by Danika Stone
She grinned, pushing the paper over to Cole.
“Now what do you think of me doing a collaboration with Kip Chambers?”
Cole scowled at the mention of Kip’s name. She knew how he felt about Chambers’ anti-war agenda. “Propaganda” was the term Cole always used, though he had no issue with Marcus and Suzanne organizing an anti-war protest in the Student Union building. In fact, he had helped them fill out the paperwork with the campus field office while Chim edited his paper.
Kip, however, got under his skin.
Ava waited until Cole read the paper before she let herself smile. The ripple of shock that pulsed across his features had her cackling loudly.
“Holy shit,” Cole muttered, his eyes wide. “I’ll do the fucking painting with him for that amount!”
Ava grinned and came around to stand in front of him. She shoved the papers to the side, throwing her leg across his lap to straddle him, their hips pressed tightly together.
“Now that was something I’d pay to see,” she said with a chortle. She leaned in to kiss him lightly. “Though I really have my doubts that you two could work together. And I mean ever...”
Cole grinned and rocked his hips against hers, teasing. He tapped the paper in his hand against Ava’s nose.
“Uh… this kind of bribery,” he growled, gazing longingly to her breasts and then lower, “might just inspire me to consider it.”
With a low chuckle, he dropped the offer onto the floor, pulling her closer. He groaned as she shifted on his lap and she smiled at the neediness of the sound. She liked his reaction to her, and the last few weeks together had certainly shown how much of a reaction Cole could have. Her lips moved slowly over his, teasing him into responding. Her tongue darted into his mouth, her teeth nipping at his lower lip, waiting for him to match her intent.
Cole’s hands moved to her waist like they were drawn there by some inevitable force. Finding the edge of her t-shirt, he pulled it slowly upward until he reached the curving underside of her bra. Ava moaned as his fingers brushed against her breasts, his palms gently kneading. Her body already burned with desire. The sudden need to have him – right here and now!– left her panting. She was abruptly furious that her paper wasn’t done yet. It was due tomorrow.
With that thought, Ava sighed in frustration, pulling back from the kiss.
“God, I cannot wait until this class is done… I am so fucking tired of Wilkins. Can’t believe I have to do two more foundations classes next semester.” Her voice was petulant.
Cole smirked at her.
“Serves you right for leaving them until your last semester.”
Ava stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned. Her shirt was wadded up under her armpits as he leaned in, his teeth grazing her pebbled nipple through the bra before nudging the thin fabric out of the way. He moved forward, tugging the hardened peak into his mouth.
“Oh god, Cole,” Ava panted, closing her eyes against the intoxicating sensation, “I’ve really got to get this paper done… This isn’t helping… I’ve already put it off too long...”
“Mmm-hmmm...” Cole mumbled, though he didn’t stop. Instead, his hands moved to the button of her jeans, starting to undo the closure.
Ava gritted her teeth as the button popped opened and his fingers moved inside.
“You are so bad,” she moaned as his fingers pushed the stiff fabric out of the way, finding the silken edge of her panties. He pushed it aside, stroking gently, and a frisson of excitement ran up her spine. Cole grinned up at her.
“You have no idea how bad,” he murmured, “but I could show you.”
She chuckled.
“I haven’t selected a non-majors course for next semester,” she admitted, sighing as Cole’s fingers grazed her crotch, moving deeper. “Have you decided on yours?”
Cole grinned, nodding, but he didn’t answer. Instead he moved his mouth to her other breast, sucking hard and Ava let out a wanton sigh.
“You gonna tell me?” she gasped, closing her eyes and wrapping her fingers tight in his hair. “Or are you going to make me guess?”
Cole chuckled deep in his throat, reaching up and pulling her neck forward so he could kiss her roughly, cutting off her words. His tongue was deep and insistent and Ava was suddenly wild with the need to drag him into the bedroom… or better yet, get her jeans off and have him right now, sitting here at the table. He broke the kiss, moving his lips along the line of her jaw, headed for her neck.
