As I'm having a good chance to write at the moment, I thought you might like an extra update. I will have to revert back to weekly after this though, so that I don't run out of updates and leave you all disappointed. Thanks for reading!
The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part IV
Nick was right to worry about his husband; although he did not say anything that night as they celebrated the good news that had come for their friends, all Jeff could think about was what was happening the next day, when the results of the practical project part of his examinations would be announced at the annual Columbia Art Show. It would open its doors at 10am for students and their invited guests; it would open to the general public an hour later. Jeff still did not know quite what to expect. He had taken his piece of work to the judging halls, where the exhibition was taking place, and placed it in the spot that he had been designated. Once it was on display, with an anonymous ID number being the only identifier as to who had completed the work, he had left the room, and had not been permitted to return since. Now as the moment of judgement loomed large, he could feel a coldness in his veins as he imagined that the worst of results had happened. Certainly he had not been able to pick up any hints or insights from watching those members of staff that he knew had been involved in the assessment process, and Wes had as always refused to divulge anything that he knew already.
The spectre of failure was one that always haunted Jeff, no matter how many times Nick and his other friends told him that everything would be ok; that he was talented and that when it came down to it, it was his opinions that mattered, not everyone else's. That night found the young blond unable to sleep, not that his husband was aware of that, as he had fallen asleep almost at the very moment that his head had touched the pillow. That was not altogether a bad thing in Jeff's eyes that night, as it meant he could get up, and take a seat in the quiet of the living room, with a glass of milk and a cookie or three, just to try and help him sleep, obviously. As he sat there he heard a soft noise, and a moment later Caleb jumped up to sit at his side on the sofa. He was content that night just to snuggle in at his side, as Jeff lovingly stroked him gently…
Jeff was still there the following morning when Mike woke up. He smiled at first at the way he was slumped on the sofa, with cookie crumbs in his lap, but then realised that there had to be a reason why he was there and not in bed with Nick. He walked towards him as quietly as he could, but he still managed to make enough noise to wake Caleb up, and his indignant miaow at the disturbance was all that it took to rouse Jeff from his sleep. Once he realised where he was, and that Mike was standing in front of him, he started, and blushed.
"Hey, it's ok, I get it," said Mike, as he sat on the arm of the sofa next to Jeff. "I was sat out here half the night last night, because I was so worried about how my finals would go - just ask Caleb. Whatever the judges say, we will all know that you have done your best, and you know, sometimes judges are not as impartial as they should be. I mean, that was how the Warblers lost out at Regionals in your sophomore year, wasn't it? Look, if Wes likes it, the nothing else really matters, does it?"
"I know, it's just that so much is riding on the results of today. If I don't get a good enough mark, then they might make me repeat this year, which is a lot of expense. With all this talk of us having to move, another lot of bills for that is something that we could do without… It just can't happen."
"If it does, then it does. You know that Nick would not care one jot about the money if you had to repeat the year. He would only be upset because it would upset you so much. However, you are not going to fail this one. If you drew it, then it has to be magnificent. I will be there, at the front of the line with Tina, waiting to get in at the stroke of 11am, just to say I am one of the first people to see your creation. Every one of your closest friends is desperate to see it. Thad wants someone to take a photo of it as soon as possible so he doesn't miss it; you know that he would be here in person right now if he could be. We all of us care about you, and admire your talent so very much. So, as far as Nick is concerned, you just got up a few minutes ago, after me. Caleb and I won't say anything about you sleeping half the night out here. Let's go and make some breakfast for Nick, and surprise him…" Jeff nodded, and struggled to his feet. Once he was up, he pulled Mike into a bro hug, which he reciprocated. Mike was keenly aware that Jeff needed all of the reassurance that his friends could give him.
Nick was pleasantly surprised to be woken up by and told that breakfast was ready. He came through and said nothing about the fact that it was painfully obvious that Jeff had been up half the night. He knew in any case that he had fallen asleep on the couch. He had woken up three hours earlier, and finding Jeff's side of the bed empty had crept through to the living room and saw him there, sound asleep. Caleb had seen Nick there, but had not made a sound. He would keep the secrets of anyone that fed him. Time ran away with them a bit, and there was a little bit of a scramble to get dressed, as Mike announced he would clean up. In good time Nick and Jeff were once more on the subway heading back into Manhattan. Nick discretely held Jeff's hand, and could feel that it was damp with a nervous sweat. "It will all be ok," he whispered, "and whatever the outcome, I will still love you and what you do. In the end, that is all that really matters, when you stop and think about it."
