“Just like that?” John followed me to the fridge, snatching the cup out of my hand. “He seemed freaked out about all this last week, and now he’s cool as a cucumber. What gives?”
“Like I said, he just needed a little reassurance and help relaxing,” I answered, careful to not betray Teo’s confidence.
“You think it’d be okay if we shoot now?” Denny asked when he joined us. “That’s got to be about the best testimonial you could hope for that the furniture is comfortable. Daddies are going to break your site trying to buy.”
John looked to me for guidance. “I don’t think he’ll mind. When you need him to move around, let me know.”
“Oh hell no,” Denny protested. “You need to get your ass into the apartment and change. Find a pair of dress pants, black socks, and a button-down. You wanted to play Daddy for the day, now you’re going to get your chance.”
“Do what now?” John and I both asked at the same time, then laughed because it was a quirk we’d picked up from our fathers that our mothers hated.
“Levi, you said yourself that John’s customers need to be able to imagine themselves in the spaces we’ve set up. What better way to do that than to show them how functional the space can be?”
John thumped me on the back when I started coughing, causing me to spill Teo’s juice all over the floor. That made him laugh even harder and I glared at him. If he wasn’t careful, we were going to jerk Teo out of the headspace Denny just praised me for helping him find.
“Fine, but you’re not using any of the pictures until after we talk to Teo about it,” I insisted. And that wasn’t going to happen before we got started because I was anxious to see how today played out.
5
Matteo
I squintedto shield my eyes from the blinding light when the electricity came back on. Levi wanted me to sit here and color, clearing my head, but it wasn’t so easy when hearing him on the other side of the room talking to John and Denny distracted me. They were too far away for me to make out their words, but occasionally, Levi’s tone took on a serious, almost angry tone. I rested my head on my forearm, trying to block out everything but the picture I was bringing to life. The chatter in my own mind began to quiet, and I felt my entire body relax. I was no closer to understanding why this worked, but it would be easy to grow addicted to feeling less frantic all the time.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” I startled when Levi placed a hand on my back. When had he come back? “How are you feeling, Angel?”
“Good,” I admitted. I set the blue crayon on the table and closed my eyes when Levi began gently kneading my shoulders. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect, Angel.” I loved that he had chosen a nickname for me even more than I liked it when he called me Teo. Angel was something no one else called me. Once this was all over and I went back to my normal, boring life, I’d never be able to hear the word without thinking back to how he made me feel.
“Denny’s going to start taking pictures of you now,” he told me, kneeling next to me with his hand resting at the small of my back. “Is that okay, Angel?”
“Can I keep coloring?” I asked. It was another of my quirks, as Mama called them; I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything for the rest of the day if I didn’t finish the picture I’d started.
“That’ll be fine,” he told me. When he stood, he bent down to kiss the top of my head. When he straightened, I heard him inhale deeply, as if he didn’t want to leave my side.
For the first time since he’d instructed me to sit down, I looked up at him and noticed that he’d changed out of the graphic tee and baggy jeans he’d worn earlier. “You changed your clothes.”
“I did.” He didn’t offer any explanation, so I assumed he might’ve spilled something. But why would he put on dressy clothes? Oh yeah, because he’d given me his spare clothes because I was the scatterbrain who got himself caught out in the rain this morning. “I’m going to sit in my chair. When you finish coloring, why don’t you come over and see me?”
“Okay…” I wanted to say the word again. I wondered if he liked it when I called him Daddy. It was still weird to me, but I was beginning to like thinking of him that way. It wasn’t anything perverted, but more a title for someone who took care of me.
I let out a sigh and rested my chin on my hand. Levi was instantly back at my side, running his thumb across my forehead. “What’s this about, Angel?”
“I like this,” I responded, realizing that didn’t explain why I was moping. “I didn’t think I would, but I do. Coloring, I mean. Okay, I like coloring, but this is different. I used to color and draw all the time, but then I stopped because I grew up.”
Levi draped an arm over my shoulders, kissing the side of my head again. If he didn’t watch it, my lips were going to get jealous of my hair. I wanted to know what his lips felt like against mine. “Why don’t we talk more later? Right now, just have fun being little again. There’s nothing you’re too old to do as long as we’re here.”
Right now.As long as we’re here. I didn’t appreciate the reminder that there was a time limit on letting go this way. “Will you sit by me?” I looked up, curling my fingers around Levi’s to keep him from leaving me.
“If that’s what you need, absolutely.” Levi pulled out the chair next to me and took a seat. The cup he’d taken to fill, along with my donuts on a matching plate, appeared from somewhere. Man, I was really out of it because I hadn’t even noticed who brought them over. The first time I lifted the sippy cup to my lips, I felt a bit silly, because it was so obviously something made for a little kid, but I gave it a chance when I caught a glimpse of Levi’s approving look and his quick nod. “Thank you for my juice.”
“Anything for you, Angel.” He pushed the hair away from my face and motioned to the coloring book. “Why don’t you finish this up and then we can see what else there is to play with.”
“Okay.”
The rest of the day flew by with Levi guiding me from one area of the set to the other. Unlike last week when I’d been hyperaware of every set of eyes on me, I barely noticed John and Denny moving around the loft.
When they called a wrap, I found myself reluctant to get up from where I sat on the floor playing with my toy cars. It’d been years since I’d raced cars through imaginary tracks.
