"Why were you smiling while getting off the car at the mansion?" Noberto asked me looking intently at my face.
I was thrown back by the question. Where did that come from? And why was he asking it now, all of a sudden?
"I am sorry. What are you talking about?" I asked completely lost at his question.
"You. You were smiling to yourself when we reached home. What were you thinking about?" He repeated the confusing question which I wasn't sure I understood. I tried to recall what I was doing when we had reached home. I remembered he had taken me to that pond before coming straight to the mansion. That's when I realized what he was talking about!
While coming back I had been thinking about him painting there next to the pond. And I had been stupidly amused at my own thought of finding myself posing nude in that beautiful setting.
It was a ridiculous notion, one that should have never occurred to me in the first place, I thought now. But it was too late. I did think and my bad luck that he saw me thinking about it too. Why he would suddenly ask of it was something I had still not understood but right now I had to figure out a way of answering his question. He was staring intently at my face.
"Uh.. nothing.. I was.. It was nothing," I replied.
He didn't believe me. His eyes turned dark and I saw him becoming rigid all of a sudden. He turned his eyes away and I felt I was losing him again. "Anyways, I am not interested anymore. You can leave," he said sternly while still looking away.
"It was nothing, really. I didn't even know I was smiling," I tried to reason with him but he was not listening. I couldn't let it be as it is. I had to find a way to connect with him again. It was not about me. This was about him. So I rushed in again.
"No, believe me. It wasn't important. I was.. I was just.. thinking..," it was difficult for me to continue but he was facing me again and looking at me intently. If that helps.
"Uhmm.. we had gone to that place near the pond. I was thinking.. I was thinking maybe you can paint there. I know it was silly of me and it was absurd to think something like that. And I was only smiling because it was so stupid," I finally had it out. Skipping the part of my nakedness, of course.
I had said it while looking down because I couldn't say it to his face. But when he didn't reply, I slowly took a peek at his face. He was staring at me with wide open eyes. He was not expecting my answer. But as soon as I saw him, he closed his eyes and turned all blank.
"I am sorry. I don't know why I was thinking like that. You can-"
"It's a good idea."
No!
"We can paint there. Would you like me to paint you next to the pond?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, you need not paint there. You should not paint there!" I immediately responded to the preposterous question.
"Why? It was your idea," he challenged.
"Yes and I also said it was an absurd idea. It doesn't make any sense. You shouldn't think of it. Please, forget I even said it," I blabbered to make him change his mind. But he was hardly listening to me. He was there but his mind seem to be somewhere else. As if he could already visualize himself painting against the natural back drop.
Oh! That stupid brain of mine and its bizarre fancies. How the hell will I bring myself to pose all naked out in the open for anyone and everyone to see? I cried to myself.
But as they say, it was too late to get those words back. In this case, get those fancies erased from my memory. I was already facing the ramifications of my wild dreams. I was shivering, coming terms to my current realties - I had to be careful of not just what I say or do but also to what I think.
I tried again but in vain. He didn't listen any of my explanations. His mind was already set. Instead, he told me it was time I went home.
It was pretty late at night and he refused to let me go on my own. He decided he would drop me back in his car. That he was hurt in foot and my scarf was still tied around his wound was nothing to stop him. I debated with him for long before giving in. I was also thinking my father might be getting worried about me as it was already quite late.
In the end I felt it was for the best since my feet had started hurting with all the adventures I had had for a day. We sat back in his car, a black Audi this time, and went off to my place. I gave him my address and relaxed back as there was nothing else to do. If his foot was still hurting, he didn't show. Though he hadn't yet removed my scarf from his foot.
It took some time but finally we reached my place. It was inside a narrow lane, so Noberto car couldn't go all the way till my door. I told him I would walk the last few lanes to reach my place. He was not very comfortable with the idea but I definitely didn't want him walking around in my neighbourhood with that foot. As it is, driving itself would not have been very comfortable for him. Somehow I could convince him to leave from there. He agreed only on the condition that I would message him on reaching home.
