"I'll go get ready. Make yourself comfortable."
I hurry along to shower and change. Having him inside the house feels a little intimate with me naked with water sluicing down my body as if it's a caress. His caress. Wow, I really have to get my mind out of the gutter. I change quickly, and when I'm finally dressed, I go to the living room.
He's nowhere in sight and my heart starts beating fast once I see him standing in the solarium, which I have overtaken as my dedicated art studio. There, visible for everyone, are my sketches of him in his semi dressed state. I wonder if he can tell I was obsessed with sketching him and painting him.
"Those are only preliminary sketches."
"Are you kidding me? These are great. You've almost got me convinced to strip right here and right now."
His words make me excited, but he's not making any moves towards getting undressed.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes, I'm going to take you someplace you are going to love. Bring your art supplies. I can carry them."
"Are you sure? They are heavy."
"I'm sure."
His gentle smile reassures me, and I immediately go pack my things. A sketchbook, some watercolors, watercolor paper, and my fancy camera.
I hand him the backpack with everything in it, and he just carries it like it weighs nothing. I am so excited to see him and spend time with him even if he's not gonna be naked.
Walking next to him, I can feel how tall he is. It's probably six feet something to my five feet five, but he's steady next to me and I just follow along because I want to see what this wonderful thing he has to show me is.
I haven't been here during winter, but I can imagine how much it has changed since the season changed. Right now the plants are blooming, everything's green and lush, and just perfect to be painted on a canvas.
After about an hour of walking, we start approaching the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A lake in all its beauty and there's even a dock where we can sit and fish if we had fishing supplies.
With every step I take towards this beautiful place, I can feel Harrison's eyes on me.
"What do you think? Was it worth the hike?"
"It was definitely worth the hike. This place is amazing."
"Come on, I know a good place to set our stuff down."
The colors all around me are so vibrant. I just want to bring out my paint and start putting color to the page. I start taking pictures with my fancy camera just so I can get some good shots and also try and do some composition in my mind.
When I look to the side, I see that Harrison has prepared a whole picnic for us with a tablecloth and everything.
"How did you know I'd be hungry after that hike?"
"I knew you'd be hungry, eventually."
"How cold do you think that water is?"
"What, do you want skinny dip?"
"Um, Maybe."
"Why don't you sit down, have something to eat, and then you can start taking your pictures and making sketches of the place?"
"Thank you for bringing me here. There is so much potential here in this place. The mountains, this lake, everything is just so lush and so beautiful and so colorful. It inspires me."
He gives me a strange look from where he's kneeling on the tablecloth. Then he gets up and comes closer to me.
"Watching the world through your eyes must be an adventure, Iris."
