afraid, desperate for something unknown, and determined. He exuded this quiet strength, and he was unbelievably gorgeous. Breathtakingly so.

Next, Charles focused on his face inside the painting. Judging by his face within the painting, he was aching for something. He yearned for it, but he was unable to grab it. He was taken aback when he realized that Henry had also included his heartbroken expression. It was so clearly displayed, Charles could almost sense the hurt and pain drifting toward him from within the painting. However, Charles in the painting was also depicted as being calm and strong. It was amazing, and Charles was impressed.

Lastly, Charles glanced at Henry. The one in the painting. Henry had a look of longing on his face. There was something like love, and at the same time, there was lust. Possessiveness. Fierce protectiveness. Tenderness. Charles was taken aback, and he quickly turned toward Henry. The one in the flesh. Charles studied Henry’s face carefully. He needed to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things in the painting. Fake things that only existed inside his head. He also had so many questions for Henry, but he didn’t quite know how or where to start. He was excited and nervous because he had to be certain that he hadn’t just imagined the emotions that were found within the painting.

“When did you draw this?” Charles inquired. “And why?”

“A few days ago, I had an enlightening conversation with Harrison, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The next day, I spent nearly the entire day inside my studio so I could work on this painting, and I managed to complete it two days later. After that, I got Ryan involved. I wished to borrow his art gallery so I could temporarily put the painting up on the wall together with the ones for sale.”

Charles chuckled a little. “Now, I understand why we didn’t meet up three days in a row. I thought you were sick and tired of me or something.”

“Never!” Henry exclaimed.

“What did you and Harrison talk about?” Jason asked.

“Feelings,” Henry replied. “Specifically, he pointed out how I truly felt deep inside.”

“What’s the conclusion?”

Henry briefly gazed into Charles’s eyes before doing the same to Jason. “I want a chance to date both of you.”

Charles was shocked, and he could tell that Jason was just as astonished as he was. He wished to say yes, and it was obvious that Jason felt the same way he did. However, the fear inside was holding him back. Jason also remained quiet, but he most probably had some other concerns.

“Frankly, I’m terrified,” Charles admitted moments later. “My past dating experiences weren’t great at all.”

Henry reached for Charles’s hand and grabbed it tightly. Then he did the same with Jason.

“This isn’t a marriage proposal, and I can’t promise you a happily ever after. It’s nothing permanent. Let us take it one date a time.”

Henry sounded so logical, and something within Charles was screaming at him to agree. After all, he was attracted to Henry at first sight. As for Jason, he wasn’t supposed to be a part of the equation. However, Charles liked Jason. A lot. It would pose no hardship for him to date Jason, as well. Charles could feel his heart beating wildly as he smiled at Henry and nodded.

“Let’s do it.”