Leaps and landings

61

"Wow, this is quite the book collection you two got here," Rory commented as she browsed the bookshelves of Celeste and Jess' study that probably contained more crime fiction and modern novels than most small-town libraries. She'd come over just because she'd needed a break from home. Having embraced being a homebody thoroughly after the holidays, by now the place was beginning to feel a little suffocating, and now with the nanny back in service, Rory gladly took the opportunity to get out there for a few hours.

"This is just a part of it, the downstairs apartment has about 10 more boxes, plus Jess has some in his office," Celeste noted, as she positioned herself onto their lounge couch, legs crossed under her, cringing momentarily at a kick aimed towards her intestines. She was rapidly becoming tired of being pregnant these days, her back and feet aching, struggling to get up the stairs and just running very low on energy in general.

"And what is this?" Rory inquired curiously, seeing Celeste's leather binder, that clearly looked valued and frequently used, laying on the couch next to her.

"This is just something I've been working on, it's just scribbles," Celeste said, brushing her hand as if it was no big deal. She knew Rory was not just going to accept that, and it wasn't like she was the first person she'd shown her drawings to, but she was however the first besides Jess who had seen the recent developments her drawings had gone through.

"Can I look?" Rory asked, not wanting to pry.

"At your own risk," Celeste chuckled, already trying to imagine her expression. Her drawings were now involving a lot more mature topics than they had before. They were of pretty much anything that adult relationships consisted of - the first glances, tears, comfort, fighting, and also numerous scenes with somewhat erotic subtone. The increase in the latter was partially because it seemed her imagination was a lot wilder than her physique could keep up with these days. The last couple of nights she'd fallen asleep before Jess had even begun to think about coming to bed, and with her getting up early most days, they'd been missing each other more than usually. With the bed being the most comfortable place for any intimacy to speak of, it was safe to say being pregnant was also beginning to affect their spontaneity.

"Oh, wow. Some of these are really hot," Rory commented, smilingly cheekily, as she observed a series of passionate glimpses - an outstretched manly palm against a tiled wall with water drops covering it, clearly in the middle of something strenuous, another with a woman's profile with her head pushed back, mouth open, as if in the midst of...something, and one with a man's muscular back with a pair of gorgeous legs wrapped around it, forming perfect angles against it. Rory had no doubt whom the back had been modelled after, the dark head of hair only confirming it, making Rory feel slightly embarrassed for thinking how hot it looked.

"I've been experimenting a little. First I was sort of into trying to do a children's book or something and now... well, I got a little carried away," Celeste explained, with a wide grin.

"Well this is clearly not for children," Rory chuckled. "But I like it - you should definitely keep this up," she added.

"Thanks. I feel like I have the style part down - I like when they are sort of hinting at the activity, but I feel I could use a strong story to draw to go with it. I feel like everything is already done, or my own story is just a little too risky to do, you know," she explained.

"Well if you get any ideas you can bounce them off me," Rory offered, not really knowing what to do with her mind during the time until her classes started again.

"I'll think about it," she replied, gratefully. She knew that theoretically she didn't need a story at all, after all drawings could just be taken as art without the story, but somehow with her family having been immersed more in the art scene she preferred to stick to all things literary, feeling it was somehow safer ground.