Fingerpainting Ch. 04

Evan laid back on his bed with a sigh. He was exhausted, stressed, and he missed Cat. He hadn't seen her in over a week. At least she would say more than two words when he called now. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done to piss her off, but he was sure that she would tell him. He guessed it had something to do with him being inconsiderate of something. Sometimes, it was easy to forget she had feelings. She rarely showed them. He didn't feel like things were going so well between them at the moment. However, something about Cat made him unwilling to give up. It had only been a month, but they connected deeply. She was a spicy little thing and she warmed up the cold spot in his soul like no one else ever had.

He drug himself off the bed and into the next room and sat at his keyboard staring at the sheet music he had been working on. Some of Cat's sketch paper and pencils were still at the drawing table by the window. He hoped that was a sign she didn't intend to stay gone too much longer.

His dream a few years ago was to become a musician. He hadn't quite given up. There was an amateur night at a club on New Year's Eve. Cat had talked him into auditioning with his electric guitar for a time slot and to his surprise, he'd gotten one. That left him with a month to finish his set.

In the middle of an intro knocking interrupted his train of thought. Who could that be? It's, what... almost midnight. Probably the neighbor wanting me to pick the lock to his front door again. Still can't believe he asked me if I would do it the first time because he thought I looked like a criminal. I guess I do, at least when I haven't shaved. He padded through the apartment to the door. He looked through the little security window, but didn't see anyone. Puzzled, he opened the door just in time to see chocolate brown and caramel streaks atop a tight black leather jacket disappear down the staircase. He heard her boots on the concrete and it removed any doubt he had left that it was Cat.

Despite the cold and his relative lack of clothing and footwear, he ran out after her.

"Cat! Wait!" he yelled after her as he tried to catch up. He had always thought he was quick until he met her.

She stopped but didn't turn around. Only when he put a hand on her shoulder did she turn to look at him. What surprised him more than anything that had just happened was the shimmer of unshed tears in her darkly lined eyes. At that moment he didn't care what the problem was or why she had been avoiding him or the fact that he was barefoot and shirtless in twenty degree weather; he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tightly to him. He felt her shaking and knew she was trying not to fall apart on him.

"Hush, hush sweetheart. It's ok. Whatever it is, it's ok." He didn't loosen his hold on her, only rocked slowly back and forth.

A few moments later, she took a deep ragged breath and pulled back from him. She dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her shirt sleeve. "Shit. You're going to get frostbite. Umm, can we talk?"

Evan didn't say anything, just took her hand and led her back up to his apartment. * * * She felt horrible about what had been going on and his kindness shocked her and made her feel even worse about it. She wasn't used to guys caring about her. It puzzled her. That was the whole problem. She had quickly found out that, though she wanted a relationship, she didn't know how to have one. She was scared. What had drug her here was how much she cared about Evan. She had never felt like this about anyone before and she didn't want to lose him.

He looked sleepy and a little ragged as he pulled her onto the sofa with him. He tried to hold her to him but she pulled back. She felt guilty for what she had been doing to him and didn't want him to comfort her while she apologized; that just seemed unfair. He looked hurt as she slid a little farther away from him and she decided that she had to start talking fast before she did any more damage. He looked tough, but he was actually pretty sensitive when it came to her.

"Evan, I'm so, so sorry. I don't know where else to start. That's almost all I have to say." She looked at her feet, then at the wall. He stared straight at her, feeling a bit confused.

"Why? I mean, I'm the one who..." she cut him off before he could finish. She wondered what he was planning on apologizing for.

"Shh. No. It wasn't you at all. It was me." He tried to cut in but she motioned for him to stay quiet. "I want to try to explain. It won't make sense because it's stupid. I'm not trying to say it's an excuse, because it's not. It's just what I was feeling, even though it's wrong. You know I've never done this before. You know, cared about someone. Or especially the someone caring about me part. It confuses me and it makes me nervous. What makes me more nervous is how much I like being with you."

"Why does that make you nervous?" he said, still confused.

"Because... because it will hurt more if you leave."

"I'm not planning on it."

She sniffled, still trying not to cry. "Ande told me I was just scared. That I was trying to push you away or something. Like I thought it would hurt less if you left now rather than later."

"The curse of living with a psychology major." He laughed and she finally brought her eyes to meet his.

"Why are you so understanding? I don't get it. I act like a bitch and you're sitting here looking like you're just glad to be talking to me."

"That's kind of how I feel."

"Fuck you. I love you."

The statement took Evan completely by surprise. Not the first part, but the last part. And the fact that she put the two together. "I love you too."

Finally, she let him drag her onto his lap. She curled up in the nook under his arm. He bent his head forward, his hair brushing her cheek and neck. He looked into her eyes for a long moment then leaned down to kiss her. She opened her mouth willingly and accepted his tongue. They broke apart when both needed to breathe. She leaned forward and gave him another light kiss before snuggling back up to his chest.

He held her there until she fell asleep, truly happy to be with her again no matter what her reasons for leaving had been. It scared him a little that she was so afraid to let herself fall in love, but he found hope in the fact that she had opened up to him. Usually, the two of them communicated well without words, but sometimes things just needed to be said. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down, leather jacket, boots, and all, then curled up behind her and held her.

