by M R Field
He nods proudly and smiles, bending down to grab my shoulder. “I will teach you.” He squeezes my shoulder. “It is in your blood, and it is one of the languages of love, so it might be helpful with your lady, no?” He raises his eyebrow and smirks. No doubt my sisters have clued him in on my latest kerfuffle.
I shake my head as I grab the cloth from the floor. “She’s not interested these days,” I shrug. “She’s being difficult, and I’m not sure if it will even work out. I think I’ll need a lot more than speaking Spanish.”
“You could start by taking off your shirt,” a very distinctive and feminine voice orders. I turn to find Trin standing there with Elly, biting her lip.
I dump the cloth and get up straight away, taking the few paces I need to stand in front of her.
“What are you doing out of bed?” My voice is laced with concern. “I’ll go grab you a chair.” I step to the side, but she holds her hand up to stop me.
“I’m fine,” she snaps. “Now, take off your shirt.” Her eyes are cautious, yet hopeful.
I look around the warehouse, where many other guys are completing odd jobs here and there. Has she gone a bit loco?
“I’m at work.” I hold out my hand. “I can’t take my shirt off.”
My jaw sets, confused as to why she is even standing here. Her eyes flick over my shoulder, as she raises her eyebrows at my dad.
“Is it alright with you? I need to check something.” She tilts her head to the side and smiles, batting her lashes innocently at him.
“Oh, I think I know who this is,” he laughs. “I have no problem.”
“See?” She turns back to me. “He has no problem. Now strip.”
I wince as I feel all eyes on me, and I shake my head. “This isn’t the place. I don’t know what you’re trying to do.” I want to add that my family doesn’t know about all my tattoos. I stare back at her, trying to gauge her thoughts.
“Take. Your. Top. Off,” she commands, before raising her brow. “Or are you chicken?”
I straighten as my discomfort is instantly squashed when her eyes pierce into mine. I put my hand to the back of my neck and curve my shoulders to reach and tear off my long-sleeved T-shirt. I hold it out and swing it around my hand until a whistle sounds to my side, making me stop while Elly gushes.
“Bro has a dragon! That’s awesome!”
I grab Trin’s hand and bring her behind the middle wall, away from the attention, away from everyone else.
“It’s not all that he has,” Trin calls out as she steps up to me, putting her hand on my side. “Now turn around.” Her fingers turn me towards her. I comply, but begin to stiffen when I realise what she’s looking for. Now I get why Elly wanted my keys. What I don’t understand is why Trin is being so flirty. Surely she’s about to skin me alive for not telling her?
“Trin.” My throat dries as her name becomes stuck in my mouth. Soft, warm fingers begin to trace along my back, and I’ve missed her touch like an addiction. I can’t help but flinch as she lightens the feel against my skin. “It tickles.” My head jerks to the side, but her fingers then press farther. I know what she is tracing, and my heart pounds dangerously.
“I found your note,” she says, “with some help from a little birdie.”
She moves her fingers deeper, nudging me, as she must feel the increased pounding of my heart under her fingertips. Her hands move down the shape of the tree of life on my back. “The roots here are broken.” She traces. “There’s a heart encased, and it’s bursting.” Her fingers move to my shoulder blades. “But as I shift up here, the tree is whole. Why?”
I forget who could be near us. To be honest, I just don’t care. She’s touching me. That’s all that matters right now. “It’s symbolic,” I husk, as her fingers continue to torture my skin.
“Tell me,” she coos, and I feel her step closer, her body a hairsbreadth away.
“Of us. Our journey.”
“Tell me.”
“How we’ve both experienced horrible circumstances and now we’re together, we’re whole.”
“What does this symbol mean?” She traces the individual Japanese character on my right.
“Harmony,” I add, closing my eyes as her fingers rhythmically entrance me.
“You only had this tree finished recently. How did you know it would be us?” Her voice catches. By now, I have to stop her touch before I push her against the wall. My body is responding to hers, and I know this can’t happen. Yet. Turning sharply, I grab her hand as she startles, placing it quickly on my heart, and staring down at her.
