Tinder, Love and Care

3. Painting

Justice's deep laugh rang out, and I ignored the way it seemed to warm me up and make my insides all tingly.

"I'm sure your lil ass could do it too." He spoke, laughter evident in his voice.

I refused to start crushing on him, but damn, he was making it hard.

Companionship only! I repeated in my head, trying to sound more convincing each time.

This man was trouble, but I couldn't fight the urge to do something daring for once. After all, I'd already come this far, and I couldn't just go back home.

Not without knowing what Justice had in this warehouse. The curiosity alone was eating me alive. 🎧

He walked ahead of me slightly as my shorter legs struggled to keep up with him. Before I could ask how we were supposed to get in, he pulled open a garage door to reveal an artist's dream.

Walls, both fully painted and completely blank took up the space. Some pieces even extended across the floor.

Bright colors were everywhere, and all sorts of paint canisters were on various pieces of tarp, cardboard or wood.

"This guy that came up out the hood bought this place for the community. Said art kept him out of trouble, so he wanted something for kids to use." He walked deeper into the warehouse as I looked around in wonder. "Only they don't really use it, so high school and college kids come here to... vent? I guess."

"Like a secret hideout?"

"Yeah, exactly like that." He chuckled before he gestured for me to follow him. "One of my old pieces used to be here, but I felt like painting with you, so I covered it up." He shrugged with his hands in his back pockets.

My eyes traveled from him to the huge white wall in front of us. He said it like it was nothing, but he'd managed to cover the entirety of the wall with white to the point I couldn't even guess what was there before. It probably took buckets of white paint and more patience than I was capable of.

And he did it all to paint with me?

Justice pulled a crate out of nowhere, filled to the brim with spray paint of varying colors.

"This enough?" He questioned, already bent down to shuffle through everything before he looked up at me.

From this angle, I had the perfect view.

The majority of Justice's arms, save for his forearms, were covered in a black long sleeve, but I noticed how the fabric stretched and tightened over his biceps. It teased a hidden strength to his body while his neck smoothly flowed into a strong jawline.

"Yo," Justice spoke again, tilting his head slightly in question. The hoops and studs shining in his ear almost sparkled from the lights above him.

"Huh?"

"You good with spray paint?" He smiled as he said it slower, and it dawned on me that I never answered his question. Damn it to hell.

"Yeah, that's fine." He nodded at my answer before disappearing for a moment. He only returned when music began to softly fill the air.

Once he was beside me again, I turned and stepped out the way for him to start on our shared work, but he shook his head.

"You start, I'll get in where I fit."

And somehow, I didn't doubt it. The world definitely moved to make space for Justice, and I knew I'd be no better.

"So, why'd you make a Tinder?" I asked, eager to fill the silence and distract my mind from screaming that he was definitely staring at me.