#23

he wasn't sure why he was — actually the appeal of free wine and the chance to talk to some stars and former stars that he wouldn't have came across in any other situation had brought him here. mostly the wine. cristian lingered by snacks, taking the time to recharge and observe the room. where to go, who to avoid. he glanced over at the person next to him, moving a bit to make room for them. "damn. i mean, sorry. do you think they'll mind if i just take a whole tray from here?"

"if they didn't want you to eat it, it wouldn't be here," spencer offered before remembering that he was supposed to be firmly on team julian here. which meant his beef with cristian diaz, was spencer's beef with cristian diaz. that's what a good groomsmen would do, right? so, he hastily added a scathing- "or whatever."

She missed being able to bounce around conversations so easily but with her wedding planning and everything seemingly being so active at the moment she got little peace at events like this. Her hand covered her mouth as she bit into the horderves. Finish before she opened her mouth to speak. "No, gorgeous, really. Your outfit truly gives artistic chic." At least their family was not the point of tonight's event." Lucille smiled. "You could be a piece of art yourself."

Spencer hated having to bounce around all these different conversations, he was beyond struggling. For one, he had no idea what the big deal was with all this art shit - sorry, stuff - and that left him scratching his head most of the night. He'd come along with Julian and honestly, Dawson Wren had a point about it being somewhere he could hide. Peter Vanderbilt's art gallery was the last place you'd ever expect to find Spencer King. He was grateful when he overhead Lucille complimenting someone else. She never missed a beat, you know? She was a natural in this room. He waited for her to finish up whatever charming small talk was going before heading over.

"yeah, let me see what i can do for you" she said, already on her phone rapidly messaging her contacts to try and secure extra tickets. "i get it, mine would be the same. there's something about parents not wanting to miss out on a night out"

"looks like your fingers are about to start smoking, you're going so fast," he breathed. a small smile tugged onto his lips as she mentioned her parents. it didn't mean anything. "yeah, that's so true. mine are more than happy to have all three of their kids grown and out the house. they've got a better social calendar than i do."

"Fine, but I'm not doing all the work." Okay well it wasn't like they couldn't put their heads together and manage. Her brain and her brothers very few brain cells, but like was it that serious? "I am broke compared to you guys." Like he forgot he was a whole pro athlete and she wasn't? Seriously her parents must get tired from managing to only create one smart kid. Michelle tsked, he had a point. "They don't need any more espresso. I caught dad drinking his fifth cup of coffee the other day. I don't know who that old man thinks he is." But the health of their parents was a much different issue for another day. Just as complicated though. "If this is just a chance for them to show off how disgustingly in love they are, I'm gonna puke."

"Fine. You've gotta do more work than just sitting around and being the favourite, though. You know James already has the 'busy' excuse locked and loaded. It's you, me and... I'll ask Jessica Knightly if we can hire her for the party. Uh huh," Spencer said, rolling his eyes (with affection, of course). Of course he wasn't going to let Michelle foot the bill but he could pretend. "Maybe you can chip in for the cake. I'm sure it's gonna have mom and dad's faces on it." Spencer laughed when she brought up their dad, there was no telling that man anything. "We can plan the caffeine intervention for after the party and their trip to Cabo. Michelle... Of course it's a chance for them to show off how disgustingly in love they are. They're probably gonna coordinate a dance and make us all do speeches."

Dawson smiled at Spencer, and he took Spencer's hand, firmly shaking it. "I've seen you play; definitely a better match, but everyone could find you if you hid out there. Much more conspicuous." He nodded his head. "Are they trying to get you to do press or just annoying you?"

"Thank you," Spencer smiled and he tried hard not to let it falter. He'd get back on the field, he would (right?), in no time. "You make a great point there. I should hang out in between paintings and sculptures more often. Much easier than sunglasses and wigs. That, uh, was a joke." He let out a dry laugh at Dawson's question. "It's more like, ah, commercials and photoshoots. I just got done letting out my 'inner lion'... Yeah, feel free to kill me once that one goes live."

