11- Canvas

Taking his shaded eyes from me then the multi color filled canvas in his hands, a small but somewhat impressed smile slowly forms.

"You made this?"

Only one brief question, but it felt like complete mockery.

"Yeah I did. What are you gonna say about or?" I walk forward a bit, ready to defend my pride.

"They're nice," He now picks up one I made with only shades of grey. It comes as a surprise but it looks like he's admiring my work

Stepping to the half opened closet, he looks back at me. "Could I?"

"Well you've already raided the closet, so please go ahead,"

Now pulling the two doors fully apart, he whispers something under his breath that I could recognize as numbers.

"They're like 15 blank canvases here right?,"

"Yeah they are. I store them there in case I get bored,"

"Well there's eight used ones in here and if I'm not mistaken, you haven't been to this room in a long time," Letting go, he turns to me with a risen brow.

"Hey, I got bored a lot," I say with a small childish grin which he doesn't return.

Instead, he makes his way towards where I'm sitted on his bed and takes one of the landscapes in hand.

Tracing the lines that made the biggest mountain, I watch him continue the same thing for sometime until the silence felt unbearable so I decided to speak.

"You paint?"

Looking back up, he seemed to be taken by surprise cause it takes sometime for his attention to come back.

"What?"

"I asked do you paint?"

"Oh was lost in thought. Um, yes I do. But although I haven't had the time to exercise my skills, I believe that it's still as sharp,"

"How sharp are we talking about?" Moving closer, my face beams as the realisation that my future painting partner could be sitting next to me dawns.

At a young age, whenever my parents were out for work, they would usually dump me in this local art room, fully aware that I would fence away every babysitter they try putting on me.

Yeah I said fence. It is pretty easy if you have a Dad that literally tries a new hobby everyday but end up ditching them cause it wasn't exciting enough.

"Well I'm not exactly sure how sharp, but what I know is that I can do better than this at any day," His unexpected words hit me especially when he drops the painting and slowly lays on his back with a got ya grin fully displayed.

Did he just play mind tricks with me?

That question is answered when he begins to laugh lightly at my stunned look.

"Wow, how didn't I have see that coming. From this little time we've known each other, you haven't given me a single damn compliment so why start now?" I rant to myself, fully aware that he's listening to me.

Adjusting slightly, his brows narrows. "Wait tho, that's not what I meant at all. It wasn't meant to come out sarcastic cause it's actually true. I can paint a complex one in let's say, one week," He makes the calculations in his head.

"Okay. Since your so talented,"

"Guilty,"

My eyes make a 360° turn. "Then I guess you could create a painting before you and the rest leave. Or don't you believe in the saying that actions speak a greater volume than words?"

He cocks his head at me. "Actually, I do believe in the saying and I think I can do this in about three days tops? Yeah that," He gets up with the paint brush in her hands.

"Sure, whatever suits you. But before I forget, I've some nature cards you can use as muse so let me go back and - "

"Oh don't worry about that, for there's no need. I think I've gotten the best muse I could ever ask for," Watching the words roll freely off his tongue, it takes time until I notice his eyes are plastered on me.

"Okay, sure. Well you do you," I click my fingers at him awkwardly before his back turns to me.

Seeing he isn't no longer paying attention, I use my special key to open the small abandoned looking drawer near the door. Grabbing the pills from it, I quickly lock it and hide the stuff at my back.

"You should leave now before I begin to defile this canvas,"

°°°

I did as he instructed, leaving before he begins to defile the canvas.

Directly I make my way to my own room. No more bus stops, and only my cozy Queen's bed in mind.

Shutting the door, I lay my forehead on the door's hard surface.

Thinking of getting free from all the clothes I have on, I turned to the zip of my dress when a voice clears its throat from behind me.

"Before you begin to strip, I think you should hear me out first,"

Shocked at how he came here, I turned to Cole.

"Cole? What are you doing here?"

He gets up quickly and rushes towards me.

"Okay wait before you say anything else, let me explain,"

"Cole - "

"I didn't mean what I said!"

My head shoots at this. "What now?"

"You heard me right. Look valley, we've known each other for years now so I think you're fully aware of how I get when confronted in public,"

"Wha - confronted? Bloody hell it was simply a Yes or No question Cole. And I believe you've already made your decision," Making sure my voice echoed on the walls, I don't let the thought of  people eavesdropping our conversation get to me. But I'm sure tjat wasn't the case with Cole.

Looking around so suddenly, I get the impression that he was afraid someone could be listening, but that doesn't fuel my anger the most like his next move.

"No no no. You've for it all wrong V. Trust me when I tell you that you're the only girl for me," Taking my neck, he leaps in to make contact with his lips to mine when I turn away, clearly able to subside my anger. But just a bit.

"Cole just leave. Leave before I do something we'll both regret," I'm able to muffle although my heart is clearly pumping more than the required amount.

Thinking it over, he let's go and makes distance between us.

"As you wish Valley, and you've just made me see that this is not the way to require your forgiveness. But you know what they say, actions speak louder than words. And that's exactly what I'm going to achieve,"

After exercising this well crafted speech, he proudly walks out of my room and all I could do was watch him go towards the stairs from the creak of my door.

When I see he's out of sight, I take a deep breath while registering the new confusion he has planted in my head.

I'm about to shut the door for the day when I hear someone begin to clap their slowly.

"Wow! Can we get a round of applause for Cole and his promises of love? Anyone? Yeah thought as much,"

Giggling as Darwin uncorks from his sleek position on the wall, he walks out of his door as I wonder if he heard everything or just the last one.

"Don't worry I heard about everything," He clears my doubt. "And truthfully, I'm proud you stood your ground and didn't let his words take a toll on you," He pats my shoulder, about to walk away when he turns back.

"But for the record, his words didn't get to you right?"

His eyes shone sympathy which I so didn't like.

"Darwin, I think one life coach is already enough but I can always get to you if necessary," Getting out from my room fully, I grin when I notice the hair gel on his naturally messy hair and begin to ruffle him, taking Darwin off guard.

My eyes then trail to the tee-shirt he has on which was grey and had written 'Australian Boho' in cursive.

"Bohemian, nice. But if I may ask, what's with the fancy hair gel?" Trying to dust out the thick stuff from my hand, the stink face that I always try to subside whenever I'm annoyed pops out when he groans like I was his annoying girlfriend.

Like he didn't have one already.

"Oh nothing really. Just heard of this new musical app that you can post hilarious videos and get popular on," He's about to turn away when he sways back. "But quick question, is this the best approach to online success?"

No I couldn't help it, I just can't. I mean online success? Looks like I have a true offline hippie in my house and honestly, I had no idea where Cole gets then from.

So taking to the floor in heart freezing laughter, I'm not surprised he doesn't see what's funny cause he points at his door.

"I'm actually not sure what I said that was so funny, but I think I'll go back to trying out these challenges since the WiFi wouldn't always be free,"

Letting everything out of my system, I quickly get up so I can meet the door before he has it shut.

"Hey wait, let me join you,"

"Huh? Well sorry to say but although I might not be sure what they might be looking for, I know it can't be that," He traces his finger at what I'm wearing before grinning at himself.

"But when I think about it, I might not be sorry to say that," He turns around when I grab his arm.

"I'm helping you with your ambition Darwin, whether you like it, or not," I say slowly for him to understand, before taking the redhead by his hand and enter the room with the phone and dancing background already in place.

                                ••••

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