I smiled but then realized I didn't have his number. He asked for my mobile, fed in his number and returned the phone. I was trying my best not to read anything special in the exchange but my heart couldn't help get excited by simple fact that I had his number in my phone.
Finally bidding him good night I got out of his car. Few minutes and I had reached my home. I quickly got in and found my father already asleep. I should have been here earlier to ensure he had his medicine but there was no point in waking him up. I knew it won't help.
Going to my room, I went flat on my bed. Too much had happened for a day. When did my sad, pathetic life turn into such an adventure I wondered? I was still fantasising on my bed when I suddenly remembered Noberto had asked me to message him. How could I forget it, I cursed myself. Was he still waiting for my message? I pulled out my cell phone and quickly typed,
"Thanks for the ride. I have reached home. Good night. J"
Looking at it for some time, I removed the smiley. Just because he dropped me home, I shouldn't forget I am not a friend to him. If anything, today's experience should have made that absolutely clear to me. Should I add something about the day? I was in two minds. But then sticking to our professional relationship, I decided to keep it to basic necessary communication as written.
I hit the send button. Even though I had told myself not to treat him as a friend, I kept staring at my mobile screen waiting for his response. Then when there was no response, I told myself he must be driving. Even then I kept waiting for couple of more minutes. Still when there was no response, I left the mobile on my bed and went to change my clothes.
*
Noberto was still waiting in the car at the same place where he had dropped Melanie. She had said she would manage but he was not sure. He kept waiting for her confirmatory message. Her place was supposed to be close from here, then what was taking so much time, he wondered restlessly telling himself one more time, he should have gone with her. While this was her area and he hadn't been here earlier he didn't get a feeling that it was a very safe locality. True, there were too many lanes and he would have had to step out of his car to go with her but at least then he wouldn't have been sitting there like an idiot waiting for a message which was not coming.
Should he call her, he thought and pull out his mobile. Just then he received a message from her. He read the message and was relieved to know she was safe. He thought of responding to it but then decided otherwise. It was better this way. They had never said anything about his replying to her message.
Putting his car in gear, he drove away. He needs to keep her at a distance. It was better for both her and him. He shouldn't be letting his emotions rule his work. If he had any sense, he would stop himself immediately.
Getting involved with her before his painting was ready was the last thing he should be getting into. He knew how it happened between him and his partners. Once he had slept with them, it was only a matter of days when he would lose all his interest in having any kind of relationship with them. He would keep it limited to his work whereas they would only grow in expecting more and more from him. Within weeks, sometimes days, it would all come crashing down when they realized that he wasn't interested in a longer relationship.
Greta was the only exception who had been with him for so long, probably because she knew what to expect right from the start. Also because she was involved with more than one man at the same time. He was fine with it because that was how he wanted it to be for him as well. Things had been really good between them till it turned out that Greta had also started signs similar to his earlier models. She was becoming clingier and anxious. He on the other hand had no such plans. So when Greta finally decided to move on, it didn't come as a surprise. In fact he had been prepared in the sense that Clement had fortunately found Melanie before Greta left.
His mind went back to the young girl he had been painting for a month. The girl had sharp features though she was not an extraordinary beauty like Greta or some of his earlier models. But still there was something unique, some kind of a freshness in her face which pulled him strongly onto her.
In fact he had never felt such strong physical pull towards any of his models or women in the past. He didn't want to call it anything other than physical chemistry but he already knew she was affecting him in more ways than one. There was a mystery about her which he wanted to explore, enjoy and conquer. He wanted to know her inside. Frankly he was quite surprised when he found that she had never had any drinks in her life before that afternoon. How old was she? Didn't young people try all this in school nowadays? He wondered. He himself had tried almost everything much before he got over with his teens.
But Melanie was different. And he had to keep his strong libido in control if he wanted to complete his paintings for the exhibition. Even when he didn't take anything seriously enough, he knew this was something he didn't want to mess up.
