“Yes it is.” She said it a little too quickly for me to believe it, and her cheeks colored further as she bowed her head. “It’s my middle name.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to sneak into your wallet and look at your license while you sleep?”
Taylor sat back in her chair, looking mightily embarrassed. “Well, Esther is one of two books in the Bible named after a woman. The other is Ruth.”
“Ruth? Really?”
“Yup, you can understand why I dropped it. I made the change when I came out to Pepperdine.”
“Well, a rose by any other name. You’re still stupidly sexy.” My grin spread as she blushed.
We finished our meal, and as I climbed on her bike wrapped my arms around her waist I wondered what more there was to the story. She was clearly estranged from her family, and they appeared to be very religious, so it didn’t take a genius to make an educated guess as to what had happened.
A great swell of pity rose up inside me. I liked to pretend I was all independent and self sufficient, but in truth my family was my rock. If they were to disown me, I don’t know how I’d survive. What would that be like, cast adrift in a cruel world? She didn’t deserve that. I hugged her tight and laid my head on her shoulder as we pulled away. She needed to be loved and cherished, no matter how hard she’d deny it. She was a hero, after all. My hero.
We eventually pulled into a warehouse park, and Taylor drove down the length to the far north end. We passed loads of workmen and trucks, but the building we approached had a makeshift parking lot near huge sliding doors at one end. As I removed my helmet I noted there were multiple vehicles, all of them a bit eclectic.
As we entered I could hear the tink-tink of a hammer and chisel, along with other, unfamiliar noises. The cavernous building was a riot of colors and equipment, including several machines I had never seen before.
“This is my space.” Taylor motioned toward the near right corner, where a large L-shaped work table and bench were pushed against the wall. Several bins with assorted pieces of metal sat underneath, and a number of more polished pieces were displayed on a shelf.
“Did you make those?”
Taylor nodded. “There’s an art show in October that I share a booth at. I try to have two dozen pieces or so ready.” She pulled a heavy cloth off a neighboring table, where several other less finished sculptures sat. “The smaller ones sell better, so I focus on those. If I’m lucky I might get a commission or two off it. That’s where I can actually make some money. Not enough to live on, but…” Taylor shrugged.
“Can I?” I moved toward the shelf with the completed pieces, and Taylor extended her hand in invitation. I picked one up. It was heavier than I expected. Curving metal created waves crashing into a sea cliff. As I shifted the sculpture, the waves seemed to dance with metallic colors. As I turned it back and forth Taylor Spoke.
“It’s a special prismatic wash that a friend of mine developed at school. Unfortunately it doesn’t stand up in weather.”
“How much will this sell for?” I still couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“I’ll price it at $300, but I’ll probably take anything above two.”
I carefully set it back on the shelf. “These are beautiful.” Most of her pieces were evocative of the sea in some way, sometimes abstract, sometimes less so, but always the influence of the water was there. As I inspected them Taylor’s nervous energy was almost palpable as she hovered. I turned back towards her and took her hand. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
“I, um, don’t show people this, my work, I mean.”
“But you go to shows. You said you have a booth.”
“Those are strangers.” She shook out her hand. “Mostly, anyway, and I’m, well, mentally ready then. And, um, you, ah…”
I moved closer to her, letting my hands tease up her bare arms and looking up into her eyes. “I make you nervous?”
Taylor drew a hitched breath. “Maybe a little.”
“I like that.” I let my palm run up over her shoulder to the back of her neck and I pulled her down into a kiss, and I could feel her body shudder against mine. God, she was so sexy. It took a force of will to end the kiss and pull away while keeping my voice steady. “Now just pretend I’m not here.” I patted her on the shoulder while she smirked at me and went to her locker, where she put on a heavy shirt and got out gloves, a heavy mask and welding equipment.
I went over to the bench and sat down as my new paramour’s lovely face disappeared behind a metal shield, and she set to work on some of the small pieces at her table. At first she explained some of the things she was doing, but after a half hour her work began to absorb her.
At first it was fascinating, especially once she really began to focus. There was a passion and desire for perfection that was clear, but what was really intoxicating was her total concentration.
