As the time blew by, their conversation dwindled. Daly's artistic fervor, on the other hand, did not. By the time she'd finished copying Meghann's likeness to the canvas, she yearned to paint another. This particular model's special brand of strength, charisma, and wisdom emanated from her stunning portrait. The painted belly glowed slightly, although Daly had not intended the effect.
"One more?" she pleaded.
Meghann nodded sleepily and moved to a reclining position.
Daly drew a fresh canvas from her supply closet and switched to her watercolors.
Even after Meghann nodded off to sleep, Daly continued to paint. She had too much energy, too much inspiration. Time did not matter. The ringing of her cell phone did not matter. Only this mattered.
Daly still didn't know whether Meghann or Kashi served as her newly discovered muse. Although she worked in the physical presence of Meghann, her mind was energized by the anticipation of tomorrow's big date. Maybe they shared the credit.
She finished her fifth painting and found she'd run out of fresh canvases. The early morning light breaking through her glass brick windows meant night had come and gone during her fervor. Daly's eyes darted to her sleeping friend, who clung sweetly to the stuffed otter toy. Meghann was the picture of peace, and Daly hated to wake her, but today was a school day.
She gently shook Meghann, and the girl faltered around the room, too tired to engage in conversation.
I'm too tired myself, Daly realized with a yawn.
She managed to return Meghann and her bicycle to their rightful home. She even waited for Meghann to change clothes, and then dropped her friend off at the high school before returning home and dropping into bed, where she stayed for the rest of the day.
Why won't the phone stop ringing? Daly wanted to scream, but she was too tired even to whisper the words. Squinting one eye, she grabbed the cell phone from her nightstand.
"Daly?" Kashi asked. "You okay?"
She grunted in affirmation.
"Are you sure?"
She yawned and forced herself to sit, having not gotten as much sleep as she would have liked. "I'm fine."
"So we're still on for tonight? You haven't changed your mind about me?"
"Tonight?" Daly switched the cell to speaker and glanced at the tiny digital clock. "Oh, tonight!"
"Yes... our date, remember?"
"Of course I remember." She had told Kashi she'd pick him up at five, and it was already four-fifteen. Not to mention she still needed to get ready. "Of course, I remember," she repeated, attempting to play it cool. "Just grabbing a bit of beauty sleep. Pick you up in forty-five minutes?"
"All right, I'll be waiting. See you soon."
***
Daly maneuvered the car through the nature reserve's gravel parking lot. "This has always been one of my favorite places. I used to come here with my dad when I was little."
"I've never been here," Kashi admitted. "But I'm looking forward to exploring the lay of the land."
Daly scanned the foothill leading up to the summit. A phantom image of her father raced along the trails, bouncing a toddler on his shoulders. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. She clutched the strap of her purse and resisted the urge to pull her journal out.
No, this was right. The park was special, and she wanted to share it with Kashi—wanted to open up to him.
"What've you got planned for us this evening?" Kashi's question snapped her back into the moment.
"I hear the summit has a great view. Let's hike to the top and watch the sunset." She grinned sheepishly, pointing ahead of them toward a thin wooded trail. She hadn't been here since she was eleven, and at that age, she didn't quite have the stamina for the five-mile uphill hike.
Kashi nodded. "Sounds like the perfect evening."
"Well, I had to come up with something to match your life-changing zoo date, remember? I even copied you a little and made a picnic." She fished the loaded backpack and cooler from the vehicle's trunk, and Kashi ripped both pieces of luggage from her arms.
"Hey, let me carry one of them!" she protested as Kashi strode toward the trailhead.
"Yeah, I don't think so."
"Maybe let me carry the small one partway? This is supposed to be a pretty difficult hike. Wouldn't want you to tire out."
"Is that a challenge?" Kashi raised an eyebrow.
She smirked and brought her hands to her hips. "Only if you want it to be."
"Oh, you're on." He laughed and gestured up the trail. "Lead the way."