She woke up a couple hours later and realized they were both still wearing what they had been all night. She gently squeezed his hand and turned to kiss him. He woke up a bit and smiled. Geez, I wonder if he knows how that sleepy little grin makes me feel. Probably. I'm such a pushover. She sat up and took off her jacket and boots, decided it was enough, and spooned him again. * * *

The next morning Evan woke to the wonderful smells of breakfast. He stretched and got out of bed initially confused by why he was wearing blue jeans. He padded into the kitchen and kissed Cat on the neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Morning, baby." Her voice was still low and sexy and sleepy sounding. She was wearing the same clingy off-the-shoulder long-sleeve t-shirt and jeans, now stretched out and riding low on her hips, she had been and her hair was a mess. He could barely take his eyes off her as she shuffled around the kitchen gathering plates and forks and such.

She hadn't taken her eyes off him much either. She thought he looked good with bed head. And that sleepy look made him more delicious. She was trying desperately to work up the resolve to wait until after breakfast to take him back to bed.

"What are you trying to bribe me to do, Sweetheart?" He grinned as he said it.

"It's a make-up breakfast. And I woke up hungry." She winked at him.

"And to think, I was only holding out for make-up sex..." he trailed off he kissed her again.

She divided up the pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon as he poured glasses of orange juice and heated the maple syrup. Both sat down and ate happily. Cat's appetite amazed Evan sometimes. She was tiny, but occasionally she could put away a lot of food. Breakfast was always one of those times. He always had a healthy appetite. Especially for her.

After they finished eating, they did the dishes together. It took ten times longer than it should have because Evan kept stopping to kiss or tickle Cat. She didn't mind; it was more fun that way.

As soon as the last cup was put away, she turned to him, gave him one of the French kisses he loved so much, and tugged him toward the bedroom. He didn't take much coaxing, or any at all. When he growled low in his throat and she saw that wicked grin forming as he ran his hands under her shirt she knew she was in for a very long and wonderful day. * * *

Cat had gone to the studio and Evan had been trying to read a book all afternoon, but people kept interrupting him. He had just picked it up again after talking to his cousin on phone when someone started knocking at the door. He grudgingly stood up and went to answer the door, again expecting the neighbor. Instead it was Cat's roommate with the lovely brunette hair, Ande. He couldn't help but notice how much Ande and Cat resembled one another. They weren't actually sisters in a biological sense, but they said they were and certainly looked the part.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?" Cat, Ande, and he had spent a lot of time together and he found that he always enjoyed Ande's company. She looked like the kind of girl that could get a guy into a lot of trouble, but she was as friendly and down to earth as any girl he had ever met.

"You and my sis. What else?" She laughed.

"Ok. I'm all yours."

"When's she going to be back? This could take a while."

"I don't know. She didn't say. She's usually gone until after dark. You know that."

"Yeah, but she has a better reason to come home early to you than she does to me."

"Aww, you flatter me."

"Pish posh. You're so vain. You know I love you." She smiled. If he weren't totally taken with Cat he thought there would be little to stop him from trying something with Ande.

"Ok... so what's the deal with the little one. I know you didn't come here just to say nice things to me."

"You're definitely right about that." There was the smile again. Her laugh was just as endearing. He definitely thought she was attractive, but he was beginning to think of her more as a sister. "Well, things are going better than I thought they would. You know she's new to the relationship thing. She was, like, the best bachelorette ever. She never got attached, never had her heart broken, never acted like she wanted more than fun. Then she met you."

"You say that like it's bad."

"I don't mean it that way. She's scared. I think you know that. She probably even told you. Sometimes the girl's an open book then the next minute she closes herself off from the world."

"I've noticed. I thought it was just me. Because I was new to her or something."

"Not at all. In fact, you open her up more than anyone ever has. Even me. I've tried, but damn, she can be cold. You should see her with most of her family. It's like they don't even know her. Hell, most of them don't at all and don't even try. She's pretty much the stereotypical 'black sheep,' if you will. There are a couple who let her just 'be.' Her dad and one of the grandpas, I think. You know, they just expect her to be her and for her to let them just be them. They're really close. Then there's me. That was all she had. Until you."

"Ok... I guess I'm dense, but I don't see where this is going. I mean, she's never really told me all that, but I had kind of thought it was that way..."

"Where I'm going is that I'm asking you to be patient. She really does love you. But you know that too. Don't forget it. It might take her a really long time to get used to love and all that."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Mr. Stoic. Didn't even crack a smile at any of that. She'll kill me if she finds out I told you all this. She has a lot of 'emotional issues,' but I guess everyone does. Hers are just getting ready to drive you crazy. Don't forget about me. I've known her a long time and seeing the two of you live happily ever after is pretty freakin' important to me, so whatever you need, don't hesitate to talk to me."

"Thanks. Umm, I won't. Really, I'm glad you told me. Like you said, sometimes she'll tell me anything and then sometimes she won't give me anything."

"Yeah, she's hard to get to know in some ways, but if you are just with her and don't worry about the details, her personality shows through so much it's like you've known her forever."

"That's one thing I love so much."

"Well... I don't want to push my luck at her not finding out that I'm meddling, so I'm out of here. Later, amigo."

"See ya."

"Oh, tell her to call me tomorrow or something. Not tonight, I have a date or whatever."

"Will do."

He smiled as she basically skipped down the steps and out to her car. Well, it's good to know she cares that much. Now, back to reading until the little one gets home. I have some fun in mind.