“So which course are you going to—?”
Ava groaned as Cole moved back to suck and bite his way along the column of her throat. The sensation left her shivering with alternating pain-pleasure.
“God, that’s just… so good...”
“Beg and I’ll tell you...” he whispered, biting her earlobe before moving back to her neck. Calloused from stone-work, his fingers were rough. The caresses had a sharper edge to them, leaving Ava writhing on his lap.
“Please...” Ava moaned.
“Say my name...” he whispered as his fingers and mouth continued their torture. “Beg me...”
Ava shuddered as the fingers of one hand dropped back inside her half-open jeans, teasing her again, moving deeper. He shifted his hand, pushing up inside her now. She was wet and hot, ready for him. Desperate.
“Please Cole.… please...” she panted, her voice wavering with need.
Cole caught her eyes, half-drugged with desire.
“I’m taking printmaking next semester,” he said in a serious voice. “Now… if you want to me to finish editing this essay for you...” He smirked, running his eyes down her body. “I’m going to need some kind of incentive.”
Ava raised her eyebrows, leaning down to undo the button of his pants, then dropped to her knees in front of the chair.
“This kind of incentive, maybe?”
Chapter 19: Last Night
The last weeks of school had been snowy and wet, cold weather blanketing the city. Snow came down in fat flakes, sprinkling the buildings like icing sugar, leaving everything looking shiny and new. With holidays about to begin, a group of students congregated in Ava’s studio, friends and acquaintances celebrating the beginning of two weeks of relaxation in the interconnected rooms. Marcus and Cole sat together on the limp-framed sofa Ava had salvaged from a dumpster. A heavy bass beat pulsed from the stereo. A few feet away, Ava and Suzanne lounged atop two stools nearby several drop-cloth covered easels.
Around the studio, the dregs of a long evening of partying were visible: oil-stained pizza boxes and beer cans cluttered various surfaces, low-burning candles slowly guttering out in jars around the room, empty bottles of alcohol discarded on the floor. Exams were finished, projects had been completed and essays handed in. The next day marked the start of holidays and they had a night of revelry to celebrate it. Now, in the early hours of the morning, the party was starting to break up.
“I see you’ve started your collaboration piece,” Suzanne said, walking up to the piles of canvases.
She pulled back a drop-cloth to expose three large indigo-hued panels, highlighted with bands of silver and grey. These panels were for the ongoing Chambers collaboration. Ava did the under-painting and Kip would be layering images and text over the top. Raya Simpson had dropped the three stretched canvases off the previous week.
So far, it looked like very little of it would be painted together, but Ava didn’t mind. She looked at this project as money in the bank and something to add to her resume.
“What is that anyhow?” Chim asked, turning his head sideways and squinting. “I don’t quite get it.” He glanced up. “You’re not finished, right?”
Ava gave a rueful snort. Marcus' work was always representational… he didn’t quite get her abstract tendencies. The image before them had bands of colour and light, contrasted with deep purple shadows. She’d simply painted from a feeling.
“I’m not sure it’s really anything at this point,” Ava admitted, tipping back a beer can to dr
ain the last few drops before continuing. “Kip said to just paint whatever I felt like painting… so I’m going for it.”
Chim sneered.
“Kinda looks like Lego blocks to me...” he muttered, eyebrows pulled together, “very, very messy Lego blocks.”
Ava coughed in annoyance. Cole laughed into his hand, pretending he was choking, his cheeks bright with colour.
“Thanks for the interpretation, Clem,” Ava said tartly, then turned back to the canvas. “To be honest, I don’t know what it is.” She sighed wistfully. “Nothing maybe.”
Chim was right to a degree. There was definitely something structural about the shapes. They were created from sharp lines and distinct angles; the central canvas of the triptych was covered in bands of blue, hazy light, almost like smoke. From the outside, deep shadows hinted at the solid structure of rectangular forms. Suzanne stared at the painting intently.