It didn't take her long to realize that, one, she'd worn the wrong shoes yet again, and, two, she was not in very good shape.
Kashi, on the other hand, scaled the sharp incline with ease, showing no signs of fatigue. He jogged up the trail a little ways and pointed to the top of a tall tree. "Amazing. What kind of bird is that?"
"It's...." Daly gasped, out of breath from the climb. "A... wood... peck... er." She struggled to expel each syllable—beyond embarrassed.
This whole outing was my idea, for crying out loud!
She dropped her butt onto a felled tree at the side of the path. "I can't go any farther."
Kashi raced back to Daly's side and stooped to bring his face level with hers. His fiery black eyes showed no signs of letting her quit. "Hey, we're both going to finish this together. No stopping." He sprinted up the trail, still full of untapped energy. "C'mon now, we've got to get to the top in time to see the sunset."
Daly sighed and hung her head. "I can't." A colony of ants marched by her feet.
"Oh, yes, you can," Kashi shouted, grabbing her off the log and pulling her into the air. "C'mon, I'll help." He patted his back and stooped down, motioning for her to climb aboard for a piggyback ride.
She laughed at his persistence. "Okay, you win. Let's finish what we started."
"So you don't need a ride?"
"I think I'll manage." She jabbed him in the bicep, then laced her fingers with his.
Kashi used his other arm to circle her waist and pull her in for a short kiss. Before her heartbeat could quicken, he pulled away, ending the kiss just as quickly as it had begun.
She brought her lips toward his for more, but he jerked away.
"That was just a preview—for motivation. You'll get the rest when we reach the top. Let's go."
***
The promise of Kashi's kiss only made the ascent slightly less difficult for Daly. By the time they reached the summit, her throbbing quadriceps felt ready to burst and render her forever disabled. How were they ever going to make the journey back down?
She bent over to rest her hands on her knees and drew a deep breath. They'd arrived just in time; the sun stooped toward the horizon, the clouds alight with a vivid color palate—orange turned to gold, which turned to pink, rose, and violet.
Kashi said nothing while Daly took a moment to rebuild her energy. What a way to impress a date! Next time, we're going to a movie.
Finally, she popped up and grabbed the backpack from his shoulders, hastily extracting a red and black flannel blanket. Together they spread the blanket over the most level patch of ground they could find.
Kashi plopped onto it and pulled her into him, so they could cuddle and admire nature's art. Birds chirped in the distance, and bugs droned a bit close for Daly's comfort as the sun sank out of view. She wanted to remember everything about the scene, so as to paint it later, but she was far too distracted by the alluring warmth and piney scent of her companion.
"It's so beautiful from up here," she said.
The swirls of reds and purples moved above treetops that showcased an equally vibrant splash of colors.
Kashi nodded and pulled Daly's head into his lap to give her the promised kiss.
Yeah, definitely worth waiting for. Daly deepened the kiss.
When they parted, Kashi caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
She felt the heat in her face; she must have looked every bit as red as the sky above them. She brought her head
to his shoulder and curled into him to watch the dwindling show of color. Soon only the moon and a few flushing clouds lit the sky—the signal to begin their picnic.
"Back to work." Daly reached for the pack at the edge of the blanket.
Kashi was startled when she switched on a flashlight and tossed it over to him, but he caught it easily. "What's my assignment?" He placed the bulb of the flashlight beneath his chin, creating a jack-o-lantern effect.
"Well, we need to make a fire, so we don't freeze to death out here." She grabbed a Zippo lighter from the front pocket of the pack and snapped the flame on and off.
"Okay, what do we need?"
"You've never made a fire before?"
"Not much opportunity for camping in India, but I'm excited to learn. Show me the way."
"Okay. Lucky for us, there's already a fire pit up here." She smiled and clambered to her feet, glad to be in charge, and pointed to the shallow hole with a ring of rocks around the perimeter. "So why don't you grab the biggest sticks you can find? And I'll collect some bark and twigs for kindling."
