“Yeah, be careful. I fell down them once and am lucky that I didn’t break my neck.” When we reach the top, Jeremy stops and turns around. “My apartment is a mess. So don’t be surprised. Just don’t worry, I am clean but a bachelor.”
I snort, “Okay.” He opens the door and I follow him in. “I should worry about coming into your apartment at night…..alone.”
“If you are nervous, we can leave.”
“No!” I exclaim. “I am fine. I was just commenting.” Jeremy nods his head and turns on more lights. My eyes scan the apartment. Most of it is open. The kitchen leads into the dining room and living room. There is a small hallway with three doors. The furniture is surprisingly very new. He has a flat screen TV on the wall and stereo system. Okay, Jeremy must rob banks….a lot of banks. “Nice place,” I say slowly.
Jeremy walks into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure,” I reply. I continue to look around. There is stuff piled everywhere. Nothing is really dirty. It just looks like he sets everything down wherever he is. “I am really going to need your help cleaning this place. I wouldn’t know where to go with your stuff.”
Shutting the refrigerator door, Jeremy sighs, “Yeah, it’s going to be a team effort sort of thing. I think once I get organized, it will help. I sort of moved in, unpacked and just left it there.”
“I see that,” I retort. Jeremy walks over and hands me a bottled water. “So, what do you want me to draw?”
“This,” Jeremy replies, as he points to the kitchen table. On top of it is a vase of lilies.
Narrowing my eyes, I open my mouth and then shut it. “Did a girl send them to you?”
“No,” Jeremy states. “I always have them around.” He quickly adds on, “I won’t get into why. I know it’s not a manly thing, but they are a…..security for me. If you tell anyone that, I will deny it.”
“They are wonderful,” I say, going over to smell them. “What kind of lily are they?”
Jeremy pulls out a chair and sits down. “Stargazer liies, they are beautiful. All lilies are beautiful, but these are special.”
“Why?” I ask. Then I quickly go, “Never mind. So, you want me to draw these? Like do you want them in the vase or just the lily or what?”
There is a pause as Jeremy stares at the flowers. “I just want two of the flowers. I don’t care what you do to the rest of it. I mean I don’t want a unicorn in the background, but I trust your taste. I saw enough soul in your art. These flowers mean a lot to me. If it is done right, it will be pay back enough for everything.”
“I will look a picture up on the internet and get going tomorrow.”
“No,” he quickly interjects. “I will drive you to get the supplies tomorrow and you can draw these. They are fresh from yesterday.”
“You bought them with my flowers?” I ask.
He nods. “This means a lot to me.”
“What you did for me means a lot, too. We can make each other happy then. I already have the pencils and everything that I need. All I need is the paper and matting. We can get that tomorrow. You will have to deal with me for one more day.”
“Do you just want to stay over?” Jeremy asks.
I gasp, “You want me to what?”
“Stay over,” he repeats.
“Like….in your bed?” I ask very slowly.
Chuckling, Jeremy replies, “Well, I would sleep on the couch and you in my bed. I guess it’s a dumb question, not very proper of me. Your mom would probably flip.”
“My mom wouldn’t even notice, but I have not stayed anywhere but home since I was a kid. I think staying at a guy’s house, even if he is a friend, is a big step for me. Plus, it probably is a little improper.”
“I would never touch you,” Jeremy states quickly. My mouth drops open and he thrusts his hands out. “Don’t take that the wrong way. I don’t mean it as a slam! I am just saying you are safe with me.”
Trying really hard not to laugh, I say, “I know I am safe with you. I shouldn’t feel that way, but I do. I would stay over but I am not quite there yet. Sonya probably would be all on top of that and probably you.”
“She isn’t my type,” Jeremy responds. “You can tell that she has issues about five miles away. A girl like her needs to be taken down a few notches. Truthfully, her baggage must be pretty big if it makes her lash out on the weak.”
“I am not weak!” I snap. Then I think about it. “Okay, I am, but still. The more you hang out with me, the more you make me believe in myself, and the stronger I get. Maybe one day, I won’t let what Sonya says and does get to me.”
