Chapter 63 - The Painting

Jason walked out of his room at 11 am. He had slept in after the terrible night that he just had. He dreamt that he had gone online in the night and found a message from the author saying that he was giving up writing. 

It was a strange dreamt and it kept him on edge the whole night. The novel was his life and soul, he could see himself part with it. 

He walked to the living and surprising enough Davy was still in the house.  He was watching a movie on the television and only turned his head when he heard the approaching footsteps. 

"You look like hell," he commented. 

For someone who slept in, Jason looked like a mess, he heard bags under his eyes. His hair was messy and he looked pale. 

"I had a bad dream," Jason defended. Not ever going to Aphidia again was enough reason for him to lose his mind. The book going on hiatus was understandable but the author gave up writing as a nightmare he never wished to wake up to. 

"You should like my boss," Davy uttered. "He has been overreacting over Alperx's announcement," he added. 

Jason froze in place. It couldn't be true. He reached to his pocket to find his phone, he had to confirm if what he read was a dream of a reality. It was just too hard to tell the difference. 

"Alperx gave up writing and now my boss is miserable. It's just books, I don't get what the big deal is," Davy said adding the volume of the television. 

Jason nearly fainted, reading it while he was half asleep was one thing. Finding out it was the truth with both his eyes wide open was like being struck by thunder. 

He just couldn't believe it. "You don't think Aloerx meant it, right?"

Davy shot him a sharp gaze, he took in Jason's reaction with a cool indifferent face. Seeing Jason's reaction made him feel a little guilty for overreacting. But what was done was done. 

"I think he meant it," he replied. "You should find a new author to follow," he advised. 

Jason heard the news and shivered. Davion could only come to life in the book. Without it, their love story was over. He didn't want another book or another writer, he just wanted Standing by you. 

"Maybe someone hacked her account and made that announcement," he uttered choosing to remain hopeful. 

'Still calling me a girl. You both stupid in the book and the real world,' Davy thought. 

"Why are you hellbent on thinking that the author is a girl. Men can also write romance," he let out. 

His words went through Jason's one ear and out the other. He was having a crisis and didn't have time to hear what Davy had to say. He was busy thinking of ways to get the book to be continued. 

"Is it just me or are you of the habit of seeing men and women," Davy inquired. 'You did it in the book and now you are doing it here.'

Jason dropped his body on the couch. He hated everything and just wanted to drop on the bed and sleep his life off as a bad dream. 

"But I love him," he subconsciously let out. 

"What is his problem?" The mysterious man walked into the room holding a big painting in his hands. 

"He is paying the price of annoying me," Davy uttered. 

"Well, here is the art for Davion and Jason's wedding," the man presented the art to Davy. 

Hearing the crown prince's name and his, Jason came out of his dazed state and looked up. He was stunned at the art in Davy's hand. 

The artist got the image of the crown prince just as he was in the novel. Almost as though he was looking at the real deal when he made the drawing. 

"Burn it, the novel won't ever be written again," Davy returned the painting to the man and sat back down. 

"No!" Jason shouted and raced to catch the man before he left with the art. He pulled it out of the man's hand and held it as though his life depended on it. "I'll keep it if you don't want it," He added nonchalantly. 

"I don't want to see that, it has to go," Davy insisted. He was very excited when he drew it but now he got annoyed looking at how it came out. Knowing that it was still there not destroyed made him angry. 

"I won't let you destroy such a beautiful piece of art," Jason refused. He held the painting behind his back and refused to give it back. 

"My house my rules, the painting goes," he said firmly. His voice was dropping dangerously low. 

Jason blinked, the way he spoke reminded him of the crown prince when he had cut the male's hair short. It was so similar, the only difference was that they were two different people. 

"You don't need to destroy it," Jason pleaded. He words a pitiful face at the waiter, his puppy eyes begging him to let him keep the art. 

"I don't need to," Davy let out. Jason sighed in relief, it was good to hear that the painting of the prince wouldn't be destroyed. "I want to destroy it," the man added. 

Jason glared at him. He had lost his house, the novel, and now the art. He couldn't have that. "I will pay you for it," he said. 

"If you had money you wouldn't be crashing in my house," Davy sounded determined to get his way. 

"You could..."

The man who brought the painting tried to say but was shushed with the glare from Davy. He kept quiet and looked away from the two of them. 

"Doesn't this belong to your boss?" Jason asked looking for a way to get to keep the painting. 

"He is heartbroken right now. Seeing that would make him sadder, get rid of it," Davy said. 

Jason rolled his eyes, Davy's boss should get it together. Just because his heart was broken didn't mean that the world would also suffer because of it. 

"Look," he started to say. 

"I am looking and frankly I am pleased with what I see," Davy let out and moved forward to get himself. Jason moved away with the painting and ran from him. 

Davy ran after him in the living trying to get the painting back from him. The man who stood idly watching them shook his head at their childish behavior."At this rate, the two will fall in love in reality," he uttered and signed. 

'The author and the character. Cute,' he thought and sighed. 

"Give me that painting Jason," Davy ordered fuming with anger.

"If you catch me I will it to you," Jason said playfully. He was having the time of his life. Watching Davy get more and more angered by his resistance entertained him more than he would care for it too. 

"I am going to throw you into the streets if you don't give that back," Davy threatened. "So you decide, what is more important. A roof over your head or the painting?"

Having Jason distracted Davy reached out his hand and held the painting. 

"The painting," Jason replied with a distant look. With Davion gone from his like, he was growing short of things to remember him by. 

The crown prince gave him a reason to smile, he was a man that the whole world wanted but to him, the crown prince was his whole world. 

Davy lowered his head and gazed at the man after hearing his reply. His hand shook and let go of the painting, he wanted to have it destroyed but seeing how much it meant to Jason he was tempted to leave it. 

Jason raised his eyes, Davy stood before him. Up close his eyes reminded Jason of the eyes that he got lost in, inside the magical room that he had stumbled into. 

"Have you ever fallen in love?" He inquired. 

Davy parted his lips, he turned away from Jason and strode away. "Keep the painting but I don't ever want to lay my eyes on it," he uttered. 

He recalled what Jason said about him not knowing what love was. It was a hurtful comment. But it was wrong, the only reason he was able to understand the emotion so well was that he was in love better than most people. 

"Thank you," Jason's eyes lit up. He was excited over having to keep the painting that captured him and the crown prince so well. It was so detailed that he suspected whoever drew it might be like him. He might be able to enter the novel and that was why his art was all so real. 

"I don't know why the painting means so much to you but I'm glad you are happy," Davy spoke out and disappeared into one of the rooms.