Open mind for a different View

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Anthony had just finished his latest pencil drawing when he heard the knock on the door. He closed the pad and put it away back in the closet. If felt as if someone inflated him with life when he saw Amelia on the other side. “Hi.” He wanted to say something better but no other words formed. He moved aside and let her in.

“Are you busy?”                                                    

He found his footing again and managed to create sentences. “It wouldn’t matter if I was. I told you before you can always stop by, I don’t mind the company especially yours. I have something to show you.” He laid his hands over her shoulders and led her over to the easel. His hands slipped down her shoulders and locked around her waist as he stood behind her.

The last time she was there he had it angled and she never saw what he had been working on. “This explains the green paint you had on you yesterday.” She said while taking in the painting of her laying in his bed, she had been asleep at the time but in the painting her eyes were open and intensely green. It was the only color used. “It’s really great. What’s this?” she grabbed the loose paper tucked on the frame before he could stop her.

He sighed and winced. “I was improvising for my next assignment. Our instructor wants us to present something with the lines and contours of the body as the main focus.” He was slightly embarrassed to be caught trying to draw her nearly naked and hoped now that she knew it was for class she wouldn’t think of him as some pervert.

Amelia had never fit expectations before and she didn’t start now. “Why would you improvise? This project more then any other would really benefit from a live model. I wouldn’t mind.”

His heart stopped and he was glad she couldn’t see his reaction; he must’ve been hearing things. “Really?”

She turned around and glanced up at his face. “I’m anti-social and sometimes pretty weird but I’m not shy and never had been accused of otherwise.”

He didn’t doubt that after thinking back to her blunt openness and honesty. “This seems a little dangerous.”

“It’s art and I’m sure you can be professional about it, we both can. When do you want to work on it?”

Anthony really gave it some thought, realistic thought. There was no way he could see her bare skin and not be affected, the question was could he handle it long enough to get the project done without screwing it up or doing something she wasn’t ready for? He wasn’t sure of much but he knew he was starting to care for Amelia and the last thing he wanted was to lose her or make her uncomfortable in anyway. “You’re right. I don’t just want a passing grade, I want it to be amazing and I do need your help for that as you saw with that bad drawing. We’ll be completely professional, you’re the model and I’m the artist, nothing in between.”

Her mouth broke out into a smile. “I’m getting a kick out of seeing you so bent out of shape.”

“You don’t mind at all stripping down in front of me?”

-

“I wouldn’t have offered if I did.”  The truth was it did make her nervous to expose another part of herself to him but after giving it some thought she knew like other times she was safe in his hands. Never once had he treated her without respect. She liked that they had something they shared privately such as his art. It was something their family didn’t get a say in or something they could criticize. She grabbed the disregarded sketch as a cheat sheet on what he was looking for. “When do you want to work on it?” she asked again.

“We have time, it’s due next Monday.”

“You’re nervous.” she teased.

“Maybe. I need a day to wrap my mind around this, if we do this now I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.” He admitted shyly as he ran his fingers through his hair.  “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah I had pizza with my mom, Lena and Eric at home earlier.” She explained as they moved to the sofa and sat down. “He’s eased up but Lena is still giving me a hard time about this.”

He took her hand and rubbed it between his. “What do you want to do about it?”

“Leaving my sister with ammo is asking for it. I have to tell my mom before Lena does and paints an ugly untrue picture about us.” She didn’t want to focus her attention on worrying about Lena but she couldn’t get it out of her head or the fear her mother wouldn’t understand and yet again ban her from the only person she was comfortable with.

“Do you want me to talk to her, your mom?”

Amelia smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. When he said things like that she knew their time together wasn’t a mistake and her growing emotion toward him was warranted. “That’s sweet. No I’ll grow a pair and do it soon.”

“I want to know the trivial things about you.” Anthony said moments later after their previous conversation ran its course.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Black, you?”

He looked over his shoulder and down into her eyes. “Green.”

“We’re back to the cheesy flirting?”

“I’m being honest.” He fought back a grin.

“Right, next question.”

“All time favorite band, you can only pick one.”

“Ah that’s rough.” She snuggled against the side of his chest as she considered her options. “Nirvana.”

The rest of the day continued to go that way, they asked each other questions, some important and some trivial as they got to know every detail about each other. She learned about the pet dog the Marcetti’s used to have and the insane pranks he and Eric used to pull on each other.  

She agreed to stay for dinner after he offered to cook. “You cook?”

“You’ve met my mother, it’s mandatory to know how to cook in our family. When we were younger she’d pull me and Eric aside to help with Sunday dinner.” Anthony explained as he moved his way around the small attached kitchen of the studio. “You’re not worried about getting home too late?” The sun was already starting to set outside.

She couldn’t leave and go home even if she tried, there was nothing more she wanted then to stay there with him and never stop. “I’ll come up with something.”