But even with the best of intentions, my mind did start to wander after a time. I played a bit on my phone, answering a couple of “Can’t wait to see you” texts from my sorority sisters, including one from Evelyn, the chapter president for the year. A bit more time passed, and I started poking around a little at the space, looking at some of the tools and cast off pieces. I saw a notebook, poking out from one of the metal shelves.
I pulled it out and flipped it open. Inside were sketches, some of which I could match up with the finished pieces I’d seen. As I continued to leaf through the book I could see how each vision took shape before being expressed in metal. Taylor really was a talented artist in many ways. I turned the page again and gasped.
I was looking in from the sea where a young woman stood on the shore alone. There was fear, almost panic in her eyes, and she looked familiar. On the next sheet my suspicions were confirmed, and my own face looked back at me from the page. On the facing side was another image of me, this time my eyes closed, chin lifted like I was luxuriating in a warm ray of sunlight.
My mouth hung open slightly as I gently touched the image. It was beautiful, far more beautiful than I thought I really was. I turned the page, and there was another of me smiling beatifically up at something I couldn’t see, and another of me running, looking back over my shoulder laughing. There were more, almost a dozen, each lovingly sketched. I couldn’t stop looking at them.
“I drew them the night after I met you.”
I gasped, looking up into Taylor’s eyes. She took the sketchbook and sat down next to me, her voice soft and intense. “I came here after the rescue, after they made me give the report. I figured I’d be seeing your sister in my sleep for weeks, but the only thing I could think about was you. Kept seeing your face when I closed my eyes.” She lovingly touched one of the sketches. “And then you reappeared. Thought I was dreaming.”
The way she was looking at her drawing filled my heart. That anyone could talk about me, my face, with such depth of feeling, well, it’s truly indescribable. I couldn’t speak, so I reached up and grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her down to me. Her lips met mine, and I could feel the passion behind them in every part of my body.
As we broke apart I caressed her cheek. “You’re so sweet.”
“So you’re not mad?”
I chuckled. “Taylor, what do you think I was doing while you were drawing these? I was lying in bed, thinking about you.” I turned back to the sketches. “So are these going to just stay in this book forever?”
She didn’t say anything, but went over to the side of her workbench, where a tarp was covering something. She wheeled it over and pulled back the concealing fabric, revealing a frame of iron. “This is the start. I know it doesn’t look like anything yet, but it will.”
I could almost see the vague outline of a human face. “So just my disembodied head, then. Neat.”
Taylor smirked at me. “Maybe for this one. I’ve never done a face this size before, so it’s a trial. What I really want is this. She flipped back to the beginning of the sketch book, to a drawing of a faceless woman floating above the ground, her arms thrown back, her gown loose and rippling in the wind.
“I’ve always wanted to do this. I mean big, set on a hill overlooking the ocean, something like that. I never knew what the face should look like though. I do now.”
I took the book away, closed it and set it aside before wrapping my arms around her neck. As we kissed again, I tried to make sense of the swirl of emotions roiling inside me. By the time we separated, the only thing I was sure of was that I could fall for this woman, if I hadn’t already.
– Taylor –
It was a little after four thirty as we rode back toward town. Aly’s arms were wrapped around my waist, making my heart beat a little faster than normal. I couldn’t believe I’d let her see my sketches. I’d never shown them to anyone, ever. But I didn’t feel violated, or exposed. Aly seeing them seemed completely natural, normal even. And that’s what I couldn’t get my head around.
I’d first laid eyes on this girl just four days ago. Four days, and I was already taking her to meet Jen and Vicky? Was I crazy? Yeah, I think so.
When we arrived back to my apartment I told Aly to make herself at home as I jumped in the shower. I’d just started to enjoy the water when the shower door slid to the side and her curvy, petite shape joined me. I felt her warmth press up against me.
“You worked hard today. Let me take care of you.”
Aly’s voice was sultry and soft, and made me melt. She already had a washcloth, and slowly she started running it over my body. I surrendered myself to her attentions, reveling how good it felt to be pampered like this. My lover washed me slowly. I held her wrist as she tried to move it down my body, pushing it away. “No, no. No time for that.”
“Ohh, please?” She whined pathetically.
In response I slid a hand behind my neck and pulled her up for a long, languid kiss. “I promise I’m going to let you take good care of me tonight, after dinner.” I took my turn with the shower poof, and I had to pull my own hand away from her sex at least twice. She’s just so damn hot.