My chest rises with every beat as my gaze rakes over her features. Searching for any sign of anger at her revelation, I don’t see one. Relieved, I continue. “You are the map on my skin, and the journey that I want to take for the rest of my life.” I squeeze her hand in mine, as she blinks rapidly. I raise my other hand and place it against her soft cheek, feeling the tension ease from my spine as she leans into my touch. Her blue eyes shine into mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about any of this.” My voice lowers. “I was still getting used to having a legitimate family, and half that time, it took me a while to even let them show kindness.”
“I understand now,” she murmurs against my hand.
But I’m not done. “It’s hard to admit something that you’ve felt for so long, since you were twelve years old. I never really understood, until now, the depth of how I feel.” I half expect her to frown at me, at the lunacy of my mind, but she grins instead.
“What does TTE mean?” Her brow furrows as her hand cups mine against her face.
“Trinity. Theo. Eternal. Our trifecta.” Her lips part, as her eyes brighten. “I started drawing it shortly after Harmony’s funeral, when I thought I’d fucked up. Those few months that we didn’t talk, I didn’t know how else to reach you, so I put my thoughts into drawings, and the rest is history.”
“Wow,” she gushes, straightening out of my grip to face me better. “So every time I went to get my own copy …”
“I watched from my office across the laneway.”
“No way!” she shrieks. “I used to have a dodgy feeling that someone was looking at me, like a sixth sense or something.”
“Yeah, it was me, hoping to get a glimpse of your excitement. I used some of your outfits in my storylines too. Always leaving breadcrumbs for you to stumble across. None of which worked.” I shrug.
“They worked in a different way.” She places her other hand on the side of my neck and stares up at me. The hairs at the back of my neck prickle, as I don’t see the coldness in her eyes. I don’t see her vacant expression. My firecracker is back.
“You got under my skin, Theo Eien.”
“Is that so?” Her lips smile, and hope builds in my chest. “In what way?”
“In every part of me, you exist too.” Her face sobers slightly. “I’m so sorry for not listening to you. I was stubborn and heartless.” Play the card, I want to tell her. You can have all the aces. You will not run again. “I know I used my insecurities from the past to push you away. I can’t do that anymore. It’s not fair to us. There’s too much at stake.”
“Such as?”
“I want a future with you. Everything. Adventures, babies, all of it.” She frowns slightly.
“What’s wrong?” I stroke her face.
“What if I can’t have babies? If even after the surgery, there’s still no chance?”
“Then you’ll have me.” My thumb rubs her cheek. “You are who I want. Everything else is a bonus.”
“I’m in love with you.” Her lips tremble. “So fucking in love with you.”
“Well, thank fuck for that.” I laugh as my mouth moves closer to hers. “I’m in love with you, too.” Before she can respond, I pull her face closer, crushing her lips to mine. We kiss like no one is watching, but we also kiss like everyone is. She’s mine, and I’m claiming her back. Her hands run up my sides, but I feel her tense underneath my touch, as her breath hitches.
“Oh shit.” I release her instantly and dash to the chair by the side wall, bringing it back to her. “Here, sit. Can I get you anything?”
“Yeah,” she holds onto my arm to bring me closer so she can kiss me on the cheek. “Can you grab Elly for me?”
“Coming!” Elly’s voice chirps from behind the wall. “I was waiting on you both to quit being so Nietzsche.” She skips in playfully. “So much suffering for silly reasons. Now you’re better!”
“Okay.” I look at her incredulously, wondering if our father has suddenly started stocking booze behind the bar.
“Can I get that book you have, Elly?” Trin reaches towards her, and Elly’s face lights up as she registers what my girl wants, digging into her bag. Pulling it out, she hands it to me, and I laugh.
“My novel.” I shake my head. “What? You haven’t read it enough yet?”
“Yes, but there’s something else.” Trin reaches over, and Elly hands her a pen. “Can I please have your autograph?”
