For living in town less than a month, Kendall was well versed on the hidden gems of Los Angeles.

Our first stop was a vegan restaurant tucked away in a quiet corner street of Oakwood. I learnt quickly that Kendall had been vegan since he was seventeen and wrote a research paper in high school about the farming habits of livestock. He was passionate about advocating for animal rights and attended many events in Chicago before moving here, where he planned to participate in more.

My experience in veganism was minimal but I welcomed the experience. When Kendall raised the proposition of attending a few city events together - apparently he had notifications on his phone for these things - I surprised even myself by how quickly I'd jumped on the opportunity to agree.

From there, it was onto a shelter that catered strictly to rescue animals. The goal was to provide each rescue with love and affection not only from the staff who worked there, but the public who came in to visit and potentially adopt one of them.

I hadn't owned a pet since I was a kid but became instantly smitten with a black rag doll who kept brushing his head against my leg and meowing softly.

"He's new," one of their staff told me, smiling at the cat in my arms. "He was living in an abandoned garage when our team found him. We haven't named him yet."

"A garage, hey?" I chuckled, gazing down at the cat in my arms. Round, green eyes stared back at me. "Poor little thing was probably the colour of soot when they found him."

Kendall was smiling at the two of us. He laughed when I started to tickle the feline behind his ears and he purred happily. "You should adopt him. He loves you."

"He's gorgeous." I cooed at the kitten before looking back up at Kendall, "but I don't think I'm in a place to own a cat right now."

"Moving back from across the world will do that to you."

I could only nod, a small voice in the back of my head telling me to focus on building one stable relationship at a time.

My heart ached as we left the shelter but I knew it was for the best. That rag doll was a sweetheart. He would find a loving home in no time.

"Where to now?" I asked as we climbed back into Kendall's convertible. Bright sunshine beamed down on us as Kendall lowered the car's roof.

"That's a surprise."

"This whole day has been a series of surprises."

"So, I guess one more won't kill you then."

I laughed and leaned back against the head rest, letting Kendall take the lead onto our next adventure.

Our third and final stop for the day was an art gallery near Studio City that was hosting an exhibition paying tribute to the works of Claude Monet.

The work day saw the gallery filled mostly with elderly couples and tourists. Soft string music played through an overhead speaker and the light varied depending on which art the room was showcasing. Kendall and I paid for our tickets and began our journey through the series of connecting rooms.

"How did you find this place?" I asked, stopping to glimpse at the impressive depiction of a waterlily pond. "Even for LA, this is pretty extensive."

"It helps if you know what you're looking for." Kendall answered, admiring the painting beside me. "The internet can be a wonderful resource but I also collect books that report on the most cultural areas of specific cities."

"Do you do that for every place you visit?"

"Time to sight-see was scarce while I was modelling in Australia and Italy. Fortunately, my mother is just as passionate about culture as I and would take me on trips around France in my youth. I'd like to see more of Europe but America has its intrigues."

We walked slowly through the room, moving from one piece of art to the next. To my right, an older couple were chatting animatedly about a garden landscape, rich in textures of green and blue.

I nodded to Kendall. "London was like that for me. In every corner of the city there is a piece of history waiting to be told."

"London is a beautiful place," Kendall agreed. "I'm surprised you wanted to leave."

The silence that fell over us briefly was undeniable. I finally said, "My time there was wonderful. I learnt a lot of things working under Charles, but it was time to come home."

"And may I ask why?"

I sighed, eyes falling over a sail boat painting. "It's complicated."

"I have time." Kendall smiled gently.

I returned his expression. "Maybe some other time."

The other model accepted that without argument, for which I was grateful. Outside of my family, it was an uncommon occurrence to hold a conversation with people who didn't want to pry into my private life, but Kendall did it without question. My heart jumped in my chest at the thought.

"Alright, I don't know about you," Kendall said a moment later, breaking the silence, "but I think this is where the impression for Homer Simpson went all wrong."

