infatuation // m.h

10

I woke up the next morning to find Matty in the kitchen. A half empty black coffee cup sat on the counter. Matty was standing in front of the stove top, cooking eggs.
"Morning." I yawned, drinking the rest of his coffee. It was bitter and going cold but I didn't care. He never finished the last bit of his coffee anyway.
"Hey." Matty said, kissing my forehead as I walked past him to fix my hair in the bathroom.
"What are you doing today?" I asked him.
"Meeting, then recording." He replied. I bit my lip with a smile. Matty made a living with his music. Him and his band had taken off in the last couple of years. They were recording a second album.
I wondered how he'd react when I told him I was working for Jo now. I forgot that I hadn't told him.
We sat down for breakfast at the kitchen table, chatting.

"So, the lady you met yesterday, what's she like?" Matty asked.
"She's great. Her name's Jo. She's an artist, she has a studio on the top floor." I said nervously.
"That sounds cool. I want to meet her." Matty said with a smile.
"Oh, and there was one other thing," I said, the familiar feeling of anxious butterflies forming in my stomach. Matty looked up from his breakfast. "She offered me a job." I said.
"Whoa. That's cool. Doing what?" Matty asked. I wasn't sure why I was so scared of how he'd react.
"She said I could be her apprentice. She'll teach me how to paint, and I'll sell my paintings once they're good enough." I said, playing with my food.
"Babe, that's so good! I'm happy for you." Matty said, leaning over to kiss my cheek and squeezing my hand.
I exhaled, relieved. "So you're okay with it?" I asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, furrowing his brow.
"I don't know. I wasn't sure." I said, suddenly feeling small.
"I just want you to be happy. I know you hated your old job. Just don't get too famous and forget about me." Matty said with a grin.
I remembered that was one of the first things I said to him about his music.
"I love you," I said, gathering our plates and dumping them in the sink. "Now get going. You're going to be late." I reminded him. Matty smiled at me, kissed my cheek goodbye and walked out the door.

I sent Jo a quick text.

10:17am - Me: Hey. When do you want me to come up? x

10:25am - Jo: Hey. Give me twenty minutes xx

I got changed, had a shower and did some quick chores. I took the elevator up to the top floor, suddenly feeling nervous. I hoped this went well. I guess it was like a job interview.

I took a deep breath and knocked on Jo's door three times.
"Hey!" She greeted me warmly. Jo was in black leggings and a mustard yellow sweater.
"Hi, Jo," I grinned. "So where do I start?" I asked.

Jo spent the entire morning teaching me the basics. Sketching out bases, talking about subject matter, painting details. She taught in a way that made me feel like I was finding it all out on my own. She also let me have my own time, experimenting. Jo did her own thing, painting her own pieces, humming quietly to herself. She left me to experiment and play, occasionally commenting with constructive criticisms and encouragements.
"I feel a little guilty, wasting you paint and canvases as everything" I admitted.
"Don't be stupid, Nikki! It's fine, this is you learning. One day when you're rich and famous, people will pay millions for these." Jo said with a smile. I grinned back at her gratefully.
"Jo, can I ask you a personal question?" I asked cautiously.
"Shoot." She said, holding her paintbrush between her teeth as she smudged her painting with her finger.
"Do you have kids?" I asked.
She hadn't ever talked about having kids.
A look of sadness passed over Jo's features for a second. "I was a little bit younger than you. I had a baby boy. But his father left me. My mother practically disowned me when she found out I was pregnant. When he was born, I put him up for adoption. And I wish every day that I hadn't." Jo said, tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled. I wasn't sure what to do.
"Have you ever tried to track him down?" I asked.
Jo shook her head. "I doubt he'd even want to see me." She said, wiping her eyes.
I hugged her without thinking. "I'll help you find him, if you want. We can find him. But only if you're ready." I said.
Jo wiped her eyes again, trying to regain her composure. "Okay. You sure?" She asked.
"Of course." I said, nodding.
Jo smiled at me, a look of pure gratitude on her face. For a second I felt like her daughter. "I'm glad I met you, you know." I said. I smiled warmly, a fuzzy feeling in my stomach. Jo hugged my side and I watched her paint for a minute in silent awe.
"Me too." She said. I rested my head on her shoulder.

After a while, Matty's ringtone went off on my phone.

1:02pm - Matty: Hey. Still at this stupid meeting. I'm so bored.

1:05pm - Me: That sucks. What time will you be getting home? x

1:05pm - Matty: Not sure. I know we're in for a long night though :((

1:07pm - Me: Okay. Love you. Try not to write too many songs about me xx

1:10pm - Matty: Always. I love you x

I tried not to grin too wide at my screen.
"That Matty?" Jo asked, pointing to my lock screen. I laughed. "Yeah." It was a stupid photo I took with Matty when we were both drunk and stoned, but I loved it. His arms were around my waist and his lips were smiling against my neck, I was smiling as well.
Jo smiled "You two are so young. So in love. It's adorable." She said quietly with a smile.
I rolled my eyes. "I feel seventeen around you." I laughed.
"I want to meet the guy." Jo said.
"He said the same thing about you this morning." I laughed.
"Then it's settled. You two are coming for dinner here tonight."