"Hey, what are you doing?" Justin asked as he watched Tristan scroll through his phone.
They're currently inside the alpha's car, on their way to their date.
Unfortunately, because it's been a while since they've been on a proper date, Tristan forgot how things should go.
His mind turned blank as soon as they got to the car because he doesn't even know where they should go.
'Date... What happens during dates again?' Tristan thought, still scrolling on his phone as he looked for a place where they could spend time together.
"Oh, uh... Just a second please," Tristan said as he scrolled even faster.
'Argh... Should we just go to the movies?' Tristan thought as he sighed softly.
Justin noticed how Tristan has been acting weirdly. Knowing how Tristan is, he figured it's probably because the alpha doesn't know where they should go for their date.
At that moment, Justin suddenly remembered something he just passed by a few days ago. There's currently an art fair at an art museum nearby. He knows Tristan's true passion is painting, so he thought it would be a nice suggestion to go there.
"Do you wanna go to an art fair? There's one nearby," Justin said as he smiled at the alpha. Tristan's ears perked from hearing the word art.
He felt a sense of relief now that he finally knows where they're going for today. It's still quite early since it's still morning, so he still has plenty of time to think where they should go in the afternoon.
"Yeah, sure. Let's go," Tristan smiled as his eyes turned into a crescent. He looked like a happy puppy, who just got complimented.
Tristan drove to the place where the art fair was being held. As soon as they got to their desired destination, Tristan instantly felt a sense of familiarity and comfort just from seeing the art museum.
It was quite a comforting place for him because it reminded him of the days when he still worked as a painter. All of his memories of art museums are good, especially since he really loves art.
Unfortunately, things changed after he broke up with Justin, and now, he thinks he's just some dude who works at a company.
"Look, it's very beautiful," Justin said as they looked at a landscape painting. It was then when Tristan remembered how Justin puts painters in high regard.
It had vibrant colors that brought the painting to life and made its audience feel as if they're in the painting itself.
Tristan looked at Justin and saw how his eyes sparkled while looking at the painting. It was a sight he wanted to capture, that he instinctively fished his phone from his pocket and took a photo of Justin.
"What are you doing?" Justin giggled when he realized that Tristan had taken a photo of him. "Just taking a photo of the most beuatiful art to ever exist," Tristan said as he nodded with a smig look on his face.
They started walking around again and looking at the different paintings on the walls.
As they looked around, they passed by a portrait of a woman. Seeing how it was painted, Tristan could immediately tell the feelings of the painter behind that painting.
"Remember how you gave me a portrait of me as a Christmas gift?" Justin giggled as he looked at Tristan.
He expected the alpha to smile with him and reminisce the old times, but in contrary to what he thought, Tristan had a different expression on his face.
He had a sullen look on his face.
Because of the portrait, he suddenly remembered one of the main reasons why he stopped painting.
Yes. Five years ago, Tristan Lee stopped painting. He stopped not only because it was what his father wanted, but also because...
He couldn't paint anymore.
He couldn't paint anything even if he already has a model to paint because as if it's the only thing he knows how to paint, every stroke of his paint brush would always lead to painting another one of Justin's portraits.
He was already heartbroken enough that the love of his life disappeared, but he was shattered when he knew that he couldn't paint anything or anyone else but him. He knew that if he continues painting, it would only ever lead to that result and he'd only miss Justin even more.
It would torment him.
Reminded of the pain and loneliness he felt before, he couldn't control his facial expression and Justin became worried about him.
"Darling, are you okay?" Justin asked, wanting to know why Tristan has that look on his face, even to the point of calling him darling.
"Oh, it's just that I don't paint anymore," Tristan smiled a little. Justin stared at him for a few seconds and said, "But you like painting, don't you?"
What Justin said took Tristan aback. That wasn't really something he expecred him to say.
"Yeah, I do," Tristan smiled at him, this time, wider and brighter. "Then start painting again," the omega said as he smiled at Tristan.
'I don't even have a reason not to paint anymore. The person I once lost is now here with me, and I even have my dad's blessings for our future marriage,' Tristan thought.
"I will," he chuckled.
They continued walking around, and before they knew it, it was already lunchtime.
They left the art fair to grab some lunch at a nearby restaurant. Although they were supposed to eat there because it was the nearest, there were too many people there, mostly from the art fair, so they decided to just go somewhere else instead.
They drove to another restaurant that was a bit far from the art fair.
The couple had their orders taken as soon as they entered the restaurant ad as usual, everybody's eyes were on them again, as if it was the first time they've seen two good-looking people together.
As they waited for their orders, the couple chatted about random things and laughed at each other's corny jokes to entertain themselves as they wait.
Justin's smile suddenly vanished when he saw familiar people enter the restaurant.
The faces he saw were faces of those who worked at the company. The moment he realized the situation they were in, he froze.
Although the people from his department fully knew about their relationship and even spread the news to others, not many believed what they said because it was too impossible for Tristan to actually be head-over-heels with someone. Just like before, they only thought of it as baseless rumors.
"Isn't that Sir Lee?" One of the employees whispered. As soon as the employee mentioned Tristan's name, all the others looked in their direction.
Some of them also found Justin's face familiar because it's not every day you see a beautiful man like him. They also remembered him not only because of his good looks, but also because of the rumors circulating around him and the demon CEO at their company.
"Wow, this is big news. I didn't really think it was true," another employee whispered as she gasped, finding the news shocking yet amusing at the same time.
Justin could feel their gazes, while Tristan paid no mind because he thought they were just one of those people who often stare at him.
Tristan noticed how uneasy Justin looked that a worried expression surfaced on his face right away.
"Darling, are you okay? Are you feeling sick?" Tristan asked as he held Justin's hand that was on top of the table.
He cared a lot for Justin that he'd immediately worry for him at the sight of slight uneasiness on his face. He was even more worried now that Justin is pregnant.
It was his first time being with Justin while he's pregnant, so it was given that he doesn't know if Justin doesn't feel well in the early stages of his pregnancy or something of the sort. He was too worried because he's unknowledgeable in that kind of thing.
"No... No, I'm not," Justin said as he shook his head lightly. "You don't look too well. Are you sure about that? Please tell me what's wrong," Tristan said as he pouted while looking at Justin with puppy eyes to make him submit to his request.
"What the..." The employees who were heading to a vacant table, while still keeping their eyes on the couple, were left speechless because of how the demon CEO acted.
"Hey, are you sure that's him?" one of the employees whispered, doubting it that really was their boss. "Have you ever seen someone with those looks?" another whispered as she rolled her eyes.
'Oh god. They're seeing Tristan in this state,' Justin thought as he swallowed hard.
"There are... people from the company here. They saw us," Justin said in the softest voice he could muster that was enough for Tristan to hear.
'Thank goodness, it's just that,' Tristan thought as he felt a sense of relief that nothing big really happened.
"Let them see. It's not like we're doing something bad," the alpha said as he smiled with a soft look on his face, his eyes turning into a crescent in the process.
'This puppy is so cute...' Justin thought as he felt his heart melt just from seeing the alpha's smile.
Tristan looked around to see if there were any familiar faces, and when he saw some, he immediately knew they were from the company.
The employees were still looking in their direction that they flinched when they met Tristan's eyes.
"Well, aren't their eyes blessed to see you in casual clothes?" Tristan said and chuckled as he looked at Justin. "We have nothing to hide, darling. I've said this countless times before and I'll say it again until you feel comfortable with other people knowing about us," he continued.
"Being in a relationship with someone as beautiful and as great as you isn't something I'd want to hide."