You guys asked for it, so here it is:
Indigo Eyes
Chapter 2
I awoke the next morning with a start. Have you ever slept somewhere other than your bed and woken up wondering where you are and how you got there? I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and pushed off the blanket I had found in the closet where Duo had told me.
Duo… That’s right… I had stayed the night in Duo’s apartment. Quickly, I took a glance at myself and noticed with relief that I still had my clothes on. One could never be too careful, you know.
I got up and stretched, thankful that I had shoved a pair of sweatpants in my bag before my hasty flight from home. I straightened out my black t-shirt and folded the blanket, putting it back where I found it. Yawning, I made my way to the bathroom to take care of things, all the while thinking, am I dreaming?
Quietly, on bare feet, I began making my way toward the kitchen when I noticed it, making me do a double-take. Propped up on one of the ‘dining room’ chairs as if it were an easel, was an oil-on-canvas painting of ME! I came closer to study it, being careful not to touch – If memory served, oil took forever to dry. In the painting, I was asleep on the couch. He’d done this in one night? You could tell by his brushstrokes, or perhaps it was the color palate, the piece was warm and welcoming… almost tender. I felt my heart skip a beat at the thought of someone staring at me while I slept, but the finished product made up for that little invasion.
Belatedly, I spied a note written in loopy scribbles set upon the table.
Heero,
Thank you for staying the night. As you can see, you are my muse. Please consider my proposition and help yourself to anything in my kitchen. I probably won’t be awake any time before noon.
Duo.
I put the paper down and made my way to the kitchen for some breakfast.
By the time Duo woke up, I’d been sitting at the table for hours staring at the painting and drinking some mint tea. I’d really taken time to deliberate my decision, and it really did seem like Duo was an angel sent to rescue me. The fact that he wanted me as his boyfriend was a little disturbing, I mean, we’d only just met. But still, I turned to look at him stretching by his bed; he really was gorgeous to look at.
I frowned at that thought. Sure, looks were nice, but I wanted to connect with my significant other on an intellectual level. I sighed and looked down at my cooling cup of tea. I really did want to take Duo up on his offer but… Call me a hopeless romantic, but I want something deeper in my relationship. I wanted…love.
“Good morning,” a sleepy but cheerful voice said from behind me. Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders and warm lips on my cheek, making me jump. He chuckled, “Why so jumpy? Have you thought about my proposal?”
I nodded.
“And?” he prompted.
“I… I think I’ll take it.” I said, trying not to blush too much.
He tilted my head up a little and smiled down at me, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. Just be yourself and let me capture your beautiful soul in my art… but I sense there’s something off about you today…”
I started, could he really tell?
“What do you mean?” I asked, pulling away, taking my cup to the sink to wash it.
He followed behind me, placing his hands at my waist and leaned in to whisper in my ear, making me shiver. “I want you to be mine, but I won’t push you into anything you don’t want. Tell me what you DO want.”
“I… I want…” how could I possibly tell him? How could I tell him that I wanted more than just something physical? I wanted to love him… I wanted love.
He turned me around so that I no longer faced the sink and hugged me tightly. “Tell me in my studio, I’d like to paint you.”
“But I’m not even dressed yet! My hair is probably worse than it usually is and-”
“Don’t worry about it, you look amazing.”
He then took my hand, making me blush (much to my chagrin), and led me to his studio. He made me sit on an old couch in there and went about prepping his easel.
“How does this work, exactly? Am I supposed to hold perfectly still or can I move about?” I asked.
“Just stay in the same general position and talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I… I’ve been thinking about what you’ve asked me…”
“And?” he asked, his brush already moving along the canvas.
“I can’t be your boyfriend,” I paused at the heartbroken look he gave me. “I mean… I hardly know you and while you’re being extremely generous, I want something more.”
“I see.” Duo continued working quietly for a while. “Everybody is looking for love, you know, including painters.”
“I can understand that, but it doesn’t just happen immediately.” I said, looking up at Duo.
“Does that mean I still have a chance?” he asked me hopefully. His expression was so open and pleading that I had to smile.
“That means that I haven’t decided against it yet. I’d like to know you as a person… I’d like to have you as a friend first… Is… is that okay?” I wanted to kick myself. I sounded like some hopeless schoolgirl waiting for her prince charming.
Duo grinned and nodded, “I can deal with that. In fact, it makes you an even better subject to paint. I’m looking forward to our arrangement.”
Days went by in a haze in Duo’s apartment. It seemed as if time just didn’t exist. The hours passed and we’d order food every once in a while. Most of the time, we spent it in Duo’s studio, just talking while he painted. When we weren’t in his studio, he carried a large sketch pad with him everywhere and drew me non-stop. When I asked to see his sketchpad, I was amazed at his skill. There were sketches of my hands one of just my eyes, there were several quick sketches of me just doing everyday things.
We were sitting on the roof of his building one afternoon when I finally decided to ask him what he did with all his paintings and drawings.
“I put them all together and I pick out pieces that seem to fit together and put together an exhibition.” He said, smudging at the charcoal on his sketch pad.
“And when will that be?” I asked. I was delighted when I found out that Duo’s apartment had the only access to the roof and that he had a small garden and gazebo set up here. I was watering and weeding as he sat and drew.
“Well, I need my agent to set things up a good deal in advance. But my next exhibition should be in about three months.”
“Do you plan what you’re going to paint in advance?” I asked, interested.
Duo laughed slightly and shook his head, “Never. It kills my inspiration.”
“Does my letting you paint me mean that there’s a good chance of my being in your next show?” I asked a little nervously.
“Well, yes, obviously,” Duo said, putting down his art tools. He got up and walked to where I was kneeling by the flowerbed and gave me a hug. “Is there a problem?”
I shook my head, “No, it’s not a problem. I... I just never thought of it before. It’s a little daunting to know that people will be looking at painting upon painting all featuring me.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek, “Don’t worry so much, you’re stunning.”
Jess’ Rant:
I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed me. I’m the kind of person that feeds off of reviews and will just pop out a chapter in a few hours (depending on feedback). I probably won’t be online again today, but assuming I get a few hours on a comp tomorrow and a couple of reviews, I can have another chapter out soon. Please feel free to give me your suggestions, some of you might see your suggestions come to life. I’m sure you’ve noticed that if you reviewed (a signed review) I’ve responded. I’m going to continue replying to all individual reviews instead of having a long list of names/replies in my chapters. Again, thank you all for your encouragement and your feedback.