Jeremy nods his head. “When that day happens, she will lose her power over you and that’s what you need. She won’t be able to push you around anymore and will move on, sadly, to someone else.”
“I wish I could get her to stop it completely. I don’t want her to move onto a weaker victim.”
“Hopefully, I will be able to come up with something that will make her think twice about lashing out at people. I don’t mean I am going to beat her up, but maybe outwit her.”
“Sounds good to me.” With a deep breath, I yawn. “I think I should go home now. The art store is only open from 9 to 1 tomorrow. So, it is up to you when we go.”
“How about I pick you up at 9:30 and we go to breakfast. After that we go to the art store?” Jeremy suggests.
That makes me smile. “I have a better idea, why don’t you pick me up, we can stop at the grocery store and we can buy stuff to make breakfast. Making breakfast is my thing, real hash browns and killer omelets, plus whatever you want as a side.”
“A real home cooked breakfast, I would die for that.”
“Then that’s the plan. You need to at least do your dishes tonight. I need some space to cook,” I mention, pointing to his kitchen.
Saluting me, Jeremy says, “I can do that. The dishes shall be done.”
“Okay, I want to go home and go to sleep now,” I yawn.
Jeremy walks over and grabs my hand. “Let’s get you home then.”
When we pull up to my house, I turn and look at him. “Thank you so much for today. You have no idea what it meant for me.”
“I am happy when I can make you smile.” Jeremy leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. “Good night toots, sleep tight.”
The touch of his lips on my cheek makes me stutter for a minute. “I will. You too, okay?”
“Definitely,” Jeremy replies. “I will see you in the morning.”
“Okay,” I say, as I climb out of the car. As I shut the door, I say, “Bye.” Jeremy just smiles at me through the window. I wave, as he drives away. I quickly put my hand to my cheek. I know it didn’t mean anything, but that was the closest thing to a kiss that I have had.
With a skip in my step, I go in the house.
Chapter 5
“Let me carry something,” I say, as Jeremy climbs the stairs to his apartment.
“No,” he retorts. “You are carrying the art supplies.”
Gesturing my hand, I snap, “That is one light bag. You are carrying three grocery bags!”
“Oh please, this is nothing.” When we finally get to the top, Jeremy turns to me. “Grab my keys out of my pocket.” I just raise an eyebrow. “Really?” He groans.
I open my mouth and, “That is way too personal for me,” comes out. Wincing, I can’t believe I just said that.
With a roll of his eyes, Jeremy sets the groceries down. “It’s my pocket, not the top of my pants.”
Now I am mortified. “Sorry,” I mumble. “I have never really been around a guy. You are the first guy that I have really had a lot of contact with.”
“What a great specimen of a man for you to have contact with,” Jeremy laughs as he opens the door.
“Wow, full of yourself much?” I ask, snagging a grocery bag. I push past him. “Hey, you did not clean your kitchen!”
Slamming the door behind us, Jeremy exclaims, “I did the dishes like you asked
!”
Guys. “Yeah, but your counters are still full of stuff!”
“Whatever, then help me clear it, miss picky pants.”
My head hangs down. “Please, do not call me names. I have dealt with that enough in my life.”
“Seriously? Miss picky pants is me teasing you?” Jeremy inquires with a very sarcastic tone. “Well, per our friend creed, I am allowed to pick on you ISABELLE.”
“I need to come up with a stupid nickname for you,” I snap playfully. “I am not very creative that way though.”
Jeremy places his two bags on the floor of the kitchen. “I know what you need to call me.”
“What’s that?” I ask, setting my bag down next to the others.
“Stud.”
A groan escapes me. “I am not calling you stud, or anything else like that.”
“Why not?” Jeremy laughs. “If the name fits?”
“Jeremy, you are ridiculous. If you want someone to call you that, call one of your girlfriends.”
He opens the refrigerator. “Yeah, but the question is, which one? There are so many.”
