Bare Art Read Free Page B

down her paintbrush and closed the door. Pete might have been able to deny himself release, but Claire d id not feel the same way. As strains of classical music filled the apartment, s he lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and imagined that he had not stopped touching her.
     
    *
     
    “Something’s wrong,” Matt said shrewdly. “You’re painting with clothes on.” It had been a conscious decision on Claire’s part to wear old sweats while she painted. Pete might not have been able to see the difference, but Claire wanted to put him at ease. With the clarity of vision that preceded the euphoria of orgasm, she’d realized that she’d been out of line with Pete. She’d made him uncomfortable, even though she’d enjoyed every minute of it.
    “It’s not as warm in here as it usually is,” she said.
    Matt nodded decisively. “I’ll turn the heat up.”
    Claire laughed, pretending to be more amused than she felt. “Leave it, the utilities bill is high enough.”
    Pete avoided her for most of the day. He kept to his room, practicing music and catching up on his reading. When Matt made dinner he took a plate to his room, insisting that he had a project that he urgently needed to work on.
    “Dude, you’ll get oil on your cello,” Matt said. He’d made garlic bread with extra cheese to accompany their pasta.
    “It’s a written assignment.” He went into his room and shut the door behind him.
    Matt turned to Claire. “What’s up his ass?”
    She shrugged. “If it’s important, I’m sure he’ll bring it up in conversation.”
    Pete’s hermit act continued for the rest of the week, culminating in nothing but suspicion on Matt’s part. His brother even refused to participate in the weekly apartment tradition of overdosing on unhealthy food and watching American Idol.
    “Are you sick or something? You’re refusing Chinese food and music television.” He tried to feel his brother’s forehead for fever and Pete slapped him away.
    “I’m fine.”
    “You’re being really uptight and standoffish. Seriously, what’s wrong?”
    Pete sighed. He reached out and made sure that Matt had closed the door before he said, “I crossed a line with Claire. Now it’s weird.”
    Matt fixated on the first part of Pete’s statement. “What line? Tell me. Spare no details.”
    Pete frowned. “Forget it, you’re just going to be an ass.”
    “I’m your twin,” Matt protested. “Let me live vicariously through you or I’ll stop describing shit to you.”
    “We didn’t do anything,” Pete huffed. “She just let me touch her.”
    “Where?”
    “A bunch of places,” Pete mumbled.
    “ Where, bro?”
    Claire, sitting on the couch with the commercials on mute, could hear the twins conspiring in whispers. Matt wasn’t good at keeping his voice down, and even when he spoke softly she could clearly hear the words, “Oh my God, you touched them ? Dude, she let you?” and then, “What do they feel like?” She could picture Matt closing his eyes so he could experience the full effect of whatever description Pete gave him.
    “These walls are far from soundproof!” she shouted to them.
    “Plug your ears!” Matt yelled back.
    “Dick!”
    “Don’t you dare ruin this for me!”
    Pete’s bedroom door opened and he stormed out into the hall, folded cane in hand. “How about you both just shut the fuck up?” He marched through the front door without stopping and slammed it behind him.
    Matt slid down the hall on his socks, bouncing with uncontained excitement. “Holy shit,” he said to Claire. “Dude . Fuck, dude. ”
    “I don’t know what that means.”
    “It means it is fucking awesome that he finally got an inch closer to getting laid. The guy’s way too uptight as it is.”
    “Jesus, Matt, it’s not like that.”
    “So you’re not gonna sleep with him? ‘Cause I think he could be into you. And if not, he and I do kind of look alike.” He gave her what he figured was a charming