Peintures vivantes - Joseph Descamps

Je te déteste...

Deep in the nocturnal silence, I watch him light yet another cigarette of the day, and for a brief moment, the dancing flame lightens his features slightly. Keeping a discreet distance, I contemplate him in silence.

"You're thinking about something, aren't you?" he tells me, letting a long cloud of smoke dissipate into the night air.

"That you're an asshole?" I retort with a defiant smile. He raises an eyebrow, visibly confused but with a clear touch of amusement.

"Viper" he insults me back, but the way he says it makes it lighter and even funny.

With nervous gestures, I adjust my dress and, after a furtive glance around us, I turn to him again. "Alright, see you tomorrow. Good night" I greet him. I am about to walk away, but he effortlessly catches up with me, still with a lit cigarette. I look at him with a big question mark above my head.

"I won't let you go home alone at night. Yes, I'm an asshole, but I'm not dumb." He retorts firmly.", staying by my side.

'What is wrong with you today? Since when have you known how to be kind and willing to help?" I ask, challenging him, but his gaze remains fixed in front of him. After exhaling the smoke, he smiles out of the corner of his mouth. "Wasn't it you who told me to fix things with Jean Pierre? Besides, I felt sorry for Simone, I felt like helping her' he replies.

I am quite satisfied with his answer, and catch a glimpse of the walls of my house from afar, but all the lights are off and I begin to doubt that something is wrong. Moving closer and closer, I see the window of Marion's room dark and silent.

"Well, we're here." Descamps affirms, putting out his cigarette and tossing it into the drain grates. I, with my back to him, stop in front of the front door and rest my hand on it, realising I've been locked out of the house in the middle of the night.

"Is something wrong?" asks Descamps, turning to me with a confused look and half-closed eyes. Without answering, I turn away from the door, observing his questioning expression with amusement. I stare intently at the window of Marion's room, but the light is off and I can't perceive any noise.

"Marion!" I call, trying to keep my voice low enough but loud enough to be heard. No answer comes and, after a few attempts, Descamps stops me. "May I know what you're doing?" he asks me, increasingly confused, reaching into his trouser pockets.

"I asked my sister to stay up to open the door for me. She usually goes to bed late, so why did she go to bed early today?" I complain, keeping my voice low. 'Maybe she's sound asleep' Descamps suggests, trying to play down the situation.

As I watch Marion's window in silence, I hear him pick something up from the floor.

"What are you doing?" I ask quietly, but I notice a pebble between his fingers, ready to be thrown. I stop the gesture, worried that it might damage the windows of my house. "I thought it was a funny idea" he complains, dropping the pebble and hitting it with the toe of his shoe. 'A stupid idea, honestly,' I retort dryly.

Descamps shrugs and puts his hands back in his pockets. "That's how I get the attention of the girls I'm seeing. I can also get into windows' he says with an easygoing smile. I stare into his eyes, serious and sombre. "Have you stopped talking nonsense?" I ask unnerved. Noticing my reaction, he smiles contentedly. "Don't worry, if you want I can come up and get in through your window too" he continues, moving closer.

I cover my face with one hand, exasperated by his manners and inappropriate proposals. "You are unbelievable. Didn't they ever teach you to shut up?" I ask, trying to hold back my frustration. "It was just a thought, you seemed jealous" he replies with a mocking smile, moving closer and closer.