A Pirate's Crush

24. I Ain't Soft!

"Ah, you read my mind," he said. "I'm a little hungry."

"Our course is set," I said. "Let's get... uh... wait..."

"What?" he asked, giving me a weird look.

I had reached my hand out to gesture him to follow, but in doing so I brought my hand was in front of his in my line of view. Shoot... it's so stupid to be stopped by something like this but...

...would it be too weird to hold hands? Is it too soon? Maybe...

Wait! No! I don't need to hold his hand! I ain't soft!

Or... well... what if...

"Jean?"

Huh? Oh, crap! I've been staring at our hands this whole time, haven't I? Um... just brush it off!

"It's nothing," I said. "C'mon, we're burning daylight."

I gestured him along. Not the best start, but he doesn't seem too weirded out. I can salvage this.

Do not mess this up, Jean. You might not get a second date.

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We went tent by tent, spending no more than several minutes at each display. Nothing really caught my attention. But then we came across one tent that immediately hooked me. This artist appeared to specialize in silhouette art—sharply-defined black forms of people or objects against a colored backdrop. Birds in the sky, trees, a city skyline...

My inner artist was hooked.

The commander followed me as I stopped at every single painting, immersing myself in each scene, allowing the colors to enter my mind and play with my senses.

"These are great," I said.

"Agreed," he said. "These are some of the best works I've seen so far."

"Oh, look at this one, Commander," I said, pointing to a gorgeous painting of a blue forest with silhouetted trees and beams of sunlight piercing the canopy.

"That's pretty," he said.

"I really like the different shades of blue," I said. "It's a creative idea."

"Is blue your favorite color?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. My favorite's red. Represents passion, confidence, resolve, and most of all strength."

"The color of your eyes, too," he said.

...um... heh... is he trying to flirt with me?

"Yeah... that too," I said in a quieter voice.

"I'd say red describes you well," he said. "Looks good on you too. Your earrings help bring out your eyes."

Damn it, stop saying sweet things! You're gonna make me blush...

The look he's giving me ain't helping. Those stupid... beautiful eyes...

"Thanks..." I stuttered. "But I think all colors have their merit. Makes it hard to pick a favorite."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a similar painting—another silhouetted forest—with green as the dominant color instead of blue. Gave me an idea to enlighten him a little.

"In fact, I just found a perfect example," I said. "What kind of feelings does this blue forest evoke? To me, it's cool, serene, maybe a slight breeze in the air, and the feeling of stillness—like time's frozen."

When I glanced at him, he was staring at the painting. And then he looked at me.

"...that's quite a vivid description," he said.