From Grief We grew (Only On Wattpad)

Chapter 72 Teagan

“Turn off all the lights once you are done. Everything is already set up. I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” Alfonso says. Lucah nods and I wave at him. Without another word, Alfonso carries Julie and descends upstairs.

   I turn and grin at Lucah. “I’ll go get ready and call you in when I’m done,” I tell him feeling excited about what’s going to happen. Lucah nods and replies, “Alright. There is a bathroom inside in case you need to freshen up.” I nod and swiftly turn on my heel to hide my excitement. My heart pounds in anticipation as I twist the knob and open the door. I step inside and bright lights catch my eyes. I walk over and stand in the centre of both lights. There is a white screen in front of me and an armchair. All laid out just for me. Never in my life would I have dreamt I’d be in Alfonso’s studio let alone have dinner with him.

   I find my way to the bathroom and wash my face. I remove my clothes and neatly lay them on the sink. I look at myself in the mirror as I toss my hair slightly. Just above my bra line, I notice a purple mark. My fingers run over it knowing there are more underneath the fabric almost forming a perfect heart. I think of the boy responsible for it as I remove my bra. Boy, he has no clue what I’m about to do. I open my bag and pull out the satin sheet I had bought just for today.

   A few days ago, when Lucah told me that he wanted to paint me for one of his art projects, I felt honoured. Following the excitement came an immoral thought about the execution. So here I am only in my underwear with a satin sheet in my hand.

   It takes me some time to figure out the position I’m going to sit in and how the sheet is going to be wrapped around me. I end up like a burrito roll in the first few tries. Eventually, I decided to just lean into the couch and be comfortable. The sheet wraps narrowly around my breast and waist covering just my inner-wear. My thighs remain uncovered. In my hair rests a dandelion that I plucked from Alfonso’s flower vase. I imagine myself as a Renaissance model posing as she is painted. I chuckle. I grab my phone and text Lucah.

   “I thought you slept-“ Lucah stops in trace and stares at me dumbfounded. He rubs his eyes as he walks over to me. “Did you fall out of the sky?”

   “What?” I giggle.

   He shakes his head and mutters something as he walks to the other side of the room. He abruptly stops and turns around. “Ah, I forgot.” He walks back to me and hands me a glass of wine. “I got you this to keep you entertained.” I carefully move my hand trying not to upset the sheet. I take the glass and thank him. Lucah grabs an A2 size canvas and places it on the easel. He looks at me and instantaneously looks away hiding his face from my view. I bit my lip shyly.

   Now and then he would peek and take a glance at me. Sometimes he'd tell me not to wiggle. I try to be as still as possible, only making small hand movements to drink the wine. The canvas was on a slant so I was able to watch Lucah at work. He starts with a pencil. Drawing, rubbing and repeating. At one point he seems as if he is possessed. He forgets about the existence of brushes and uses his bare fingers to run over the lines on the canvas. To caress my curves and paint me. My eyes stay glued to him as I remain very still. The limelights illuminate his face which was no longer hiding behind his curls since his hair is now tied back. I watch as his finger gently yet intensively run over the canvas. A shiver runs down my spine and I could almost feel him breathe as he moves closer.  I imagine his hands running down my skin smearing his scent all over me. My skin starts to burn from the feeling and I can’t help wondering how the canvas feels being covered in paint right now. I suddenly feel breathless and got. I slightly move the sheets.

   “Are you okay?”

   “Uh Yeah. What about you?” I ask.

   “I’m good, just tryna capture how the sheet drapes your body and somehow perfectly shows off your shape. I can see your nip- Why? Why did you do this?” he seems a bit frustrated and runs his hand through his hair.