You Saw Me

32

I had no idea what time it was or how long we stayed in bed, but everytime I thought about getting up, I convinced myself to stay. What if he would be gone when I returned? I clung to him while drifting off to sleep and when he woke and tried to get up to have a shower, I followed him. I shampooed his hair, washed his back and torso. He mirrored me and did the same. We stood under the pouring water for a long time, rinsing soap from each other's skin and hair, kissing and hugging. His eyes searched my face as if he was trying to imprint me in his memory. I blushed feeling vulnerable standing in front of him naked and completely uncovered. 

"You are so beautiful", he said under his breath. He cupped my face in his hands unable to take his eyes off me. 

No one had ever seen me the way he did, because I had never let anyone see me the way I let him. Stripped, naked and open. It wasn't just sexual between us, he asked me questions and was genuinely interested in me and my life. He told me stories from his travels and his most treasured memories from his career. He had a lot of triumphs, a lot of number ones and records broken. He was proud of what he had achieved, but he was mostly grateful for being allowed to do what he did. There had been trying times as well, especially in the time where he was in the band he started out in, but after their split things had resolved. Friendships had been tested, some hadn't made it, others had grown stronger. 

We shared our mutual admiration for Stevie Nicks. His mother had raised him well, as he said. Stevie was a big part of his musical inspiration. And on top of that she had become a close personal friend. That nearly floored me. He laughed and shared anecdotes of Stevie and I listened intently to everything he said.

I cooked him dinner, mushroom risotto, while he sat on the kitchen counter and looked at me. Stirring the rice and adding ingredients; rice, broth, onion, wine, garlic, mushrooms and parmesan, as I told him about the first time I cooked it, and I accidentally added more wine than broth and the dish was uneatable.

He helped me clear the table after dinner, loading the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect. I kissed him to thank him for helping me, but he rolled his eyes saying that of course he would help. 

We drank a glass of wine and saw a film in bed. My livingroom still needed to be painted, but at the moment all that mattered was being with Henry. I hadn't built up the courage to ask him how long I would have him for. I was afraid of hearing the answer and getting disappointed. 

***

I woke the next morning to an empty bed. For a split second, I got worried that he left while I slept, so I wouldn't cry. I got out of bed and went to the livingroom, where Henry was painting my walls. He was in his boxers, rolling the paint on the walls, deeply concentrated. He had AirPods in his ears, so he couldn't hear me. "Play that part again", he suddenly said out loud, which jump-startled me. "How about we double the bassline?" He was on the phone with someone, probably one of his producers. 

I snuck out to the kitchen to make coffee and popped a couple of pieces of toast in the toaster. I fried a couple of eggs and added them to the toast. I finished it off with a couple of slices of tomato and avocado, poured him a cup of coffee and went back to the livingroom. I placed the food on a stool. He caught a whiff of the coffee and turned around. He sent me a huge smile and winked at me, while pointing to his earbuds to signal he was talking on the phone. I blew him a kiss and went to get dressed. 

I had a quick shower and spent some time in front of the mirror afterwards. I was in my panties, my hair combed back, slicked down. My face was clear, newly washed with no makeup. I was applying moisturizer when I caught sight of Henry behind me in the mirror. He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed in front of him, looking at me. I smiled at him in the mirror while massaging the skin under my eyes up towards my temples. 

"Can I take a picture of you?" he asked without breaking eye contact. 

I was nude from the waist up. My breasts were visible, but for some reason I didn't mind. So I nodded without changing my pose. I kept working the moisturizer into my skin, looking at him in the mirror. He held up his phone and took the picture, all the time looking in my eyes in the mirror. 

He put his phone away and came up behind me, so he could put his arms around me, still maintaining eye contact in the mirror. I broke eye contact to look at us together. The age difference was visible. He was tall, strong and his skin looked tight and healthy. My skin was good, but there were areas, where it was loser now than before. But age aside we looked good next to each other. His tattoos and muscular body was a contrast to my petite frame. I didn't have any tattoos or scars, so next to him I looked innocent and soft.

"We look good together", I said out loud. His eyes crinkled as he smiled and nodded. 

"We sure do", he said and bent down to kiss my shoulder. I turned around and gently scooted up on the vanity so I was perched in front of him. I spread my legs to make space for him. 

He cocked an eyebrow at me and moved in closer. "You tempt me", he whispered before kissing me excitedly.