Choosing to ignore him, I start to move his mail from the counter. I see a few envelopes written in calligraphy. They are all from the same return address. I pick one up. “Are you going to open these? There are like five of them.”
Jeremy snatches them from my hands. “You know it’s illegal to read someone else’s mail.”
“Not the outside of the envelope!” He shoves them in a drawer and slams it shut. Turning to put bottles in the recycling, I whisper, “Sorry.”
“Its fine,” he sighs. “I just don’t open certain mail.”
“A longing ex lover?”
That makes him chuckle. Jeremy grins and says, “That’s a different pile and way more than one sender.” I just shake my head in disbelief.
After we are done clearing off the counters, I start to prepare breakfast. Jeremy just leans against the counter next to me. “So, how did you learn to cook if all your mom does is drink?”
“Lots and lots of trial and error, I had to learn to do it myself at a young age. I have a whole bunch of scars from burns. First aid kits come with instructions.”
“You had the most horrendous childhood didn’t you?” Jeremy gently asks.
Biting my lip, I shrug. “I was lonely, but didn’t know any better, so I found what made me happy, which was art.”
“You will no longer be lonely. I promise you that.”
My mouth twitches up into a smirk. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“It’s the truth,” Jeremy retorts. “No, no, no! No mushrooms in mine! Nasty!”
“They are good,” I reply.
Jeremy makes a gagging face. “Don’t make me throw up!”
“Fine, I won’t even let them touch any part of your food.”
Crossing his arm, he says, “Good. So, tell me when did you start crushing on Eric?”
“Eighth grade,” I reply.
“I thought you only knew him in high school.”
I shake my head. “He moved here in the 8th grade. I never talked to him and I doubt he knew I existed. Then came freshman year and our lockers were next to each other. He still barely acknowledged I existed. It seems as though having a good looking guy interested in me has finally grabbed his attention.”
“That makes him a jerk you know,” Jeremy quietly declares.
There is silence as I cook. “I guess,” I finally say. “I wouldn’t have noticed me either though. I really tried to stay off the radar, except Sonya wouldn’t really let me do that.”
“Why does she have it out for you?”
Snorting, I sigh. “Well, when we were in the seventh grade, I was at the little drug store downtown. Sonya was there with some friends and they decided to steal something. Well, the pharmacist grabbed me and demanded me to tell him which one stole something. He very well couldn’t search them. So, I told the truth. I told him Sonya stole it. The police were called and blah, blah, blah. She has hated me since.”
“A criminal, you would never have guessed. I mean a pain the butt or horribly mean, sure, but a thief, I wouldn’t have thought so,” Jeremy says, popping a piece of green pepper in his mouth.
“I don’t think she is a career criminal because she stole some lip stick when she was in middle school,” I retort.
With a shrug, Jeremy says, “She just has issues. Somewhere there is a skeleton in her closet that she is desperately trying to hide. That is why people like her are mean. Somewhere they have insecurities of their own and they lash out at the things that remind them of those insecurities.”
I toss the rest of the ingredients into the pan. “You sure seem wise for someone who is only 21.”
“A lot can happen in 21 years,” Jeremy whispers, as he moves away.
His past looms over us again. My eyes look over at him. He has his back to me and is turning his stereo on. He seems so distant. What is he hiding? I am so curious. I mean, there is something there. I just don’t know what. Those letters are important but he refuses to read them. Is it from a girl; if so, I wonder how important she was if he is hiding from it. That makes me feel a little perturbed, almost annoyed. Stop it Isabelle! What is wrong with you!? I quickly shake my head and concentrate on cooking.
Getting lost in my own little world, I just listen to the music. As Jeremy’s omelet is almost done, I suddenly feel his hands wrap around my waist, pulling me against him. My chest tightens and my heart drops. He rests his chin on my shoulder and says, “It smells good.”
“Thanks,” I squeak, totally terrified. No guy has ever touched me this way!
Jeremy loosens his grip a little bit. “Am I making you nervous?”