"I'm on it!" Kashi jogged back down the trail, and returned with a heaping armful of firewood.
"Perfect. Now watch what I do. Next time you'll make the fire." Daly set the logs into a tepee and put the smaller bits of wood under its base. "There's a newspaper in the pack. Can you grab it for me?"
"I thought you didn't read the news anymore."
"Ha, ha. Shut up." She threw him a huge smile.
He dug through the pack, found the paper, and tossed it to her. The projectile slipped by her fingers and knocked into the wood tepee.
"Oops, sorry." Kashi laughed.
She laughed too. "Probably best not to throw things to me. I'm not athletic like you."
Kashi re-erected the tepee while Daly tore the newspaper into long thin strips that would serve as tinder.
When it was all set, she handed him the lighter. "You do the honors."
Kashi took the job seriously, setting multiple lights around the pit. The fire built up quickly, and he returned to the blanket to help Daly set-up the picnic.
"What'd you make for us?"
She removed the plastic wrap from the bundle of cucumber-brie sandwiches and held a square up.
"Ahh, Mummy used to make sandwiches like this when we were little—only a little bit different." He grabbed the sandwich from her hand and took a giant bite. "Delicious," he said through clenched teeth.
"My mom was always making stuff like this, too." Daly took a square for herself and bit in. "She's got this fancy way of doing everything, but I think I'd have been just as happy with chicken nuggets and hot dogs."
"Mmm. Well, everything's very tasty." He rubbed his stomach and grinned, then raised an imaginary glass in toast. "Bravo."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" She rummaged through her bag and extracted two paper Dixie cups—the kind used for swishing after a visit to the dentist. "I thought we could use something to drink, too. I mean besides water."
She unscrewed the cap of the silver flask and poured them each a two-ounce cup of Merlot. "Bottom's up!" She giggled and lifted the cup to her lips.
"No, not like that." He gently placed his palm on her wrist and pushed the cup from her mouth. "When drinking, you always have to make a toast. That is the only way to do it right."
"A toast, huh? Okay, cheers!" She attempted another sip.
He tisked. "No, no, Miss Daly, you must make a proper toast."
She set her cup down on the blanket and looked up at Kashi, awaiting his instruction as to what constituted a proper toast.
"It's like this," he began, delicately wrapping his hand around her jaw and rubbing her cheek. "This is to... to the beautiful woman sitting beside me on this blanket. I'm so lucky a wonderful girl like you wants to spend time with little, old, unimpressive me. I like how passionate you are about your art and about life, how you are such a warm-hearted person, but still so shy and innocent. You make me laugh without even trying, and you just make me happy."
Kashi's eyes locked with Daly's, and she bravely returned the intensity of his gaze.
"I'm so thankful to fate for bringing us together and allowing me to spend this lovely evening in your company."
He kept his eyes on her, but removed his hand from her face in order to hoist his cup in toast. "Here's to you, Daly Victoria English!"
She blushed and raised her glass in the air, focusing on the ground.
He touched his cup to hers and craned his neck to catch her line of focus. When she looked up at him, he winked and said, "Now you can have your drink."
They each took the wine like double-shots of liquor—the cup size demanded it. Soon they'd drained their meager supply, and Daly wished she'd skipped the flask and just brought the entire bottle. Liquid courage was welcome on a night like this. What could she say after a grandiose speech like that? Maybe she didn't have to say anything. Maybe she could show him.
This was only their second date, but Daly felt more strongly for Kashi after just a few days than she had for Rick in two whole years. After all, hadn't the entire universe worked to bring the two of them together not just once, but three times?
Kashi opened his mouth, but before he could say a thing, Daly leaned forward and gave her unsuspecting companion a powerful kiss. She rose to her knees, removed her jacket, and unbuttoned her shirt snap by snap.
"Daly, what are you doing? You'll freeze." Kashi's words held a warning, but his body moved into hers. She chose to listen to the latter.