My eyes fell on the painting before us and I couldn't stop the laugh erupting from me a moment later. "Oh my God! I think you're right."

The art was a portrait of a woman but each side of her face saw drastic changes in colour. The right side was a soft lilac before colliding with an aggressive yellow on the left. The brushstrokes only made the vivid colour that more intense to look at.

"Either that or American cheese has a whole different function we didn't know about." Kendall added, face completely neutral.

I burst out laughing again, hand falling on Kendall's shoulder as I turned into him to hide the sound. The other model grinned, despite the stares we were receiving.

"Dude, stop," I coughed before grinning again. "They would've paid a fortune for this collection. It's historical."

"Don't know why," Kendall gazed at the portrait, perplexed. "I feel like they could've really saved their money with a few mustard packets and a spray gun. You know, the professional way."

That set me off again. We were receiving more glares by the minute. A security guard's head snapped up in our direction, looking to see where the commotion was coming from but I found myself too caught up in the moment to care.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Kendall smirked, noticing the looks.

"We haven't done a full circuit around the gallery yet."

"It appears we've overstayed our welcome. I doubt it'll be the last time."

We were still laughing as we descended the steps outside. Sunlight glinted off Kendall's keys as he pulled them from his pocket. We headed in the direction of the parking lot.

"I'm sorry I ruined Part Three of the surprise." I said with the last shreds of humour. "If I'd known you would bring the wrath of ten elderly women down on us, I might've considered that non-refundable ticket a little more wisely."

"It's not you." Kendall said before smirking at me. "I draw attention everywhere I go. I can't help it. Sorry."

"It appears so." I chuckled. "Do you always make fun of priceless art?"

"Sometimes it's affordable."

I shook my head fondly as we neared Kendall's convertible. Before the other man could step around to his side, I reached out for his arm and pulled him to a stop. Kendall turned, raising an eyebrow at me. "Troye?"

"Thankyou for today." I said honestly. "Even if it didn't all go according to plan, I definitely needed it."

"I'm glad." Kendall replied. "Maybe we could do this again sometime, then?"

I smiled at him, nodding. "I think so too."

A flash to the far right caught both our attention. I turned my head and my blood ran cold when a man holding a camera stood on the far corner of the parking lot. His phone was pressed against his ear and he was speaking rapidly into it, his other hand poised on the camera.

"Merde," Kendall swore under his breath.

"We gotta go." I said. A news van was quickly approaching on the main road and more would only follow. "We have to go now."

"Yes," Kendall agreed, hightailing around his side of the car. "Get in."

We climbed into the car at the same time, seatbelts clicking in synchrony. Kendall wasted no time igniting the engine and soon enough, we were peeling out of the parking lot onto the main road.

"Bon sang!" Kendall exclaimed. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I'm sorry, Troye. I thought the gallery was discreet enough that no one would care."

"It's not your fault." I told him but my heart was still thumping wildly in my chest.

Kendall drove us back to the park to pick up my car. When it was clear we hadn't been followed, I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thankyou. I know it's stupid but I really hate them following me around."

Kendall shook his head. "It's not stupid to wish for someone not to invade your privacy."

"I had a really great day." I told him. "Next time, it's my turn to chauffeur you around town."

"So, there's going to be a next time?" Kendall's eyes twinkled with a flash of teeth.

"I'm not very good at making friends." I said honestly, "but I'd like to try."

I'd like to try something new. Just please don't let it break me in the end.

"Well, in that case, consider me at your service." Kendall smiled.

I climbed out of the car and made to walk away but stopped when Kendall called out my name through the open window.

"For what it's worth," he called, "I think you're better at making friends than you give yourself credit for. Just don't be afraid to let someone in."

I smiled then, because after only one afternoon, Kendall had managed to see what most people fell short of. Something he could acknowledge, but didn't push to fix.

And I thought maybe I could get used to that.