“It’s an old city...” she said. “The streets crumbling under the weight of time.”
A shiver ran through Ava. There was something to the way Suzanne had spoken that left the others quiet.
“Why would you think that?” she asked warily.
“See here, and here...” Suzanne said in wonder, pointing to several smudges of paint. “Those lines are the edges of buildings. They’re damaged, but still standing...” Chim leaned forward, squinting while Suzanne’s voice continued. “The point of view is skewed.… Like the viewer is way down on the ground, peering up into the sky above.”
“Maybe,” Ava muttered, stepping closer and tipping her head. She could imagine looking up from the bottom of an alley, struggling to catch sight of the sky. “But it’s pretty dark for a city, Sue. No church towers or landmarks or—”
“It’s the slums, Ava,” Suzanne interrupted in excitement. “Yes! That’s exactly what it is… I’d say an old European city… the rough area down by the wharf.” Her words came faster. “See? That is what it is! It’s the area near the shipyards.”
Chim was leaning forward, and Ava was, too. What Suzanne was saying made sense, but a part of Ava was hesitant to admit it. It felt too exposing, somehow, if she did.
“I dunno,” Ava whispered, “It might be...”
“Look,” Suzanne prompted. “Here and here: that’s a broken bit of the sea wall. This bit over here in the distance is a bridge of some kind. See those arches? And these lines at the bottom… where the viewer is going? They’re the masts of ships!” She let out a happy cackle. “If you look at it like you’re standing down on the bottom of the painting then it all makes sense. The image is just shown from the centre of a narrow street, looking upward as you near the wharf.”
Suzanne continued unabated. Ava stared at the panels, wondering why it suddenly felt so real to her. It wasn’t the first time that an unusual perspective had turned up in one of her paintings. (The snake and the coins painting was from far above, with the blue water and golden trees hanging underneath.) For a moment something pushed at the edge of her awareness. Something almost there… But the harder she tried to grasp it, the further away it was. The feeling scared her. Bacon’s painting with the wings flashed in her mind and Ava shuddered. ‘A warning...’
“See? The wharf with the lines of barrels, and boxes… and here’s water… and in the distance, the ships and—”
“Nope. Can’t see it,” Chim announced, interrupting Suzanne, “but I like your light and shadows, Booker. The chiaroscuro kind of looks like a Chagall to me.”
Ava blinked, the feeling of unease receding.
“It’s not done,” she admitted, “I’m just doing the base work. Kip will probably do a bunch of graphic stuff on top. Sort of like your paintings, Chim. This’ll be hidden underneath.”
It was the way graffiti worked, of course, and Ava knew that. She was still going to be sad to see this all disappear, especially now that Suzanne’s words had her seeing a bigger picture. She wanted this image to survive. It meant something to her… the way all her paintings did.
“I think your work should be the stuff on top,” Cole said with a nod. He leaned back on the couch, one arm thrown behind his head, watching Ava. His arm was in relief at this angle, the heavily muscled lines even more distinct than usual. She stepped off her stool and walked over to the couch, hips swinging suggestively.
“You’re completely biased, Cole Thomas.” Her words came out in a throaty purr.
He reached up, grabbing her fingertips and tugging her forward. As always, she tugged back for a split second. The chase was half the fun with Cole. His eyes narrowed as she did.
“Doesn’t mean I’m not right,” he growled, his eyes – their light and dark contrast striking in the dim studio – moving from her face to her lips and then breasts. “Kip’s stuff is shit compared to yours.”
Chim chuckled and shifted over on the couch as Cole tugged hard on Ava’s hand. She tumbled forward, sliding onto the cushions between the two of them. She shrieked with laughter as Cole grabbed her.
“God, Cole,” Ava giggled, “I could be working with Eric Fischl and you’d still say that.”
“Fischl can’t paint hands,” he said smugly.
Ava elbowed him.
“Fine… then Lucian Freud.”
“Creepy purple people?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Nope. Your painting is still better.”