I throw back my head and laugh, leaning down towards her to grab her face for a kiss. She leans back slightly to avoid my lips. “No, I’m serious, I want one.” She chuckles. “Make it a goodie.”
“Oh, I’ll make it a goodie.” I wiggle my eyebrows as my lips reach hers. Won’t I ever. You ain’t seen nothing yet. I’m about to get a taste when we’re rudely interrupted.
“Oi!” my dad yells. “Can I meet her yet, or are you two going to hide there all day?”
She giggles against my lips as we break apart to look around, but Elly is nowhere in sight. “Well, I did try to strip you straight up, so I better go and erase that first impression.”
“Indeed.” I stand and hold out my hand. “You okay to walk?”
She nods as she grabs my hand and stands.
“Well, come and meet my dad.”
Her smile beams across her face as she shrills, “I can’t wait!”
I lean back on the bed beside her, as she rolls to her side to face me. My boss, aka
Papá, didn’t mind me taking the rest of the day off to spend with her. She’d gone straight to bed, but not without whining for me to stay with her. Her body was riddled with fatigue, and as she drifted to sleep, I soon followed.
Now, it’s approaching dinner time, and my stomach is gurgling.
“Go cook, chef!” She gently touches my chest. “Feed your woman.”
I raise my hand to the side of my face and salute before giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Thanks for coming back to me,” I whisper against her skin.
Her hand grabs my arm and squeezes. “Thanks for letting me come near you again, after I threatened to remove a certain appendage,” she quips.
I chuckle and roll back, enjoying the carefree vibe that’s returned. “Feel like steak?”
“Sounds great. It’s kinda the only meat I can have for a few weeks anyway,” she jokes.
“I’m not worried.” I tap her nose with my forefinger. “You need to rest, and I’m more than happy to wait. Besides, the time is going to fly.”
“I hope so.” Her bottom lip drops. “We won’t be able to have make-up sex.”
“Just save it up, you know, like credit or something.” I roll off the bed and stand.
“I’ll just fill out an IOU,” she says, as she rolls onto her back. “It’ll gain a tonne of interest by then.” She taps the bed beside her. “Might even accumulate to proportions never seen by mankind.”
“Get up, grumpy pants, and I’ll cook your dinner. I might be able to put a smile on that dial of yours.”
“Ease up. I’ll get there.” She slowly moves to sit and then rubs her eyes. “You go, and I’ll use the bathroom.”
I make my way to the kitchen and gather all the ingredients. As I line them up on the bench, an idea comes to me. I jog back through my place and up the stairs to my study, where I grab four of my sketchpads, along with my other one that I hope she wants to see. Racing down, I put them on my small kitchen table, along with a pen.
Once Trin is out, she makes her way to the table and smiles. “Are these what I think they are?”
“Sure are, but this one is what I’ve wanted you to have for a while.” I open the cover and watch her eyes widen in surprise.
“My mum.” Her voice softens. Her fingers reach out to gently touch the face I’d sketched. Harmony’s face is the only part I’ve sketched in this image, but from the angle of the pose, with the sun beaming down on her cheeks, it feels warm. Trin’s fingers lift the next page, which leads into a series of images where Harmony is drawn laughing, drinking her tea, or admiring her sunflowers. I’ve only sketched ten pieces or so, but from the brightness in Trin’s eyes, you would think I’d just handed her the world.
“These are amazing.” Her head tilts up to look at me. “I feel her through these pages. I can almost hear her laughing or telling me something quirky.”
“I’m glad you like them.” I kiss her shoulder as she tilts her head for me to kiss her there again.
“I love them.” Her eyes look up at me. “You are bringing me the world today, aren’t you?” Her lips lift in a gentle smile.
“Not yet, but hoping to.” I wink as she closes the pad and reverently places it to the side. “Now let’s bring you more into our world.” Reaching over, I pick up the pen as she opens
the first sketchpad.
“Wow, it’s like a movie,” she sighs. “Where did you sketch all these?”
“In my study, next to my bedroom.”
