a letter for every kiss

Chapter 2

The birds had started singing, not long ago, when Tony had to leave his bed and put on a sweater on top of his pyjamas.

Josefina was already by the front door, a bad by her feet, with her lunch and the material for her editor.

Tony and Hugh took turns hugging Josefina goodbye.

A thud was heard after she left and closed the front door, leaving the men alone in the hallway.

Hugh stuffed the pockets of the coat he was wearing with his hands. He moved, turning to the side so he could face Tony better, a small smile displayed on his face, "Do you think help is needed for the breakfast?"

“Maybe to eat it.”

Hugh's smile grew.

Together they walked to the kitchen to find the maids finishing up the breakfast preparation. The reason to why they had managed to finish by that time, was that they had started working early on the day to prepare a nutritious meal for Tony's sister.

The two men ate at the table, silence and the sound of crumbs falling on the perfectly white towel keeping them company.

—

Tony would've been happy spending the afternoon in his office secretly writing a novel but before he could do that he heard his sister's voice creeping in his mind. So, in what was perhaps an unusual manner he found Hugh at the living room and silently sat down near him.

Thankfully that time of the day started promising to be different from breakfast, as Hugh quickly got up and convinced Tony to follow him outside.

They left trough the back of the house, Tony carrying a book he would read while Hugh carried a notepad and a box filled with pencils. Thought in the end, Tony's book ended up being forgotten besides Hugh.

The foreign man sat on the grass, weeds spurting on the parts his body wasn't squishing. He looked at the landscape, marveled by it all.

Meanwhile, Tony had walked to the river, shoes and socks in his hands as he warily dipped his toe in it, testing the temperature. Hugh fliped a page from his notebook, charcoal staining his fingers as he copied Tony’s pose and movement into the paper.

In the same way the dark charcoal filled in the white with shadows, the sky got filled with the colors of the sunset. Hugh stayd still all the while, drawing. Whereas Tony, tried a bit of everything, climbing trees, playing with the turtles that seemed to live nearby and picking up the most colorful rocks he could find. When the sun was barely visible, Tony gaves up and sat down besides Hugh, finally looking at his notebook.

“Do you often look at nature like?”

“Actually, yes. Isn’t that what artists do.”

“I guess,” Tony said, "but don't you come from a place that has a similar look like this?"

Hugh smiled, plucking a single weed and playing with it. Then he dropped it and got up, pulling the sleeves of his cardigan higher up his forearms. “sorta of. Still i can't help but stare at nature anyway. Which reminds me, one night we should come and see the stars here. "

"Okay"