The day Dani had been waiting for and fearing arrived. He managed to finish the last painting just before the deadline. He was able to focus on it only because he avoided doing anything else.
He knew that sooner or later he would have to apologize to Nick, and it was better to do it sooner rather than later.
Nick had always been a gentle person, and he had always been kind to him.
He sat on the floor of his studio, pulled out his phone, and looked at Nick's contact.
For some reason, Ari had sent him the number a few weeks ago. He had not thought it would ever come in handy—until now.
He tapped the number and held his breath as the dial tone played.
"Hello?" Nick answered the phone, and his face immediately appeared in Dani's mind—the hurt expression from the ball after Dani's suggestion.
"Hey, Niklos," Dani whispered.
"Daniel," Nick exhaled. He had a way of saying his name, a way that sent tingles through Dani's toes.
"I want to apologize for what I said to you at the ball. You were right—it was not fair of me to expect to take advantage of your feelings, or whatever might still remain of them. It was wrong of me to assume you would go along with it, and I am sorry for that," Dani said sincerely.
There was a moment of silence as Nick took in everything Dani had said.
"Thank you for saying that," Nick replied.
"Of course," Dani said. "Believe it or not, back in school you were a very important person to me. It really bothered me that I hurt you like that."
"I wish I had known that back then," Nick murmured, but regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He hoped Dani had not heard him.
But Dani had, and he smiled to himself before saying,
"I would really love for you to come to my exhibit. I know it is super last minute—it is tonight—but I would be happy to see you there. A lot of people from our year will be there. It is kind of like a mini reunion."
"It really is last-minute," Nick said, his voice sounding rough.
"I do not think I have anything planned for today. I will try to come and support you," he added.
"I am looking forward to it," Dani said with a chuckle.
Nick felt something he had not felt since high school—butterflies in his stomach.
"Goodbye, Daniel," Nick said before hanging up. He let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding, chuckling bitterly at himself.
Maybe he should have listened to Ari.
Maybe he should have said yes to Daniel's offer at the ball.
"All I am saying is... it does not have to mean anything serious. Just curiosity. Just us. One night, maybe more, no pressure."
Daniel's voice lingered in his mind like a whisper he could not shake.
He could not even remember how they had ended up talking about it.
He bit his lip as he looked at the documents scattered across his desk.
He realized there was no way he could get back to work right now.
He gathered the papers and locked them away in a drawer. He would take care of them tomorrow.
He found himself spending the entire afternoon in his closet, trying to choose a suit for the evening.
Only after going through every single one did he wonder if a suit might be too formal.
Did he really want to look like he was trying too hard?
He groaned in frustration and tossed the last suit onto the growing pile of rejected options.
This was ridiculous.
It was not an invitation to a date.
It was an invitation to apologize. That was all.
He glanced at the time and froze.
Only thirty minutes left until the exhibit started.
He had wanted to shower first—
And he still had not found anything to wear.
Rushing into the bathroom, he took the fastest shower he could manage.
Still dripping, a towel wrapped around his waist, he stepped back into the closet, frustration mounting again.
He decided to go with something comfortable.
Even if it meant sticking to his everyday clothes.
He picked out a pair of dark, elegant jeans.
A light cream-colored V-neck T-shirt, and a dark sports jacket to top it off.
Slipping on his favorite sneakers, just in case.
He figured comfort was key, but he still wanted to look presentable.
When he parked the car, he realized that most people had also gone for a casual look.
He entered the exhibition hall, which was set up in a large space with gray walls. Waiters carrying drinks and appetizers moved around the guests.
"Nick," a voice from behind startled him.
He turned around and saw Ari smiling at him.
"Why does it look like you're enjoying yourself too much?" Nick teased Ari. The man standing next to Ari laughed.
"Nick, I want to introduce you to my partner, wow... I'm not used to addressing you like this," he started to Nick, but then turned to the man.
"Nick, this is Adam," Ari introduced his partner with a smile.
Nick extended his hand for a handshake, and Adam shook it.
"I have heard so many things about you from Ari and the gang," Adam said.
"I hope only good things," Nick replied shyly.
"Always," Ari said with a charming smile.
"Want to walk around with us and take a look at Dani's talent? It is my first time at something like this," Adam said excitedly.
Nick joined them, and they walked around the hall until they reached the first painting. It was a painting of a bouquet of light purple flowers wrapped in sky-blue paper, tied with a white ribbon. The bouquet was held by two hands.
For some reason, the painting gave him a familiar feeling.
He looked at it closely, his brows furrowed in thought.
"Trying to figure out why it looks familiar, huh?" Ari pulled him out of his train of thought.
"Does it look familiar to you too?" he asked Ari, hoping it would spark his memory.
"I am not going to tell you," Ari said.
Dani passed by them, and Ari stopped him.
Dani looked tense, fidgeting with the jacket of the suit he had been convinced to wear. He seemed pale, and his eyes darted across the room, scanning to make sure everything was in order.
"Dani, are you alright?" Ari asked him.
"Yes, yes..." he mumbled... then his eyes stopped and widened.
"Oh no, no, no..." Dani muttered in despair.
"What happened?" Ari and Adam asked with concern.
Nick turned to look in the direction Dani was staring, trying to see what had rattled him so badly.
But he could not figure it out.
"It is not supposed to be there..." Dani said and started walking. The other three followed him.
They reached a painting that was mostly exposed canvas. Rafi was standing there, a satisfied smile on his face. When he saw Dani, he said, "Putting this in the exhibition is just genius."
Dani glared at Rafi. "This is a mistake. It is not supposed to be here."
"Really? Then how did it get here?" Rafi asked curiously.