Us was certainly doing the heavy lifting in this conversation. "The big party isn't the issue, we can just hire an event planner, right. You and James can handle the plane tickets, superstar." She teased. "Hey, my birth was already the greatest gift they could get." She just... couldn't think of what their parents would want. Michelle shook her head, "You sure we can't just send them on vacation and be done?"

An event planner... Was there truly not going to one moment of Spencer's life that didn't somehow loop back to Jessica Knightly? "I might know someone, yeah. What, you don't want to fork out the big bucks?" he teased. Spencer rolled his eyes at Michelle's favourite fun fact. "You know, there's gonna come a time when that excuse isn't going to work anymore. Your miraculous birth can't carry us forever. Eventually, you'll have to bite the bullet and get them an espresso machine." Man, Spencer wished they could. Usually they could. But their mom had already not so subtly hinted what a big deal this anniversary was. "No can do, Mich."

Dawson appreciated the honesty; he knew art wasn't everyone's thing. "Not a bad call, it doesn't take much to impress people, not many people know too much about art." He nodded his head. "Pretty into it all, I am an artist. Dawson Wren, nice to meet you."

"Well, shit," Spencer laughed. So, he just a little into all this then. He held his hand out kinda awkwardly to shake. "Spencer King. Nice to meet you too." Maybe Jessica Knightly had a point about his not so dazzling social skills... "I, uh, get on better on a football field than in a place like this. I'm just hiding out from my-," he paused, considering how to describe her- "PR manager."

it was bordering on unprofessional at the way she was starting back at him, it was far too fond for someone that was a work colleague. the silence sitting between them like an old friend. it was comfortable even if they weren't. they were normally far more quick with one another, quick comments, quick jokes, it was too serious now. abort. abort.

she knew he was frustrated being out of the game, and if she was a sportsperson in his position she would absolutely be feeling the same way. all the brand deals and press were sure to be rubbing salt in an already painful wound for spencer, but him cooperating meant that he was still contributing. "thank you, and i do appreciate you taking part with minimum complaints. i know it's not easy being around all this and it means a lot that you're here -" she paused at her own sentence before abruptly adding "for the team"

"yeah, well... anything for the team," he added. spencer found himself looking at her - gazing? - for far too long after that. if he had anything else to say, it certainly wasn't coming to him. no, he'd been left high and dry by his so-called brain right now. spencer was used to her giving him shit or making fun, but the sincerity in her voice was undeniable. it made him feel... uncomfortable. yeah, that's what it was.

Dawson knew Spencer King, not because he cared about sports, but because a football superstar who hung around the Upper East Side crowd was on his radar. He smiled at the man, nodding his head. "If it makes you feel better, it's not a great piece of art anyway."

Spencer let out an unexpected laugh at his response, feeling his shoulders relax. "That does make me feel better, thanks. I'll have to remember the name of it so I can seem smart next time I'm asked about art," he added. "Are you, uh... into all this?"

"then you don't have to. i can phone them and deal with the request of tickets if you want to go. they usually come in pairs for you and a plus one"

"yeah? i'd owe you one," he said without thinking. spencer definitely didn't want to owe jessica knightly one - any more ones - given what she could book him to do. fucking hell... "oh, it's not for me. my, uh, parents are not subtle in their hinting about it."

"i don't think there's any harm in asking to see if you can get tickets. you're part of the brand deal, surely you of all people could get a ticket to go"

"what if i really don't want to talk to them again?"

Dawson had been holed up in his studio working on some new pieces. He had been inspired by all the romance and drama he had seen at Logan's party; it had been quite the introduction to the place he was calling home. If every part proved to be this inspiring, his dry spells with his art would be a thing of the past. Today, he was taking in some local art by going to a few galleries.

Spencer had only ducked in here to try and clear his head. He was dodging calls from his PT like a pro, half hoping he'd lose cell service the deeper he wandered into this gallery. Art had never really been his thing and he was barely paying attention when he was asked the question. Spencer blinked in response, suddenly feeling like an imposter caught in enemy territory. "Uh... pass?"