Me and Tate talked about everything. Like our favorite colors, movies, tv shows. He found out that I was a huge marvel new and he was a huge DC geek. He also like anime and mangas. He was literally my dream guy.
We talked and talked for what felt like hours while he finished the painting. And it was finally done we hadn't realized how late it was.
"I should drop you off. Let me finish up here and you go ahead and text your dad." He said. I nodded and looked down at my phone. Strange. I didn't get a call or even a text from him. My dad would've usually texted or call me a few times, just to make sure I was alright. I texted him and told him that I was in my way home and that Tate was taking me. I hope everything's alright. He's probably just cooking. When he's cooking he gets so immersed that he forgets about the outside world.
"You ready?" Tate said pulling me from my phone.
"Yeah." I said and began getting up from the chair and taking off the apron. And hung on the hook.
"Oh wait. We need to sign it." He said. He grabbed my by my shoulders and pushed me toward the now finished painting. It truly was beautiful yet simple. The two black hearts seemed as if they were emoting hate. While the little red one was being engulfed by the hatred of the two. I smiled proudly at our collaboration.
Tate grabbed a paint brush and dipped it in some of his paint and began to write his initials in the bottom left corner. He began to slowly step behind me and pressed his chest against my back. He put the paint brush in my hand then laid his hand on top of mind and slowly ducked his head down so his lips were almost touching my ear.
My face burned and my heart pumped. Keep it under control Loni. He slowly guided my hand toward the painting and we began writing my initials next to his. His breathing in my ear was calm and steady. "You okay?" He whispered. I nodded as my heart started doing back flips, but something else was wrong. Something in my lower region began to tingle. It began to ache.
He slowly pulled away and I began missing his presence immediately. "You ready?" He said in a tight voice. Was he upset? Did he regret touching me?
I began to follow behind him to in silence as we made our way back to his car. He politely opened the door for me to slide in to the passenger. I looked at him in shock. "Get in. Before I shut the door and make you open on your own." He said through a chuckle.
I stifled a laugh and stuck my tongue out at him. He did the same. He shut the door behind and began to stride to his side of the car. I slid in the driver seat beside me.
"Here." He said as he handed me the aux chord. "Play anything you want. I'm curious about taste in music." He said with a smirk.
"Why?" I returned the smirk.
"Taste in music tells a lot about a person." He said he started up the car.
"This is a test in a way?"I asked through a laugh. He nodded.
"And why exactly are you testing me?" I asked slyly.
He glance over at me before pulling off. "I havent made my mind about you yet." He said with a smile. I just nodded and put my phone on shuffle.
He was right when he said someone's taste in music can tel alot about a person. Every song I played he listened intently. Some of them I can tell he liked and some i could tell he didn't. But he was never outwardly rude about the ones he didn't like. He just kept listening. He was quiet. Very different from the Tate I was accustomed to. Quick to make a flirty or rude remark. Today he was different. Patient. Calm. Kind. It caught me completely off guard.
We were halfway to my house before he spoke again. "Your a lot different from what I initially thought. I honestly thought I'd hate you." He said with a wide smile. I cringed at his words. It was like he just slapped me in the face. Was my first impression really that bad?
"Why?" I asked.
"To be honest. I thought you were a quiet, shy, wide eyed girl, with a staring problem. But I was clearly wrong." He said while he took a glance at me.
"Well I didn't think you'd be any better. I thought you'd be a horny, loud mouth, playboy. Like the stereotypes I see in tv shows. But you've been proving me wrong everyday. Especially these last few weeks." I said.
He laughed. Like a genuine laugh, and it made my heart swell. "What was something that changed your mind?" He asked. I already knew the answer, I just wasn't sure if I should say it.
"That painting of all you and your brothers mothers. It was so beautiful. I still think about sometimes. I never knew so much emotion could be in a non living object." I could tell that he visibly stiffened at my words. I knew I should've kept my mouth shut.
"A paint changed your mind?" He said with a tight jaw.
I shook my head no. "The emotion of the painting did. It was vulnerability I rarely get to see. My dad feels like he needs to be strong constantly. Sometimes I want him to break down. Just so I can see his weakness, his vulnerability. And when I saw that painting, it made me realize, that even the toughest of men have a soft side." I said. He just nodded and his jaw untightened, but I could tel that he was still on edge.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked
He glanced at me with and unfamiliar look in his eyes and gave me a curt nod. "We're you taught to paint or was if just a natural gift?" I asked.
He stayed quiet at first, and I was honestly scared if I had overstepped my boundaries. He took a uncomfortable breath. "My mom taught me." He said in a hushed voice. We drove the rest of the ride in silence. Way to fuck up the vibe, Loni.