Adam smoothed his hands across Kyle's stomach again and shook his head. "That's why you need someone who thinks you're great no matter what," he said softly. "Someone you can't let down. So you always have someone in your corner." He leaned in to kiss Kyle lightly. "What changed, that you stopped liking it? Did he push too hard?"
Kyle hesitated after the kiss, trying to get his words together before he answered. "I don't think Harry changed at all, at first," Kyle said, slowly. "We were fine, really. It... The art had always been a difficult subject between us. My last days at school, before I dropped out, were hard. I wasn't sleeping, or eating much and apparently I was... more of a bitch than I generally can be. I was finding it all difficult and Harry... We decided - he decided. It was decided that the best thing for me was to go cold turkey. I dropped out of college and I dropped art completely. And, for a while, it was better. But I get - there's this drive. Like an itch, but right inside. Like something trying to get out. It happened, from time to time. Usually, I would just deal with it. Go home, talk it through with Harry, remember why I didn't do this stuff any more.
"Then, this one day, when I was feeling that itch, I got talking to this guy. I didn't go home. I didn't talk to Harry. I talked to this other guy instead. This guy who was really interested when I said I drew. This guy who asked me to draw something for him. And even though I knew I shouldn't do it, I did. And I didn't fall apart. The world didn't end. There wasn't even some kind of huge dramatic breakdown on my part," Kyle said with a little laugh. "I'd done what I wanted to do for the first time in over a year and the world just kept on turning."
Adam listened, hands still on Kyle in some way, keeping that contact between them like he was afraid that if he let go, Kyle would disappear altogether. None of how he dropped out of school sounded good, not the decision not any of it. "I think I would have liked to see you when you were in school. I bet you were...really interesting...that's not the right word." Adam shrugged and shook his head. He almost cheered on the guy that had Kyle trying something he loved, showing him that it was okay to do art, almost said that was a great guy, until he realized who it was and his eyes went wide. "Wait...me?"
Kyle’s eyes dropped to the script tattoo on Adam’s arm, but he didn’t say anything about it. “Random diner guy,” he confirmed. “I just.. God, listen to me! I’m that guy - I’m the guy who’s just spent a first date talking about his ex. Fuck - I’m so sorry,” he apologised.