Chain Reaction 2.67: Artist's Rendition

Alex

     I have a blast from the past in the form of a text message from Addyson. I haven't seen her in probably a year, after Traci threw that drink in my face and before I started that thing with Selena.

No can do. Do you mind coming over?

     I wince when I realize what my text probably implies to her.

Of course!

     Sighing, I put my phone in my pocket, quickly run my fingers through my hair, and put it back like I always do.

     "Alex, it's great to see you again." Her eyes rake over me hungrily, making me feel like a piece of meat.

     How is it that I was ever attracted to this woman? Her larger figure was actually rather enjoyable, but she insists upon wearing that stupid 'lucky hat' of hers. What makes her unattractive is the obvious desperation exuding from her every pore.

     I was horny and desperate just like her. I need to be as nice as I possibly can right now.

     "Shall we go inside?" She gestures toward the door.

     "Actually, Addy, I asked you to come over so that I could talk to you face-to-face."

     She takes a deep breath, guessing from my expression what I'm about to say.

     "Addy, you're a kind, beautiful-"

     "Don't bother, Alex. And especially don't lie to me. All you have to say is 'I can't see you anymore.' You didn't even have to say it face-to-face." She takes a breath. "I'd just heard about your breakup with Selena. It got me thinking about you, and I wondered if you needed me. Apparently not. Are you in a relationship?"

     "Yes." I look down.

     "Stop looking so guilty. I just wished you'd texted me this instead. That way, I wouldn't have gotten all the way over here only to be told to leave." She shrugs. "It's not like we had anything lasting. It was just woohoo."

     "Why do you devalue yourself like this?"

    "Oh, please." She looks exhausted. "Don't start. That's one of the things I liked about you. You just let me be. Don't try to make me feel bad for being who I am when you yourself took advantage of it." She turns around and starts rapidly pressing the elevator call button. It shows up rather quickly. She gets on.

     Before the doors close, I say, "Thank you for your...help." I watch as her lower lip trembles before she can hide behind the closed doors.

     Well, that was a disaster. I tried to be nice, but I wound up hurting her in a way I didn't even consider as a possibility.

    I go upstairs and decide to hit the bag for a while, aggravated at myself.

     When I finish, I come back into the bedroom to find Emily still asleep. I smile as I look at her. I kept her up late last night, even after our wonderful time in the bubble bath. In fact, it's amazing I myself am not tired, but I'm not. I'm buoyant.

     I'm so buoyant that I want to climb on top of Emily and wake her up my favorite way, but she'd just complain of how badly I smell right now. Sighing happily, I go take a shower. When I come back out of the bathroom, she's left the room.

     I come downstairs to find her eating thoughtfully, so I go and grab a plate myself before sitting down next to her. She continues to stare at some distant spot, completely absorbed into whatever is going on inside that brilliant mind of hers.

     "Good morning, beautiful," I say quietly so as not to startle her too much.

     She is startled, though, and I watch her eyes refocus on the present. Then, she smiles shyly and blushes, and I want to beg for mercy, mercy for her to stop being so plumbing beautiful for just a moment so that I might get something else done besides constantly wanting her. Oh well. I don't want to do anything else anyway.

     "Alex, you don't have to call me that," she tells the table.

     "Oh yes, I plumbing do. You really have no idea, and I feel the need to constantly remind you." I watch her shake her head no, smiling like she thinks I'm being ridiculous. "I wish you could see you as I see you."

     As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. Masami springs out of the kitchen to answer it, and some deliverymen walk into the house with a large package. They bring me the clipboard to sign, and I do, thanking them.

    "What is it?" Emily asks.

    I grin. "Sit in my seat and promise not to turn around."

    Bewildered, she does as I ask, and I quickly open the package.

     After walking over and taking her hand, I direct Emily to what's newly-hanging above the bar.

     She stumbles when she sees it. "Alex, what is..."

     Even though she didn't finish the question, I answer it. "It's amazing what money can buy. An artist barely slept for three days while she worked on this for me, making sure to maintain her artistic reputation in the process. However, as much as I paid her, she won't ever have to paint for money again." I grin at her. "I was really sneaky with my phone's camera one day. And it's so perfect you're wearing the outfit again." I love that outfit. It's the same one she wore when I finally got her away from her father.

     "That's not me," she says in awe.

     "Of course it is."

     "No. That's an artist's rendition of a snapshot from a phone."

     "Well, obviously, the colors brushing out behind you aren't in the phone picture, but that's you. Your face. Your expression. Just the way you move." I f--king love this painting. I'm going to give the artist a bonus.

     "No. The artist made me look prettier."

     "No. I gave her explicit instructions not to alter your face in any way."

     "Alex, I'm incredibly flattered, but I'm not that pretty."

     "Do I need to go get a mirror?"

     She huffs a sigh. "I don't know how I feel about having a portrait of me up for everyone to stare at."

     I smirk. "I'll gouge out anyone's eyes who stares at it too long. Lots of people have portraits of themselves up." I point to a recent picture we had made of the two of us.

     "But that's a masterpiece painting, not a picture from a portrait studio."

     "You're right it's a masterpiece. And I f--king love it, just like I f--king love you."

     Tears appear in her eyes. "That's really how you see me?"

     Thank the Maker, she finally gets it. "Yes."

     She embraces me, and I pick her up and slowly spin her around in a circle, my nose happily in her wonderful hair.

     "Emily, I adore you. You are so precious to me. In one way or another, you always have been. Now that you're grown, how can I but help to passionately love you? I just want you to see it. I just want you to know. I just want you to understand how much you deserve this. I want to be the man that gets to love you. Because I do. And because I always will."

     She sniffs. "That's it."

     "What is?"

     "You should quit your job."

     "You want me to quit my job?" I will if she wants me to. I could sell the company. Maybe I could work part-time for the police.

     "And become a poet." She laughs through her tears. "I can't top that."

     I hold her closer. "Then I've finally succeeded." It's not that she actually wanted me to sell the company, even if I would. It's that she was complimenting me on my oratory skills.

     I have to top that when I ask her to marry me. I start trying to think of how I could begin that speech when Emily starts kissing my neck, and all rational thought leaves my mind as my thoughts turn to one objective: get her upstairs.

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