“What?” I ask, still scrolling.
“There was a folder named ‘Gen.’ What’s in it, Jacob?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.Not the government name.
As tempting as it is, I’m not gaslighting her into thinking she saw wrong, so I reluctantly scroll back up. She takes the tablet from my hands as she sits up and clicks on the folder herself. Feeling like a fucking moron, I keep my eyes on her face as she opens a first drawing. Then another. And another.
“You’ve been drawing me?” she asks, her tone so unreadable it’s utter torture.
“I started the morning after Hana’s birthday. I was bored and watching you sleep. Then it became an obsession because I could never capture the real you, and it drove me mad.”
When she opens a new drawing that has her naked from the navel up, I wince and consider removing the tablet from her hands. This isn’t how I expected the evening to go.
She’s conflicted as she takes in the art, and I look down at it too. She looks like a Greek nymph, with her pink lips parted as if she were sighing, the lushness of her red hair that surrounds her porcelain skin, the delicate column of her throat, and the full breasts and their perky, rosy tips below.
“It’s not a sex thing, Gen, I promise. Those are for my eyes only; I never took pictures, never shared these…”
“I’m too beautiful,” she says out of the blue, still frowning.
“What?”
“You said you couldn’t capture the real me. It’s because I’m too beautiful in those drawings.”
It’s my turn to frown as my gaze repeatedly travels from her to the tablet. “You’re exactly right in those drawings, red. It’s your aura that I never manage to replicate.”
She doesn’t believe me, clearly unconvinced. So I reach for the screen and zoom in on her sleeping face. “Those drawings are exactly as you are, love. You’ve seen the beetles, you know I’m good at catching likeness. This is you. All of you, minus the most intricate details of your soul, which I’m still working on.”
She blinks several times, her hold on the tablet becoming slack enough for me to pick it up and set it aside. “You really see me like this?” she asks, still puzzled.
“This and more. I see all of you, Gen. The beauty within and without. And I can safely say that I have never in my lifetime encountered a more gorgeous creature than you.”
Several seconds pass without an answer, and I’m fairly certain I’ve managed to ruin the evening. Anguish gnaws at my insides, a heavy lump stuck in my throat. She’s still hesitant when she finally replies.
“Coming from an insect guy, this isn’t the compliment you think it is, Jacob.” The shy ghost of a smile makes the corner of her lips twitch, and there’s an unmistakably humorous glimmer in her eyes.
Maybe it’s because I was so stressed, but I burst into laughter, both amused by her response and relieved that everything isn’t lost. Once it recedes enough, I grab her nape and pull her in for a kiss, tilting my head to the side and enjoying the fruity taste of her. When I pull back, I lay my forehead on hers.
“I’m sorry for the sketches, red,” I say with truthfulness. “I realize we never agreed on this, and I abused your trust when you were at your most vulnerable. It won’t happen ag—”
“As long as they are only for you, I don’t mind,” she cuts me off. “I was surprised, yes. But ultimately, those drawings might be the most genuine compliment I’ve ever received.”
Yet again, I’m thankful for how she’s handling this, and anxiety slowly leaves my body. She’s the one who initiates the next kiss, and we end up sprawled on the day bed, pulling and groping one another, lost in a lascivious embrace.
“Thank you for tonight, Jake,” she says after several minutes of fervor, looking at me with wonderment. “It was even better than anything I expected.”
“It was my pleasure, red. And you’re not quite done with the surprises. I have another one for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s in my trousers.”
Her first reflex is to pat my front pockets, and when she finds nothing there, she tries to slip her hands toward my bum to check the back ones. “Oh, my sweet, innocent red.” I can’t help but say with a chuckle. “I said in my trousers, not my pocket.”
Those big blue eyes meet mine, just in time for me to witness the way they widen when she realizes what I mean. The surrounding light is weak, but still enough for me to catch her blown-out pupils, black eating away the ocean of her irises. I lean back when she reaches for my belt and watch with amusement as she opens the zipper and button of my trousers. I’m not ready for her boldness when she shoves a keen hand in there, slithering it into my underwear to reach for my cock.
I’m hard as fuck, and she doesn’t hesitate to wrap her slim fingers around me. Instantly, she understands what I meant, and her eyes become huge. When she tentatively grazes my rigid length, I clench my jaw, fighting back the pleasure she can bring with such a simple touch.
“You removed them all,” she breathes.
