There were little splashes of color on Feliciano's cheeks and freckled nose that you just had to clean up. Unfortunately, you also had to hold your pose for the painting, which was a challenge in and of itself. It was meant to look relaxed and casual, you draped over the couch with a mysterious smile, but your foot tapped over and over. This was getting hard. What did it look like so far anyway?
"How much longer, Feliiiii~?" you whined, drumming your fingers on the thigh your right hand rested on.
"At least an hour, _____~" He grinned and put his brush behind his ear again, smearing some orange on his temple.
You did wonder why he was using orange. You didn't think—better check—no, you weren't wearing any orange today. But you weren't the artist at the moment, anyway. Maybe he just used funny colors. This only made you itch to see it more, and you hatched a little plan.
"Feli, can we take a break?"
"But bella, I'm almost done with your hair!"
"Pleeeeeease? I promise it'll be short and I'll remember my pose!"
Feli seemed not to hear you, painting away furiously. He held up a finger—one second. With a few quick strokes he backed away, squinted, then rocked on his toes a bit and beamed with satisfaction. His brush, at long last, went into the jar of paint water.
"So does that mean we can take a break now?" You sat up a little straighter with a growing smile.
"Yes, yes, we can both take a break," he said with a little laugh.
Ugh, he was so cute! You just wanted to kiss him a over sometimes. But you could never really tell how he felt about people. Feliciano was one of the most affectionate people you knew, sometimes giving it to the ones who didn't really want it. But he also tried to hit on most of the girls he encountered; you weren't the exception when you and Feli first met. But after finding out that you had some of the same friends and a few classes together at university, you promptly moved from "eyyy baby" to "she is a very nice friend of mine!". Part of you was glad for that (Feli is not smooth at ALL), but another part of you wished that you had said yes to a date with him. After getting to know him better, you knew that he was so talented and earnest, and that he was always trying to think of his friends. If he cared for his friends as much as he did, imagine how he'd fawn over someone he loved!
Feliciano stepped out for a snack, leaving you alone with the canvas. Perfect! Delicately as you could manage, you sneaked across the living room to see the painting. It made you gasp softly, and your secret plan was completely forgotten.
Yes, it was that gorgeous. Feli could paint like the old masters, but with more vibrant colors and bolder strokes. He'd rendered your hair in shades of orange and scarlet, and your skin in buttery yellows. You also noticed that your expression was different than you imagined. Instead of a semi-seductive smile, you were laughing. He had kept cracking jokes earlier on, but you attributed that to Feli being Feli, not to whatever he was doing behind the canvas. You looked...beautiful. Happy. It nearly brought years to your eyes.
A pair of hands slid over your waist and tickled your tummy. You squeaked and whirled around to face your attacker—oh thank goodness, it was just Feli. You laughed good and loud.
"Feli, you scared me half to death!"
That mischievous little dweeb just laughed and smiled so pretty. It really wasn't fair. "Sorry, _____, I just had to do it! You were being sneaky trying to see my painting so I had to be sneaky too!"
You turned back to the canvas, and the beauty of it hit you again. You went quiet for a moment. "It's absolutely wonderful," you murmured. The smile on your face grew a little heavier and tears threatened. "I had no idea I could be so pretty..."
His eyes on you had grown soft when you glanced over to meet them. You were jealous of his eyes. Right then, filled with the sunlight coming in from the big window, they were the nicest warm amber. And they looked almost sad...
"I just painted you, _____. I didn't change anything. That's just how you are."
You bit your lip. It was getting too hard to hold his gaze. Yours dropped to your feet. That didn't stop him from kissing you gently on the cheek.
A little surprised, you looked up to see Feli smiling just a bit. "What was that for?" you asked, a smile creeping back onto your face again.
"Well, I wouldn't call you bella if I didn't mean it."
Was it really so simple as that? You had to ask outright, hard as it was. "Feli?"
"Mhmm?"
"Do you, uh..."
"Do I what?" He rocked on his toes again, and you were losing your cool. It all spilled out of your mouth without your brain's consent.
"Do you still want to take me someplace nice with some good wine like you told me?"
He laughed with surprise; you had just quoted what he'd shouted at you from across the way when you had first met. You could have sworn he blushed. "I don't know, bella, do you want to go?"
It sounded like music when he said it, bella bella bella. "Well, yes! That's why I'm asking!"
"Do you want to go now?" Feli's eyes shone in this light.
"It's the middle of the afternoon, Feli, dinner's not for—"
"We could go when it's dark and they have all of the lights on in town and it's so pretty..."
"Feliciano!" you cried, laughing. "I just meant sometime, it's ok!"
"Ok," he surrendered. "But what do we do now?"
"Didn't you want to finish the painting?"
He looked back at the easel. "Oh, right. Yes!"
You giggled, and just to prove you could, planted a kiss on the end of his freckled nose, just to the left of a smudge of green.
