A Rose by Any Other Name

Chapter 18

Writer's Note-
Best part is such a pretty song :(

Before Mike woke up, I painted for the first time in weeks. He was lying on the bed, half nude, head on a pillow and his legs twisted between the sheets. The light from my window falling on his body and skin was pretty enough I wanted to capture it. His leg was hitched up beneath the blanket exposing a generous amount of thigh and the curve of his ass. I'd done a quick sketch, painting quickly and finishing within an hour. I really liked this one. I didn't hang many of my portraits up but I definitely would hang up this one.

I found myself almost peaceful between the strokes and arcs of the brush. It made me feel like things were looking up. I had laid it out to dry in my art room. It was an oil painting so it could take weeks. Hopefully my life wasn't still a mess then.

#

"My ass hurts." I complained at the dining table during breakfast, "And my back."

Mike laughed in the kitchen bringing a mug of tea over to me, carding a hand through my hair and kissing me on the forehead, "Do you want me to rub it better for you?"

I smiled, "No. I'm a strong guy, I can survive."

Mike sat down opposite me, eating his share of some kind of breakfast quiche he'd heated up. Mike post coitus was kind of strange, almost too attentive, still flushed and more smiley than usual. Out of the blue he would just kiss me, or stroke my hair or give me a compliment in Spanish. We'd tumbled a few more times over the course of the night and it made me think I needed a bigger bed.

"Are you listening to me?" Mike said softly making me blink.

I looked up at him seeing that he'd finished eating and he was looking at me inquisitively. I gave an embarrassed smile, rubbing my collar bone, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

The corners of Mike's mouth turned down, "About Steve?"

I flinched, "No." I got up to to gather our plates, going to the sink and soaping the dishes before washing them. "Maybe I can get the kitchen redone and stay at your place while it's happening. If they take down this wall, maybe the counter tops could be porcelain. Porcelain has some nice marbling, Y'kno? And now that I mention it, maybe the bathroom can be redone, too. I've heard bidets really change your life and if we're going to be together so often, lord knows I should get well acquainted with one. You know, two corner apartments are for sale on my floor, maybe I should just buy them both and get them renovated as one unit, I'd have southern and western views." I took a deep breath.

Mike came up behind me nuzzling my throat and kissing my neck. I was wearing one of Mike's shirts and it was too big for me, going down to the tops of my thighs. He swept his hands under my shirt, circling his hands from my lower back to my stomach. "Tell me what's wrong." he said softly.

I breathed heavily, distracted by Mike's hands, wondering if they'd go higher or lower. "Nothing's wrong." I lied.

He teased the shell of my ear, "Are you sure, Derrick?"

I extricated myself, turning around and leaning heavily on the counter. "Okay, so. Steve is still alive."

"Yes." Mike quipped.

"And he knows where you live."

"It would seem so."