The Artist's Muse (Shinsuke Nakamura X OFC)

The Artist's Muse

"I can't believe you are really taking me here," I said pouting.

"C'mon, I promised a friend that I would come and check it out. And, plus, I didn't want to go alone."

My best friend, Shanice, was pulling on my arm with a beaming grin on her face as she dragged me up the museum steps and inside the building. She wore a cute yellow crop top and her favorite pair of light blue skinny jeans, coupled with a jean jacket of the same denim. Her feet wore a pair of white low-top Converse as I could hear them slap against the tile floor of the museum, her short, brown curls bouncing rapidly as she continued to speed walk past through each exhibit.

"But art exhibits are so boring!"

"Trust me, honey. You'll like this one."

I blew out a puff of air in annoyance as she continued to lead me through the museum's halls, passing along portraits and sculptures of the Ancient Egypt exhibit. We were walking for about 10 minutes when we entered the Contemporary Art section of the museum, and stopped at an entrance at the end of a hallway. Shanice finally let go of my arm, her wide smile still plastered on her face. Not gonna lie, she was adorable whenever she got this way. Always so excited to show me a new exhibit that she can use for her writing projects. Visiting museums was how she got her inspiration for some of her pieces, and I was touched that she wanted to share this moment with me.

"Are you ready?" she asked me excitedly.

My lips pulled into an amused smirk and I shrugged my shoulders, knowing I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I responded. "What's this exhibit called anyway? And who are we meeting here?"

"It's called Sensual Senses. It's supposed to show a variety of pieces of pleasure that incorporates one of the five senses. Whether it may be focusing on just one of them or taking it away. As far as who we are meeting..." Shanice smirked and held in a chuckle. "Well, you'll see once we're inside."

I rolled my eyes. "This already sounds like some foolishness."

Shanice nudged my arm with her elbow and laughed. "Oh Raina, don't act like you don't secretly enjoy things like this. I've seen your book collection, and I remember the vivid journal entries that you've shared with me. So, I know you got some freaky, creative thoughts in that head of yours that you wanna act out on."

I blushed and looked down at the floor unable to say anything. I mean, she wasn't wrong. I just felt so... dirty to say these thoughts out loud.

Shanice let out another laugh. "I'm gonna take your silence as my point being proven." She, then, pulled me into a hug and smiled warmly. "You don't have to be shy about it, honey. We just gotta find a way to let your inner hoe out of you. And I think this exhibit can spark a few ideas in you." She said that last line with a wink. "Now come on, they're waiting for us inside."

Shanice took my hand as we both walked into the exhibit. The room itself was dimly lit with hues of red and orange, and fluorescent lights shined upon the various portraits and sculptures that were on display. My eyes widened in admiration at the artwork that was displayed. I saw one portrait of a woman's plump lips, covered in an apricot lip color, holding a cherry between her teeth. Shanice pointed out another portrait of a steamed glass shower door with a set of handprints on the glass. Her eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store as she saw each piece and, quite frankly, I was pretty mesmerized by the artwork too.

As I glanced through the portraits on the wall to my right, I could hear Shanice call out "Hey!" to a person standing a few feet away. He wore a simple white T-shirt with a black blazer along with a pair of black casual pants and shoes. His long, dark curls rested on the right side of his face, showing a faded cut of the left side of his hair. His brown eyes glinted with acknowledgement and a hint of mischief while his lips pulled into a smirk. I turned my head to see who was Shanice talking to, and instantly I could feel my face burn with a deep blush. I turned my head to the side to hide the wide smile on my face. Of course he would show up to a place like this....