“And to think I used to walk past that room thinking there was something strange about it.”
“Disappointed it wasn’t my sex pad or something?” I tease.
“Nope. You have enough of that in that box in your room; I’m just astounded it took a sledge hammer to my face for me to notice. I see it everywhere here now.”
“Take a look.” I lift my chin, eager to have her go through my ideas, no longer afraid.
She peruses the pages, and I stand and admire her gentle features.
“I love everything about it.” She flicks through them. My heart does a back flip as her smile continues to radiate.
“There’s just one thing,” I say, as she continues to read little sections and admire the sketches.
“Hmm?”
“I haven’t worked out the ending yet.” Picking up the last pad, I flip to the most recent part and hold out a pen to her.
“So maybe while I’m cooking dinner, you could think of one for me?”
Her mouth gapes as her body wiggles on the chair. “Yes!” she squeals, grabbing the pen. “I wanna have a go!”
“I’ll leave you to it,” I say, smiling as I walk back into her bedroom with another idea. “I hope I can give you some inspiration,” I call over my shoulder.
“Sure,” she responds vaguely, and I know she’s too busy trying to draw. For us artists, there is a sense of completeness when we have a pen in hand. She’ll be distracted while I get ready.
I walk to the other cupboard, pull out the outfit that I found a few weeks ago, and start to strip. As each piece of clothing drops to the ground, I listen carefully for any movement so my plan isn’t ruined.
Tying the apron around my waist as the bitter winter chill makes its way across my skin, I shiver before securing the cap to the top of my head. Picking up the feather duster, I walk out, holding it in my hand.
I expect Trin to look up, but she’s too absorbed. Instead, I walk back over to the kitchen and begin preparing our dinner, waiting for her to notice that there’s a full moon tonight, in more ways than one.
It’s not until I’m serving up our dishes, a long time later, that she taps the page and gushes, “There. I think I got the ending figured out. What the fuc—”
I look up from the bench and try to keep my face passive as her eyes rove up and down my skin.
“You really are taking this nursemaid gig seriously,”
she giggles. “Although I never mentioned being naked. I’m not complaining, though. It’s your job and all.”
“Absolutely.” I wiggle my chest to make the apron move. “One must always have a maid at hand.”
Lifting the plates, I take them over to the table that I had even set without her noticing, and smile. “You like?” I turn to the side and give her my best pout.
“Where did you find that?” She points to my crotch. “It’s barely covering you!”
“I got it at the toy section in Kmart. Best eight bucks I’ve spent in ages!”
“It’s so revealing.” A slow grin appears across her lips. “I bet I could make the flap lift completely.”
I turn away and cover my crotch. That’s all I need—to get hard when we’re about to eat and not be able to do anything about it.
“I was feeling a little cheeky.” I shrug as I sit opposite her. Lifting my cutlery, I gesture for her to start. She shifts the notepads to the side and picks up her fork to eat her vegetables.
“I could totally make that apron lift.” She stabs a piece of carrot on her plate. “Wouldn’t even need to look at it.”
“Careful, firecracker,” I warn. “I won’t be broken to being seduced, but if you try, I have a wide selection of fun things upstairs that I won’t hesitate to use in”—I lift my bare wrist and pretend to calculate—“twenty-one days, four hours, and thirty-five minutes.”
“I can’t wait,” she crunches down on a carrot and gives me a wink.
“Did you work out our happily ever after?” I lift my carrot onto my fork and take a bite.
“Yep.” Her seductive grin vanishes and is replaced by a jovial smile. “I have it all mapped out.”
“Good. I’ll have a look. I’ll then get my people onto your people to get back to you,” I wink.
“I look forward to a proper consultation.” She wiggles her eyebrows as she cuts into her steak. Cheeky minx.
“I’m sure it’ll be very thorough,” I add, suggestively. “You’ll find we’ll have all the resources to make it work.”
“I’m sure you do.” She runs her tongue across the bottom of her lip, and I groan, feeling my cock thicken.