“No,” I say way too quickly.
He lets go and backs up. “A guy has never really touched you before huh?”
Turning around I look at him. “I have never had an experience with a guy before. You are it! I mean, people joke about being a virgin at my age but I have never even kissed a guy!”
“You’ve never been kissed?”
“Of course not,” I slightly snap. “What guy would I have kissed?”
Jeremy shrugs. “I don’t know. Well then, maybe Eric will kiss you.”
“Yeah, that would be great, but I would act like an idiot. A first kiss at 15 is sweet, not so much at 18. That is just sad.”
“I don’t think that is sad.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you don’t, you have probably kissed a million girls. That’s a lot of experience under your belt.”
“Well then, let me help you out,” he replies as he steps forward. In an instant his lips are on mine.
Everything in me stops. My hand actually lets go of the spatula and it hits the floor. His kiss is soft and gentle, not that I have a lot of experience in this. It actually makes my nerves tingle. Now I know what everyone is talking about. When he pulls away, my eyes stay closed.
“There, now you have experience.”
The only reply I can come up with is, “Huh?”
“I am glad I could take your breath away,” Jeremy lightly chuckles.
Opening my eyes, I just look at him. “Why did you do that?”
He answers, “Because you deserve to be kissed and now you don’t have to be so shy.”
“Okay,” I breathe out. Jeremy bends over and picks up the spatula. Throwing it into the sink, he brushes against me. I savor the touch. Then I snap out of it. What are you doing Isabelle!? “Thanks for that,” I say. “Now, I know what it feels like. You didn’t have to kiss me you know.”
“Yes, I did. I just hope I didn’t steal your first kiss moment.”
Giving him a perplexed look, I ask, “My what?”
“You know, your first kiss. Where everything falls into place and your heart stops. When you truly care for someone; it really connects you. I just hope I didn’t rob you of that. It should be something you remember forever,” Jeremy replies with a grin.
“I think I wi
ll remember that forever,” I reply, as I turn around.
Suddenly, I feel his breath hot on my neck. “If you want more practice I am more than willing.”
“Oh my gosh, Jeremy!” I yell, shoving him away. He falters backwards and laughs. “It’s not funny!”
Nodding his head, he says, “Oh, yes it is. I make you blush!”
“Everything makes me blush,” I state.
Jeremy opens a kitchen drawer and hands me another spatula. “Here, don’t burn my eggs.”
With a scowl, I yank the utensil from him. “I don’t plan on it.”
The rest of breakfast passes without event, even though I keep getting side tracked by the memory of the kiss. Every second of it runs through my head. I try to ignore the memory because, well, it’s Jeremy and it’s not like it meant anything.
“I will do the dishes if you want to get started.”
I look up at him. “It’s fine. I can help.”
“You are going to help,” Jeremy retorts. “Do my art.”
“Okay,” I reply. Walking across the room, I grab my supplies. I sit back down at the table and spread everything out. My eyes look up to really study the flowers. I wish I knew what he saw in them. It would help a little. Sighing, I take a pencil out and start to draw.
It takes me a while, okay hours. I want to be precise and perfect. Jeremy watches carefully, but for the most part leaves me alone. “It is looking great,” he whispers next to me.
A smile creeps across my face. “Of course it does. It’s the one thing I am good at.”
“I think you would be a good kisser if you learned to kiss back.”
Now, I am mortified. “Really Jeremy, you kind of caught me by surprise!”
“I know. I could tell by your reaction,” he says into my ear.
Shrugging, I push him away. “Who needs a bully when I have you?”
“I am not picking on you that bad, am I!?” Jeremy gasps.
“No,” I murmur, going back to my art. Ignoring him seems like the best idea. I don’t want to blush any more than necessary. I could have kissed back, but I was too scared. I won’t ever tell him that though. One day, I will kiss someone back, if I get the chance.
In the later part of the afternoon, I finally take a deep breath. Jeremy stands up from the couch. “Are you done?”
The Art of Life Page 8