The Art Restorer – Part 2: Unveiled
Gay Stories·EN·2 min read·Published 2026-11-07, updated 2026-11-07·Part 2 of 2
The portrait was finished on a Thursday.
Rhys laid down the last swab at ten past nine. He stepped back and turned off the work lamp, then switched on the soft overhead light. The man in the painting looked out at him, alive: grave, gentle, patient. Every brushstroke gleamed. It was extraordinary.
A footstep in the doorway. A paper cup.
"Rhys," said Pablo, in a hush.
"Look."
Pablo came to stand beside him. They stood in silence before the portrait, shoulder to shoulder, in the dim studio. The only sounds were the hum of the climate control and their breathing.
"He has a face," whispered Pablo.
"He always did."
"He looks like someone I know."
"Who?"
"You."
Rhys laughed, a startled sound. "He's three hundred years old."
"And kind. And tired. And careful." Pablo was staring at the canvas. "I look at him every night. Now I know why."
Rhys's chest tightened. He turned. In the soft light, Pablo's face was serious and open, his eyes dark and brilliant.
"Can I ask you something?" said Rhys.
"Yes."
"The painting goes back tomorrow."
"I know."
"I don't want to."
"I do not want you to either," said Pablo, simply.
"May I kiss you?"
"Yes," said Pablo. "And if you say stop, you must clean another painting. A slow one."
"That's the best punishment I've ever heard."
Rhys kissed him, softly, with the gentleness of a man who had spent six months learning to touch things well. Pablo kissed him back, one hand rising to cup his jaw. They tasted of coffee and mint. The portrait watched over them, serene.
When they parted, both of them were smiling.
"Green?" asked Pablo.
"Green," said Rhys. "Very green."
Rhys extended his loan by another six months. The portrait smiles in its gallery. Two cups of coffee appear on the bench each night at nine.
More gay romance stories: Morning Run · Night Telescope · The Tailor's Apprentice
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