"I know, Nicky - and I love you so very much too…" came his reply.
Before Jeff knew it, it was 10am, the doors to the exhibition hall were opened, and he was stepping inside, Nick at his side, trying to smile. It was all going to be ok…
"Ah, Mr Sterling-Duval!" came a voice, and both Jeff and Nick turned to see the stern faced Dean standing there. "If you could come with me, there is something that we need to talk to you about in private…"
Jeff's face fell the moment that he heard those words; at his side, Nick suddenly felt a wave of coldness and nausea passing through his body. To both of them those words, that phrase, could mean only one thing at that time. A problem. Jeff nodded at the Dean, keeping his eyes downcast, and reached instinctively for Nick's hand so that he could draw strength through it from his husband. 'If it is the worst,' he thought, 'then I can just go and work at the Spotlight, and give up on school. It would be ok doing that. It's fun…' He sniffed loudly as his brain admitted his true opinion on those thoughts, and he felt Nick tighten his grip on his hand.
It was only on hearing that sniff that the Dean noticed the effect that his words had had on the two young men; they had looked alright as they walked in, but now they both looked as if their entire world was coming to an end… "Oh, my! I hope that you aren't assuming… Jeff, you do not seriously believe that the magnificent piece of work that you submitted to us was deemed inadequate by the assessing panel? If that was what you were assuming that I wished to speak to you about, then you could not have been more mistaken."
Jeff looked up, his eyes wide, as Nick just broke into a smile at his side, before he leant in towards his husband and whispered "What do I keep telling you? You are a talent!"
"I will not disagree with that statement, Nick. When we first set eyes upon your piece, Jeff, we were all left totally mesmerised by it. The eyes seemed to be following us around the room; the way it is shaded makes it so realistic, as does the attention to detail in the wings and the muscle tone… If I didn't know better, I would have to say that you had an actual angel pose for you!"
"So I didn't fail then?" said Jeff quietly.
"Fail!? You came top of the year! We could find no flaw to fail you on; nothing at all to mark you down for. It was the best piece of work submitted by any student, in any year, to the school this year in our opinion. That is what I need to talk to you about. The decision has been taken, on a unanimous basis, that your work should take the central spot at the show this year - and as such, we would like you to unveil it officially at 11.30am, once the majority of the public have assembled."
Jeff could only stare at the man, and stutter "I…this is…"
"No surprise at all to any of us that have seen you at work. Yours will be a name that people will recall both now, and for many years to come. I just feel so privileged that you are here, and not at some other school. Now, I will leave you to collect yourself for a moment, before I escort you both through to the other room to be formally introduced to the invited guests; you could perhaps talk to them about your inspiration for the piece before we let the world at large see your work in all of its glory. Once again, my heartfelt congratulations. As for your grades, let us just say that if you were a senior this year, you would be graduating top."
Left alone for a moment, Jeff looked at Nick, at how his face was suffused with pleasure as he beamed a smile for him, and found that his own lips were turning up into a smile too. "In years to come, Jeffie, we will be the star guests at parties, and I will say to people that my husband is a famous artist; me, I'm just a lawyer. You were always going to be the one of us that ruled the world…"
"Never just my husband that draws, eh?" said Jeff, recalling the speech he made as his pre-wedding jitters hit.
"Exactly, my love. Now, you need to ensure that you enjoy every single minute of today; keep that smile firmly in place, and be happy! I might have to go and fetch people into the room; leave you with the experts whilst I show off just how wonderful you are…"
"I love you, Nicky!"
"I love you too! Now, are you ready to show off?"
Jeff laughed, and linking Nick's arm in his, they made their way in the direction of the door where the Dean had now reappeared, ready to bring them into the little room where The Judging Angel hung in splendid isolation. On the threshold, Jeff stopped and made Nick close his eyes whilst they walked in, which raised a little ripple of laughter amongst the assembled lecturers and invited guests.
"You didn't even let your husband see it until today, did you?" said the Dean. Jeff nodded before whispering to Nick that he could open his eyes. He did, and his first impression was instantly written across his face as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Jeff left his husband to stand and stare in awe as the Dean motioned him to come over and meet the special guests.
"It is quite impressive, isn't it? Even more so in this setting," came Wes' voice at Nick's side. "I never imagined in a million years that a picture of me would be the star attraction at an art show, but if it has made Jeff the star he rightfully deserves to be, then I am so glad that I agreed to pose for it."
