Page 61 of Set the Moment
Maybe I can get that printed at CVS or something…
Sienna’s eyes are bright and wide as I slide the last shot of the night to her. I watch as she quickly downs it and holds her arms up for me. In an instant, my hands are on her waist, picking her up off the counter and placing her heel clad feet back on the ground.
“That was a good one, Jacey…Take me home?” she asks lazily, slurring a bit as she pats my cheek softly.
Chuckling lightly at her, I hold her hand, kissing the palm. “With pleasure.”
Sienna steps over the guy on the ground, who’s still clutching his face as I follow behind her.
This girl is making me insane…in less than a month, I’ve punched two guys on her behalf and feel zero remorse about it. For Sienna, I’d walk through the pits of Hell just to see her smile. Punching an asshole at a party is nothing.
By the time we’re safely in the car and on the way to my apartment, I realize Sienna is asleep, her head at a weird angle where her neck looks like it’d been snapped as she letsout soft snores.
When I get to a red light, I immediately turn on her seat warmer to combat the short dress she’d been wearing in fifty degree weather. It’d been warmer when we left, but the chilly fall night is now upon us. Leaning over, I try to position her differently to prevent her neck from hurting as she shifts.
Our noses are practically touching, my skin heating around my cheeks and neck as she blows out a mint and alcohol flavored breath.
She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. Her nose twitches just a bit, and soon enough she’s changing her position, cuddling her knees in the seat.
Careful to not wake her, I chuckle softly and begin driving when the light changes.
It takes little to no time for me to get Sienna out of the car without waking her, considering she’s a pretty heavy sleeper. I carry her bridal style from the car to the top floor where the loft is located, making sure not to bump her against anything. Sienna only shifts once in my arms, her breathing changing as she adjusts herself before she’s out like a light once again.
Carefully, I take off her shoes and place them down on the rack next to the door that she always ignores. Sienna may be the biggest perfectionist in the world, but sheneverputs her shoes on the rack. I like to keep everything neat. No mess, no bugs.
I may be an artist and a hockey player, but the thought of messiness makes my skin crawl.
As I carry Sienna up the stairs of the loft, I grimace as I realize what she has on. She’d taken off the gym shorts when when we got to the car, leaving only the sparkly dress on. There’s no way in this world she’d be comfortable sleeping in this dress, but there’s also no way in hell that I’d take off her clothes while she’s asleep and drunk.
This isn’t that kind of party.
I cringe as I lay her down on the bed in her outside clothes.She’s going to be so uncomfortable. I plant a soft kiss on Sienna’s forehead before going into the bathroom. Picking up the supplies I’d bought yesterday after practice, I make my way back out to the bedroom with a large purple bonnet, makeup remover, a wash cloth, and face wash.
I’m careful as I lift Sienna’s head, cradling it in my lap. When we were kids, her and Cleo taught me how to braid their hair as a way to get me to stop bothering them all the time. Her hair is soft as I gather it in my hands, separating it into two sections to braid, mindful to not comb out her curls with my fingers.
It takes almost ten minutes to braid two plaits in her hair without waking her, but I do it successfully and put the purple bonnet I’d bought yesterday on her head to protect her hair as she sleeps.
She looks like an adorable, sparkly mushroom with her matching light purple dress. Softly, I kiss her temple and then get to work on her face, gently taking off her makeup and wiping her face down with a wet washcloth with cleanser on it.
By the time I’m done pampering her for bed, twenty minutes have passed. It doesn’t take any time for me to shower and throw on an SFU hoodie and sweats. I’m careful as I slide in the bed beside her and sigh as I make myself comfortable. Sienna breathes heavily, deep in sleep. A singular curl pokes out of her bonnet, framing her sleeping face and my chest tightens.
She’s a work of art, whether awake or asleep, Sienna’s beauty is captivating, my fingers itch to draw. They itch to hold a pencil and capture this woman in all of her essence. Setting her in this moment on a blank page.
Sienna has been my muse all of my life. I’ve filled pages and pages of sketchbooks with her face and silhouette, but never have I been able to capture her asleep. In this state, she’s comfortable and trusting. It’s an honor for someone to feel safe enough to sleep around you, and she is outlike a light.
Carefully, I crawl out of the bed and stalk towards the trunk at the foot of it where I keep all of my sketchbooks and supplies. When I turn back around to the bed, Sienna has shifted. Her body, once cuddled into itself, is now splayed across the bed and she’s gripping the cover tightly in one hand.
I smile at the image of her under the paintings I’d created in honor of her hanging on the wall.
I don’t think she noticed the angel wings above my bed or the ballerina silhouette when she’d first come over, but they’re there.
Sliding back into my spot next to her, I flip to a new page in my book and begin sketching.
twenty-one
Sienna
Iblinkhardassunlight beams down on my face, temporarily blinding me.