"So it's cold. Help me get warm." She pulled her arms out of the shirt and tossed the crumpled ball of fabric in his direction.
Kashi froze. Was it shock, admiration, hesitation? "Are you sure?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.
"Of course I'm sure."
Kashi closed the distance between them before she could even finish her sentence. He kissed her hungrily, working his way from her mouth, down her neck, across her collarbone and to the tops of her breasts. The fire cast a warm glow on their cool skin—a sexy contrast.
As he continued to kiss her all over, she pushed his jacket off his shoulders one arm at a time, groped the thick wool sweater from the small of his back, and pulled.
The sweater got stuck under his chin, and Kashi had to momentarily redirect his attention to free himself. Daly shivered as a cool breeze whipped by.
Then he was back—stronger and more in control than before. He pushed her down onto the blanket and positioned his body over hers. His index finger traced the length of her torso and made soft circles around her belly button.
Sparks from the campfire flew upward into the wind, dancing, bathing them in a crackling heat. She'd never known it could be like this, so full of passion, so much like creating her art. Still, this was only their second date. She hadn't even been with Rick during their entire two year relationship. It had just never felt right....
But it felt right now. Daly savored each contact, minimizing the distance between one touch and the next. Before the desire could change her mind, she slid her body up and brought her face just inches from his. "I'm not ready to take this all the way, but I'm enjoying what we're doing right now."
Kashi seemed to understand. His eyes grew wide as he studied her—his gorgeous body a tan canvas painted with blotches of pinks and reds in the wake of her ravenous kisses. His eyes glittered like the stars above, and he mumbled something sexy in his native tongue.
Daly wanted to ask what he'd said, but worried that it would ruin the moment.
He ran his hands up her outer thighs and stopped on her hips. "This is perfect. I couldn't ask for a more perfect night or a more perfect woman to spend it with."
He fell on top of her and gave her another soul-shaking kiss; their bodies melded, coming together and pulling away in a beautiful, synchronized dance as they continued to explore each other. The lapping flames warmed their backs through the night—alternating between restful caresses and more vigorous kissing. Eventually, they fell asle
ep in each other's arms.
The next morning, Kashi woke her with a few well-placed kisses, and her eyes fluttered open slowly.
He smiled and pointed to the horizon, where the sun glowed amidst a fresh batch of color. "It's back for an encore presentation. Just for us."
She sat up and allowed him to embrace her from behind as they watched the sun continue its climb. "It never gets old, does it?"
"Never," Kashi agreed. "Now, speaking of encores...."
He pulled her onto him like a second blanket, and they lay together for a while longer before packing up camp and hiking down to the park entrance.
"Breakfast?" Daly offered.
"Oh, yes. I definitely worked up an appetite." He winked.
Kashi squeezed her hand as she drove to Big Boy. Once there, they ordered strawberry-topped Belgian waffles and orange juice.
"I almost forgot, I have something for you," Daly said, remembering the collage she'd worked so hard to prepare the day before.
He laughed. "More? I don't think this is the place. At least, wait until we're back in the car."
"That's not what I meant." Her cheeks burned hot when a passing waitress snickered. "Be right back."
When she returned from the car, gift in hand, Kashi looked every bit as excited as she was.
He tore into the paper like an eager child on Christmas morning. As he gazed upon the collage for the first time, his expression told her everything, but still he said, "Thank you. This is... perfect. I can't wait to hang it."
"Where are you going to put it?"
"Above my fireplace. I like fires. Speaking of which, how would you paint last night, hmm?"
Chapter 10
When you love someone, you accept him for what he is—weird Mommy issues and all.
Sleeping outside in the cold October air had not been the smartest move for Daly. She now sat with a box of half-empty tissue paper and a red swollen nose, cursing this unfortunate turn of events. Still, a little head cold seemed a small price to pay for such a memorable night. This sickness would be gone within a few days, but her memories... those would last forever.
A Colorful Life: Drawn in Broken Crayon Page 10
