Damage Control

Chapter 63

With every second that passed by, the more nauseous I became. I was left in the dark as usual, not knowing what to expect when he came back, but I did my best to remain optimistic despite the negative thoughts circling my brain.

After a few more minutes, I started to hear shuffling going on outside of the canopy, and when I was getting ready to peek around the curtain to see what was going on, Nathaniel appeared out of nowhere, standing a few feet away from the bed with that same weird expression written all over his face.

"Come here," he muttered, glancing behind the curtain where I heard the shuffling.

"What's going on?" I finally asked, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach as I slid off the bed, making my way towards him.

"See for yourself," he nodded his head in a direction outside the canopy, and when I followed his gaze, I saw two easels facing each other with canvases placed on them a few steps away with wooden stools positioned in front of each one. The easel had a sliding drawer built inside, and in that drawer were paintbrushes along with a wide range of mini paint bottles.

A wide smile spread across my lips as I turned to him with bright eyes, and even though it was clearly obvious what we were getting ready to do, I still felt as if I had to ask. "We're painting?"

He shrugged with his jaw clenched as he rubbed the back of his head. "We don't have to."

"I want to."

Nathaniel nodded slowly, and I realized the weird expression on his face was from nervousness. He knew how much I wanted to see his painting skills ever since he told me about it, and as much as he wanted to keep this hobby of his to himself, seeing that it was a hobby he shared with his beloved mother, he was willing to share it with me tonight.

"You don't have to do this if it's too much," I whispered, turning around to face him. He didn't say anything as he pulled me in for a kiss before walking towards the easels and nodding his head for me to take a seat in front of him.

"So, what are we painting?" I wondered aloud as I slipped on the apron that was hanging from the easel.

Nathaniel smirked. "Whatever you like."

"What are you painting?"

"Wait and see."

He purposely set up the easels in front of each other so I wouldn't be able to see what he was painting; as usual, he was always thinking ten steps ahead. I sighed heavily in frustration and snatched a pair of gloves from the easel drawer as I wracked my brain for an idea to paint. Eventually, I settled on the beautiful view of the ocean and the bright moon shining down on it, creating the perfect reflection in the water.

My painting skills were as good as a toddler's, but I wanted to impress Nathaniel, so unlike all the other times, I was going to give it my all. To get a better angle of the view, I shifted my easel so that it was facing the ocean, allowing me to paint freely without having to break my neck every few seconds.

I tried to sneak a peek over at Nathaniel, but the huge canvas in front of him covered his entire face; the only thing that could be seen was his muscular tatted arms moving back and forth against the canvas, meaning he already started his painting while I was still confused on which brush to use.

I took a deep breath and focused on the soft instrumental music flowing through the small speaker by the canopy, using it as inspiration. Soon after, I filled my paint palette with different shades of blue and white and began painting on the blank canvas in front of me. Occasionally I would steal glances in Nathaniel's direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of his canvas even though it was nearly impossible the way we were positioned.