"I always knew that he was good, but this - this needs to be in a grand gallery somewhere," replied Nick in a hushed reverential voice. "It's like a photo, not a drawing at all. He is going to be a household name one day soon…"
"With you standing proudly at his side," said Wes, who then allowed Nick to just stand and stare at the picture before him in silence, as behind him, Kurt and Blaine also stood, wreathed in smiled.
Jeff was still occupied with the invited guests when the clock hit 11am, and the door to the main hall behind him were opened to the awaiting public. He was glowing as one after another heaped their own praise upon him, and it was the more impressive to him as they included a number of gallery owners and contemporary artists amongst their ranks. Nick had been introduced to them all, and if there had been one or two raised eyebrows when Jeff had used the word husband, it had been because of their youth. Nick was welcomed every bit as warmly as Jeff. Now Nick knew that he had to be somewhere else; he had to go back into the main room to greet all of the friends that would be arriving. He took his leave of them all, and parted from Jeff with a kiss to his cheek, and a promise that he would return soon. He was not in the least worried about leaving him, as he was in his element, plus he had three angels keeping an eye upon him; as Kurt had said, if there was anything that happened that needed Nick to return, then one of them would come and fetch him.
The main hall was by now filling up with people, all of them carrying the printed guide that told them where certain exhibits could be found. It didn't take Nick very long to find Mike, with Tina at his side, the latter scanning the sheet in front of her with an increasing amount of agitation. "Nick!" Tina said as she spotted him.
Mike looked up, and on seeing him, he felt relieved. "We can't find his name on the sheet, Nick! I checked the whole sophomore list twice, and nothing! I thought that maybe they'd got his year wrong, or something, but still… His work isn't here, is it? Is it the worst case scenario, and if it is, how is he?"
"It's complicated. You are right in that his work isn't on display in this room, but at the same time, the reason for that is the exact polar opposite of what you are imagining. Jeff is actually currently on Cloud Nine, and he is still in a little bit of shock, as am I, to be honest…" replied Nick, smiling.
"Ok, so if he isn't here, then why not?" said Tina in exasperation.
"He's not…." said Mike in a whisper. "He is, isn't he! His picture is in the inner room, the one that is reserved for the crème de la crème! I always knew that he was talented!"
"Very talented, Mike. In fact, between the three of us, he is the most talented of all. His picture has been voted best submission from the entire school; and, like you, he is also at the top of his class overall."
"He's what!?" came a familiar voice from behind Nick, and he spun round to confirm it was who he thought.
"Trent! What are you doing here! When Jeff was dropping hints, you told him that you would be too busy with studying for your own exams, and wouldn't be able to make it!" said Nick, as he pulled his old friend into a hug.
"I convinced him that he could read every bit as easily on the train here as he could back home, and that he had to stop and take a break sometime, so why not do it here at the exhibition," said Rory, who had appeared next to him and was now being hugged by Tina.
"So, our Jeff is the top marked artist in the entire school this year; not a shock, if I am honest. We all knew that he had the ability; the only person that ever doubted that was Jeff himself. Then again, that is one of the reasons why we all like him; he is humble," said Trent.
"Where is he, by the way?" asked Rory.
"In the inner room, talking to the great and the good of the art world. If nothing else, Dalton trained all of us in the art of making social conversation. He will be so happy to see you though, Trent. You were always, as he puts it, the best friend that he wasn't in love with…"
Trent laughed, and replied, "That's true. Still it won't be quite the same if…"
"…the fourth musketeer isn't here?" said Sebastian as he walked up, with Dave at his side. "Though, admittedly, it does appear that our little band is currently incomplete. Have you mislaid your husband, Nick?"
"He is otherwise engaged at the moment, dealing with the fact that he is now the toast of the whole of the Columbia Art School…" came his reply, and then they all explained to Sebastian and Dave why Jeff wasn't around right now.
By the time that 11.30 came, the small party had grown to include Brittany, Santana, Sam, Grace and three surprise guests that no-one had expected to make it. They had been the last of them to arrive; they had been spotted by the eagle eye of Sebastian, who had then turned and stage whispered to Nick "Best behaviour, Nicholas! I do believe that all of your in-laws are here!"