"I do not know! The correct painting is supposed to be on the drying stand in the studio," Dani said nervously. "I am going to look for my agent," he added and walked away quickly.
"I think I will go help him," Rafi said and followed him.
Daniel and Rafael finally managed to find his agent, and after some inquiries, it turned out that one of the gallery staff who was supposed to help move the paintings had confused the painting Daniel had made with the canvas he had used as an improvised dining table.
There was nothing they could do now, especially since the exhibition was already in full swing. And the "painting" that had been swapped was being received with such enthusiasm.
So taking it down was out of the question, and admitting the mistake even more so.
At least Daniel managed to convince them to remove it from the auction.
Daniel was in such a low state that he barely noticed his family and the guests who had come to congratulate him.
From the very beginning, he had a bad feeling about the exhibition, and the incident with the swapped painting only confirmed his instincts.
He felt a gentle hand on his cheek, and had to focus himself to see who was in front of him.
His mother, wearing a silver dress that hugged her figure—fitting for a world-class actress like her.
What he saw in her eyes was nothing less than pride.
"My baby," she whispered and hugged him. "I am so proud of you. Your father is beating himself up for not being able to be here with you tonight," she said as she rubbed his back comfortingly.
"I know. He called me crying the moment he landed at his destination," Daniel said, remembering the call with his father.
She released the hug and gently lifted his chin so he would look at her.
"And remember what I told you—nothing ever goes perfectly. There are always bumps along the way. But even so, you need to walk tall and keep your head high. It is just one night."
Daniel nodded and raised his chin.
"Will you stay with me until the end of the evening?" he asked her.
"Of course," she replied with a smile, linking their arms. "Are you offering me a private tour?"
Daniel, feeling like he could finally breathe, smiled and nodded.
Nick watched Daniel and his mother from the side, smiling warmly.
"This is genius," Will said. They were standing next to the swapped painting. Will looked at it with shining eyes. "I want this," he said, pointing at the painting. The people around him chuckled.
"Too bad, because it is not for sale," Rafi replied.
"Why not?" Will sounded genuinely disappointed. "It would look amazing in our living room," he said, turning to Sam.
"You do realize that is not an actual painting?" Sam tried to explain.
Will shook his head, refusing to listen. "I will have to talk to Dani about this."
Nick did not get a chance to talk to Dani at the exhibition. Most of the time, Dani was with his mother, and the rest of the time he was surrounded by cameras and interviews.
When the auction began, Dani was nowhere to be seen, so Nick decided to head home with a lingering feeling of missing out.
The next morning, a message from Dani was waiting for him:
"I wanted to properly apologize to you, but in the end I did not get a chance to talk to you :( "
"Out of all the works of art, you were the most breathtaking one."

~~~~~

Sam called Rafael and asked him to go over his song for the show's special, one-on-one. 

Rafael happily agreed and brought his guitar to help teach Sam the right tones for the song. 

"You have a very unique voice," he told Sam when they stepped out for a break. 

Sam blushed. "You are just saying that to flatter me," he said with a laugh. 

The front door opened, and Daniel and Will walked in—Daniel first, followed by Will, who was carrying a large canvas with a satisfied smile on his face. 

"I cannot believe you gave in," Rafael said, shocked. 

"Oh... you do not know Will. When he wants something..." Sam told him. 

"Do not forget what you promised," Daniel reminded Will. 

"I do not understand why you needed me to promise anything. Sooner or later, it was going to happen anyway," Will said as he gently placed the canvas against the wall. 

"Where do we keep the nails and the hammer?" Will asked Sam. 

Sam shook his head and said, "I honestly have no idea. Maybe check the drawers in the kitchen?" 

As Will went to search in the kitchen, Daniel called after him, 

"I decide the time and place. So be ready!" 

While Sam tried to get Daniel to reveal what Will had promised, Rafael followed Will into the kitchen. 

"Listen, I have something to tell you," Rafael said. 

Will looked at him, and the serious expression on Rafael's face triggered all his instincts. 

"What is it?" Will whispered, stepping closer. 

They were only inches apart, and Rafael had the rare chance to see Will’s beautiful face—so close, and off-screen. 

"It is about Sam’s match. Ari accessed the MMS database. He tried several times, using different parameters, but he found nothing," Will told him. 

"What does that mean? That Sam does not have a match in the system?" Will asked, and Rafael shook his head. 

"No, Will. It means he was never entered into the database to begin with," Rafael said quietly. 

"What!?" Will hissed, starting to pace the kitchen. 

"How could they do this to him? They promised! They promised!" he fumed. 

"Will, calm down. We can fix this," Rafael tried to approach him, to soothe him. 

Will grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. 

"You do not understand. They told him that once a match showed up in the MMS, they would let him go. But they never had any intention of letting him go. So they never entered his information into the system. Every test he took—was pointless. All that waiting—for nothing! How am I supposed to tell him that?" 

"What!?" Sam exhaled. 

Will and Rafael turned to look at him. He and Daniel were standing closer than they had been at the beginning of the conversation. 

Sam turned very pale, which told them how much he had heard of their conversation. 

Tears began to gather in his eyes, and he asked in a broken voice, "Are you sure?" 

Rafael felt his heart tighten and rushed to hug him. Daniel joined the embrace, and both of them wrapped their arms around Sam. 

"I am so sorry," Rafael said to him, as Sam could no longer hold back his tears. 

Will looked at his best friend. He had hoped he would never have to see that pained expression on Sam’s face. It burned inside him. 

That was why he had taken Sam out of his family’s house and brought him to live with him. 

That was why they kept pretending to be a couple off-screen too—to keep Sam’s family away from him.