Then he had his manager Albert Clement who kept calling him to check the status of his work. He mostly ignored his calls. He definitely didn't need anyone breathing down his neck to constantly control or manage his creations but Clement knew him well. He knew what to expect with Noberto and he knew Noberto's style. He would drop in a message once in few days and Noberto would eventually respond, making him know work was progressing. That Clement was constantly in touch with Melanie to know everything that he needed to know about his eccentric painter was something that Noberto could easily imagine of Clement.
It had not missed his notice that Melanie's contact book had just Clement and a Doctor's number before he added his own. What was this girl? She was so different from girls of her age, Noberto thought for a millionth time. May be that was her thing. That is what attracted him to her so strongly.
Whatever be the case, he had to keep it in check till he completes his work. This meant a series of twelve paintings that were planned for the exhibition. He had not yet decided how he wanted to present them and that is what Clement had to manage but that part would begin only when he was through with the first set of paintings. Time was flying and there was lot of work to be done. He couldn't jeopardize it all by losing all his interest in Melanie which was bound to happen when he satiated his carnal desires.
No woman had been able to hold his attention much longer. And different, though Melanie was, she was not going to be different in that sense. Of that Noberto was absolutely clear.
He would fuck her hard from morning till night and then back till morning once he was through with his first and last love, paintings. He promised himself. The thought excited him already. The fact that his manhood was stretching against his jeans was evident from the way it pushed its way out. Noberto had to stop the car to shift in to ease to some of the pressure.
He had not had to jerk himself since he had moved to college, with girls and women all willing to ease his more than active sex life. They enjoyed with him as much as he with them but tonight was definitely proving different. In fact the full day had been full of surprises right from the time he woke up his bed early that morning.
He pulled out his mobile phone and opened his inbox. Looking at her message, he quickly typed in the reply.
"See you tomorrow. In the woods."
Then smiling to himself, he hit the send button.
Tomorrow is going to be busier than today. He had a lot of ideas already and he wanted to get them on the canvas at the earliest. It would be delightfully satisfying to fuck that soft, delectable body of hers once he had captured it fully on his canvas.
"Worth his wait," he repeated the words to himself.
I was lying flat on my stomach when I saw the light glow on my mobile screen. Picking it up I saw it was a message from Noberto. My heart beat was loud enough to be heard in the silence of the night. It was quite some since I send my message. When there was no response from him for so long, I had finally given up and gone to sleep.
So this message was no less than a surprise. I slowly opened the message and read it aloud.
"See you tomorrow. In the woods."
A shiver went down my back as those words sink in. A part of me was happy to see him telling me to come back. That removed any confusion around the earlier orders he had given me when he was terribly upset. That was a relief but the second part was too much of a mystery all together. Did he mean the woods in his estate, the one where he had taken me today or some other place?
There was no way to know and I felt it would not be appropriate to message him back asking about it even though my fingers were slipping to type in the question. I control myself and threw the mobile away from me on the bed, worried that if it stayed in my hands I may actually send him the worrying message.
I would find out tomorrow. It's hardly a matter of few hours when I would be back with him. As I closed my eyes, my heart fluttered in anticipation.
************************************************************
Dear Lovely Readers,
So she smiled! And got hammered for it too. But finally its all sorted and that's what matters, isn't it? They are even acting like teenagers, exchanging messages on mobile :) (Well, Melanie happens to be one too, even though she acts differently)
But is it really sorted?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. (writer (i.e. me) gives a long meaningful smile:)
What do you think Noberto is planning for tomorrow? Will it be as eventful as today or will life give Melanie a breather? What would you like it to be?
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, suggestions in the comments section below and don't forget to vote for the chapter. It takes a lot of work to get a chapter out and some love would go a long way in keeping your writer charged up to give you all more and more of interesting chapters, what do you say?
Have a great day all of you!
Love,
Anna