The Plague Doctor [RATED R] ✓

(46) Visible Imprint

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"YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU wanted to be a painter. Is there a reason behind that?" Teo asks while the two of us are cuddled up on the couch, staring out of the starry sky just outside the window of our inn. 

     Teo and I never talked about our conversation at the park. He didn't question my reason and my decision to return to Claudio either, which was something that relieved and pained me at the same time. I wanted to tell him everything, but we both knew that for now, we only needed silence, silence that spoke more words compared to when we spoke.

     "When I was a kid, I was in love with the idea of colors. I lived in a world of black and white, and colors were the only thing that reminded me of the beauty the world holds. They were all different, almost like people. Some were wild, some were calm, and some were strong," I reply, pressing my back further into Teo as he tightly hugs my waist.

     "What's your favorite color then?" He then asked.

     I continued to stare out of the window and told him, "I'm starting to like the color yellow."

     "Starting? Then you had a color you liked before that?"

     A small smile appeared on my face as I answered, "Crimson."

     "Crimson?"

     "Yes."

     "What a strong color to like," Teo says before giving me a soft kiss on the back of my head. "I hope you can become a painter one day and create a masterpiece that's filled with different colors. And maybe one day, I'll be able to see your works with my own eyes."

     "You want to see them now?" I ask him, making Teo look at me with furrowed brows. "Shall I draw for you?" I ask further.

     "If you wish to, then I'd be delighted," he says, and so I removed his hands from me and stood from the couch.

     "Do you have any kind of pen and paper?"

     "I don't have paint with me, but I have a couple of pens from our meeting earlier," Teo answers, rushing to his suitcase to pull out a black and red pen, as well as a piece of paper that had writings on them. Teo handed the materials to me, and then I turned the couch to face the bed.

     "You can take a seat on the bed and make a pose," I tell him, and Teo excitedly smiles and does what he is told.

     "Will I be posing the entire time?"

     "No, just make a pose for a minute or two, and then I'll remember," I reveal to him, and Teo couldn't help but be impressed.

     I stared at the black and red pen before tearing the writing from the paper so I could have a clean surface to draw with. I looked back at Teo, and I could tell that he was a bit embarrassed to make a pose because his body looked unnatural.

     "Amore, tilt your head down a little and then look straight back at me," I instructed, and Teo did just that. As soon as he did his pose, the hair on my skin immediately stood as soon as I saw his intense stare. He looked at me like he had no fear. Almost as if he was ready to take me on with no ounce of hesitation.

     "Please stay put for at least a minute," I say, staring at him while my hand starts making lines on the paper with the red pen. It took a while, but when I finished my first sketch, I asked Teo to relax as I spent the rest of the time drawing him.

     Teo insisted on watching me draw, but I never really liked the idea of anyone looking at my work while it was in progress, so Teo nodded his head in understanding and grabbed a book from his back so he could start reading instead.