Pose

Chapter Twenty One: Female Dogs

(Nathaniel's point of view)

        "Still getting those headaches?" Kelly asked, as I leaned back on her office couch.

         I only nodded in response.

         "You should get that checked out. It's been two weeks." She said, her voice quieter for my sake.

        "I don't think I need to." I murmured, massaging my temples.

        "Just do it anyway." I was about to protest, but then she shut me up with a "for me?"

         I groaned. I didn't really think it was necessary but if it would put Kelly's mind at ease, I'll do it. "Fine."

        She grinned a triumphant grin, and I rolled my eyes at my baby sister, but couldn't help smiling a little myself. My smile, however, faded when she said, "so, how's your little crush on Corrine?"

        "I'm ignoring you now." I muttered, shoving the closest cushion onto my face.

        Something was thrown at me, hitting me straight in the middle of my chest. I groaned in pain and pulled the cushion away from my face to find an apple in my lap. Kelly gestured for me to throw it back, but I bit into it instead, mainly just to spite her. It worked, and she threw a pen at me next.

        "Arsehole. I wanted to eat that. Now you owe me an apple and an answer to the question." She huffed, crossing her arms.

        "A- it's not a crush." It's more. "And B- she's your best friend."

        "Your point is?"

        "My point is that you probably already know everything going on and more. I'm not blind to women's natural instinct to tell their closest friends everything." Although it is definitely one of the most annoying things that all men have been cursed to deal with.

        She squirmed in her seat. "What are you talking about? Women don't do that..." She tried to lie.

        I raised my eyebrows.

        She slumped. "Okay, we do. But I mean, we can't help it, it just--" she waved her arms around in a gesture of 'it happens'. "Why'd you do it?" She asked after a short silence.

        Tried to get some peace and quiet here, and ended up getting interrogated. Nice. "Do what exactly?"

        "Ask her to pose. You knew she was married then, couldn't you just avoid her? Why risk temptation?"

        I sighed. "Believe it or not, it was purely for artistic purposes." A half-lie, of course.

        She scoffed. "Riiight."

        I rolled my eyes at her again. It may sound surprising, but it was the truth. I did really want Corrine to pose for me because she was incredibly photogenic. She was also pretty in the way that all women are pretty, but beautiful in her own unique way. It was just there in her feline-ish grey eyes, constantly blushing cheeks, and Cupid’s bow lips.

        The things I can do to that mouth… I shook my head to clear it. To go down that road is to acknowledge the kiss, and to acknowledge the kiss, I’ll have to remember that she considers it a silly impulsive mistake. She has a point of course, it shouldn’t have ever happened, it was impulsive, and it was obviously morally unethical. That, of course, didn’t stop the tiny twinge of hurt when the words spilled out of her mouth.