บท 36: Relationship Status
The universe can create unexpected phenomenons; a pet can return hundreds of miles from where it was lost, a childhood love can reappear in a strange city, or two internet friends discover they are dating in real life. The later situation brought Evan and Rylee to stunned silence.
"Sparrow," was the first word Evan said as he supported himself on the doorway. He felt all the clues coming together at once: her dogs name, the artwork. He knew the only reason he didn't guess sooner was the sheer improbability of it all.
Rylee leaned back in the chair, hand pressed lightly to her mouth, "Did you know?"
He shook his head, torn between delight and fear. Role playing had been its own form of connection. They established a different level of trust in the online world. He thought of the growing romance between their characters, and the natural chemistry their writing styles had. He tried to read her face, looking for a sign of how this made her feel. The color rising to her cheeks at least hinted at embarrassment.
"Oh hell, Willow and Screech. I feel like someone caught me reading something dirty..." she whispered, meeting his eyes and quickly looking away.
Evan couldn't resist a playful laugh, "In curious to see what 'something dirty' would be for you."
Her face grew redder, and she tried to spin away from him, "Evan, stop! I'm so nervous now!" Her reactions were driving him crazy. He finally walked forward, and leaned over so his face was next to hers.
Feeling bold, he kissed her neck in a intimate way. A tiny moan escaped her mouth and made his pulse race. "I don't want you to feel embarrassed around me. Rylee, don't you know how crazy I already am about you?"
She fidgeted nervously. "I just feel so exposed now. You've seen my writing, you've seen my art. And you were always so coy! You felt like a mystery. You were just this really great person who let me be myself." She was talking, but her body was already losing its resistance. She turned her head and finally looked in his eyes. "You were the one who encouraged me to draw again. You told me to keep following my dream. Even then, you were there."
Suddenly her walls came down. Her lips found his, needy and rough. Evan had to use one arm to hold the desk so the chair wouldn't spin, the other caught in her hair, maintaining their contact.
"I always want to be there," he pulled away just enough to say the words. Her hands had found his hair, fingers running through it in a way that gave him goosebumps. "Rylee, be my girlfriend. Officially. Keep coming over for no reason than to just be together."
"Of course," she agreed, reclaiming his mouth. It was remarkable how those two words made his whole body race with joy. Their kissing intensified, and Rylee caught his lower lip with her teeth and gently bit him. In turn his tongue snaked in her mouth, teasing her back.
Evan didn't want to stop but was becoming aware of just how excited his body was getting. He pulled away, reluctantly resisting his own desires. "If we don't stop now, I'm afraid this will get out of hand. You can't reopen your stitches."
Different emotions passed through her expressions. Disappointment, annoyance, happiness. She slowly released him. "It wasn't bad, though?"
He wanted to drag her back against him with that question, "Hell no, Ry, it was amazing. Can you not see what effect you have? You can really test a man's self control with those types of questions."
It seemed Rylee slowly understood what he was saying. She shyly looked down, innocent gaze looking at his pants, then quickly returning to his face. When they kissed, it brought out a more aggressive side of her, but the new topic made her look so young and awkward.
He laughed and kissed her on the forehead before gingerly stepping back. "Now, before you got us sidetracked, how was the art coming along?"
She sheepishly opened the art program again. Evan felt his brows lift when he saw the numerous drawings of her dog. "Well, you did the hard part, you put something on the canvas. Now you just have to learn to capture the energy you created."
"What?"
It was amazing how hard it was to get back on track now. He pulled the sheet of paper over and set it in front of her.
"Think of the market you are targeting. FanQuest has a large market of fan art, as well as the more general fandom interests. If you pick popular characters to draw you may sell well initially, but also take on the risk of copyright legality. If you want to maintain a stance as an original artist, you still need to be decisive with your subjects. You can do wildlife, like wolves, or fantasy, like dragons. Because you don't have much time, pushing yourself to draw what will appeal to the most people can help."
Rylee gazed at him in surprise, "How did you come up with this? I thought you hadn't done artist alley before."
Evan shrugged, "It doesn't mean I haven't shopped in them, and the online world is pretty similar. Fans are drawn to what is familiar. Twisted Tales got so popular because it had its roots in fairy tale lore. I was able to create my own art, and use the fairy tale interest to connect to the audience."
Rylee drummed her fingers on the desk. "When I get home I can probably paint some more. I'll have to find the box of acrylics though..."
"Use mine," Evan moved decisively to a closet on the other end of the room. He pulled out a box of paint, brushes, and set them on the desk. He opened a storage cupboard and retrieved an unused canvas.
"Evan, I can't use your supplies, I have stuff at home I can get."
"That will take longer," Evan insisted. He put a paintbrush in her hand and spun her chair in the new direction, facing the supplies. "The deadline is coming up. I'm here to help you work. No more distractions!"
Her eyes twinkled as she faced him, "But I was enjoying that distraction!"
It was suddenly very hard to swallow. Evan was going to need a cold shower after this.
After ensuring she was painting, he retreated to the living room. He poured a large glass on water and downed it desperately. Evan's body felt like it was on fire, desperate to be near her. Discovering she was his long time role playing partner only made the need stronger. He could still feel the way she grabbed him, his body full of want.
His phone buzzed, and he pulled it open, a text from Zane popping up. 'Behaving ?'
He groaned. Leave it to his best friend to sense his pain, 'Relationship status: taken. Physical status: Blue.'
He shut the phone and moved to the living room. Who knew being chivalrous could be so painful?
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