Nick was delighted to see that Elspeth and the Sterlings had made it, although he did tell them off for not letting them know that they would be attending. Their response was simple - they had not wanted to increase the stress on Jeff by making him feel that he had to perform well for their sakes. The lateness of their arrival meant that Nick was called back to the inner room just as he was about to tell them what was going on, which left the three older guests confused. Before anyone else could speak, the main doors to the inner room were opened, and a voice made an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the ante-room is now open for the unveiling of the star item of this year's show; a drawing entitled The Judging Angel, from the talented hands of Mr Jeff Sterling-Duval."
The eyes of the assembled friends all fell at once on the Sterlings and Elspeth as the announcement ended. The two ladies were frozen, mouths agape, as if unable to believe what they had just heard. As for Mr Sterling, he was quickly able to regain his composure, and spoke. "They just said that our boy was the producer of the best piece of work in the show this year, didn't they? He is the top out of everyone here…"
"Yes, sir, they did," said Mike. "It was a big shock to all of us in the same way; they hadn't even informed Jeff until they talked to him as he arrived today. In other ways, of course, it isn't a surprise at all. He can produce with just a few strokes of a pencil works of art that in our own possibly biased opinion rival those of the so called great artists. I for one am sure that in the future we will all be telling people with pride that we are friends with one of the greatest artists of our generation. This is just a start; he will build on this and become even greater."
"Everything that you have just said is true, Mike," said Trent. "However just now I think that we all need to make our way into the other room so that we can witness his great moment first hand; so that Jeff is able to see us, as that is the kind of reassurance that he will be craving right now, if I know him. He has never been too keen on the limelight, and this might all end up being too much for him, if we are not all there in his line of sight."
Without another word being spoken, they all made their way into the other room which was already filling up. With the talents of Santana, backed up by those of Sebastian, they managed to make their way through the crowds to the front, to stand just in front of the spot on the wall where Jeff's drawing now hung, covered at the moment by a curtain. "Jeff said that it was big," Sebastian whispered to Grace, "but I had no idea that it was that big!" She nodded as she finally managed to attract her brother's eye, and pointed to her right. For his part, Nick nudged Jeff, and pointed briefly in the same general direction. Jeff smiled when he saw Trent first, who waved at him, but then his whole face lit up when he spotted his dad, mom, and mother standing beside him. Before he could say anything, however, the Dean stepped up to the microphone, and the whole room fell silent in anticipation.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this the most special moment of our end of year show. The standard of work in general was high this year, and we are very proud of every single student that has their work exhibited here. There was, however, for us one work that stood apart from all the others, and not just in terms of its size. This is the first time in several decades that the accolade of star work has gone to a sophomore, but as you will all witness in a moment, the work was outstanding, and its creator, Jeff Sterling-Duval, can take great pride at his place at the pinnacle of our wealth of talent. I would now like to call on the young man himself to say a few words and then unveil his work."
There was a brief moment of silence, and then Jeff made his way over to the microphone. "Firstly, I would like to start by saying that I still don't quite believe that this is actually happening. I am assured though that it is, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have supported me, especially my parents, my friends, and of course, my husband Nick, because I would not be here at all if it wasn't for all of you. As you might have guessed, I am not that great a public speaker, so without further ado, I will explain the inspiration that lies behind this piece. My closest friends will recognise the face of the angel as that of our late friend and mentor, Wes Montgomery. He was a good man; fair, but firm in his decisions; kind hearted, but not someone that ever shied away from ensuring that a proper punishment was given for a misdemeanour. He was taken from us two years ago in a road accident and I like to imagine that he is now in the illustrious company of angels, helping to judge those of us still here on earth, but in a kindly and sympathetic way. So, this is for you, Wes. I hope that you approve if you can see it." With that, Jeff took hold of the cord attached to the top of the cover, and as he had been instructed, he stood to one side and gave a sharp tug, which caused the curtain to fall smoothly away…
From every corner of the room there were gasps of delight. Flash bulbs went of as Jeff stood to one side of his work, with a beaming Nick right at his side. His assembled friends and family stood in a stunned silence as they took in the grandeur of the sight before them. "It is so accurate and detailed that it is actually like he is standing there, in full view of the room," whispered Rory, who had his hand clutched around Trent's, as his husband shed a few tears of awe at what was in front of him.
"I'll second that," said Sebastian and Mike in unintended unison, which made them all smile. As for the parents, the three of them stood in proud silence, tears in all their eyes, as they took in the facts; that Jeff's art was indeed his calling, and that the decision taken by the Sterlings' all those years ago to encourage Jeff to draw and study it over more academic subjects at Dalton had indeed been the correct choice for him. Today, they were witness to the results of that focus, and they could not be more pleased.
