Marry Me

31. Hidden Talent

Alex Kellen.

"Alex! Can I have this? Please!" It was hard not to smile at sweet little Addonis as she hopped on her feet. On her hands were a couple of water paints and large paint brush. "I have seen May painting and it looks really cool!"

"Go head. And get more colours. You can make your painting more colourful."

"Okay! Do you think May will teach me to paint?"

I nodded in answer. Oh! She will only be too happy! May's love for art can very contagious. I could easily remember the very first time I saw her painting. Till then I didn't even know she was into it.
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It was very late that night. I had been very busy with paperwork regarding a new casino and it was past two in the morning when I finally stumbled to bed, expecting to see May fast asleep. Only she wasn't.

After ten minutes of frantic search I found her in one of the spare rooms, painting a portrait. The room was filled with art materials and lots of canvas. Those were things that didn't even exist in this house before. Some of the canvas empty and some fully painted.

May was perched on a high stool, her face screwed up in concentration on the piece she was working on. I had watched her carefully, leaning against the door jamb as she lost herself in the world of colours.

It took her almost an hour before she realized I had been watching her paint. Startled, she looked up before pinning me with that shy, penetrative gaze of hers.

My eyes roamed her greedily. There was a small paint brush tucked on her left ear. There were streaks of paints staining her lovely skin. Her eyes were tired with the lack of sleep. And her hair was held up in a messy ponytail. But she looked so beautiful. She took my breath away without doing anything. She was perfect.

"How long have you been standing there?" She followed my movements as I stepped closer.

"Long enough."

"Stalker."

I smirked at her. "Can you blame me? I came to bed expecting to find you. But you weren't there."

"I was waiting for you and I got bored." She crooked her forefinger beckoning me to come nearer and so I did, making sure to lock the door behind me.

"I didn't know that you could paint."

She shrugged. "I used to do it when I was younger. Then I stopped."

"Why?" My tone was mildly curious.

"Because... " She stopped with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it. Not now."

"Alright." I let it go for now as I didn't want to ruin the mood. "I like your portrait, by the way."

And I did. The canvas held a variation of colours and yet it wasn't too loud. It was soft and somehow...it felt personal.

"It's not a portrait. It's an abstract." She corrected.

"I still like it." I admitted with a shrug.

She glanced at me with an intense expression and spoke softly. "I was thinking of you when I had the urge to paint."

"I'm flattered." I murmured and gazed at her. She looked as though she wanted to say something. "May? What's going on?"

"I stopped painting ever since he cheated on me. I wanted to but I couldn't. It was like as though I left a important part of myself when I left them. It didn't matter to me before. But now..."

"Look at me, May." I moved closer to her and hugged her close to my body. She was stiff for a short moment, then she relaxed and wrapped herself around me as tightly as she could.

"What are you doing to me Alex?" Her whisper made my blood freeze. It was so frightened...so unlike May. "All these emotions... It's very intense and I'm scared. I had to let it out and this is the one way I knew how."

"It's okay May. I know what is happening and it's happening to me too. I used to be scared but not anymore."

"What is happening?"

"You're falling in love with me. Hard."

Her arms tightened around me a fraction more. "I just don't want to get hurt again."

"I will never hurt you like that."

"I know."

"You know why? Because I love you like a mad man."

I sensed her smile even though I couldn't see it. "I know. My mad man."

"Yes. Yours. Always."

"You can have the abstract once it's dry."

"Really?" My chest felt tight for a moment. This had to be the best gift I had ever had.

May nodded. "Yes... Technically it belongs to you."

"Thank you. I don't know what I see on the canvas. But the colours... They make me happy. Like you do."

"I make you happy?" She pulled back cocked her head.

"Uh huh."

"Damn!" She cursed playfully. "I thought I drove you crazy."

The atmosphere shifted easily from heavy to carefree.

"That too. Come to bed?" I implored gently.

She glided her hands upwards and curled then around my neck. Then, with a sudden move she jerked me down making me gasp in surprise. "You look very handsome."

I raised my eyebrows at her sudden and yet shy compliment. "Does painting make you horny?"

Her soft smile turned into a scowl. "No asshole. They make me feel romantic."

"Yeah yeah." I rolled my eyes. "Asshole is a very romantic word indeed."

May giggled. "I blame you. Your dirty mouth influenced me a lot."

"Hmm... I'm glad." I moved closer to kiss her neck. "Your mouth turns me on."

May moaned softly when I nipped her earlobe. "I know."

We had made sweet love that early morning, amidst of all the incredible pieces of art scattered around us. And since then, May gifted me with a portrait almost every week.
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The sharp tone of my mobile pulled me to the present.

"Sir!" It was one of the guards.

His panicky tone made me uneasy. Instinctively I glanced around to make sure the girls were okay. May had to make a trip to the restroom. "What?"

"Miss Daniels is gone!"

"What?!"

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