He leaned into Ava, nuzzling her neck. She twisted in his arms to see him.
“You’d say that no matter who I was painting with.”
Cole’s eyes glinted mischievously.
“Nah...” he said, raising an eyebrow. “If it was Marcus here, I’d probably say his painting was better.”
Ava’s barking laughter echoed in the room and she leaned away from Cole to punch Chim twice in the arm.
“You fucking dared him to say that, didn’t you?” she accused in mock-anger.
Marcus began to laugh, moving out of her reach, before joining Suzanne at the easel. He slid an arm over her shoulders, the two of them the same height as she perched on the stool.
“Not even going there, guys,” he said with a snort. “Though I’m glad to see Thomas here has good taste.” He looked back to the three canvases again. “Seriously, Ava… Lego?”
Cole and Suzanne both burst into laughter as Ava surged forward, ready to attack. Cole was faster. He wrapped his arms and legs around her, forcing her to stay where she was, muffling his laughter in her hair. She swivelled, giving him a dirty look over her shoulder.
“You should not be harassing me when we’re about to spend four whole days with your family,” Ava taunted, eyes sparkling. “You owe me big time for that.”
Cole grinned.
“Yeah… and you’re never gonna let me forget it,” he teased, leaning in to nip her neck.
Suzanne finally stood, stretching and moving toward the door where her coat hung on a metal hook. Around them, the remaining partygoers were doing the same thing, the studio quickly emptying.
“Well, I think it’s nice that you’re spending the holidays with your family,” she said with a sigh. “God knows I can hardly get Marcus home at the best of times.”
Chim slipped on his heavy jacket and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on the top of her head. They walked together toward the exit.
“Not true. I just think they like me better in small doses.”
Everyone laughed at that blatantly true statement and Chim and Suzanne made it to the doorway. Behind them, the stairs were visible. Marcus glanced back one last time, shaking his head at the sight of Cole and Ava tangled together on the couch.
“Well, guys, we’re gonna run,” Suzanne said with a sigh. “Plane leaves at ten-thirty tomorrow, but we have to be there a couple hours early. We should get some sleep while we can.”
“Be safe,” Ava called out, squirming as Cole’s hands began to roam up her torso. He peeked over her shoulder.
“Check Chim’s bag yourself before you get to the airport,” Cole advised in mock seriousness. Marcus smirke
d.
They were just about to step down the first stair, when Suzanne turned back, calling through the still-open doorway.
“So are you guys leaving tomorrow, too?”
Cole groaned.
“Not tomorrow, no… but early next week,” Ava answered. “We’re there for four days. Leaving the day after Christmas and heading back.”
Chim laughed, crossing his arms.
“You really have no idea what you’re getting into, taking Ava Brooks to meet your parents, do you, man?”
This time, Cole wasn’t fast enough to stop her. Ava was up and off the couch in a heartbeat, chasing Chim down the stairs, swearing and raining punches down on him at the same time. They could be heard laughing and scuffling on the landing together. “Take it back!” Ava snarled. “I’ll punch you again, you little shit!” Marcus’ laughter rose into high-pitched hoots. “Jesus, Ava! That fucking hurts! Uncle! Uncle!” There was the sound of someone bumping into the wall, another punch, more laughter. “Then take it back!”
Suzanne, waiting patiently at the top of the stairs, glanced over to Cole.
“Oh, I think you know exactly what you’re doing,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
He nodded, his expression growing cool and distant.
“You bet I do.”
Chapter 20: First Impressions
Given the cold and snowy weather, they took Ava’s truck instead of Cole's bike to the Thomas house. Cole’s father and stepmother lived three hours away from the city, in an affluent, semi-rural coastal development. As Ava drove, Cole told her how he had spent his childhood out on the water, learning to swim and surf, practically living on their boat during summer. With each passing hour, he grew quieter. By the time they were driving along the jagged coastline, he was staring out the window, tensed and wary.
“You gonna be okay?” Ava asked quietly, her fingers tight on the wheel.
