Page 115 of Rivals
“Alright, we need to let this dry before we keep going,” I say. Revna hovers close to a section of the column as she paints something tiny into the landscape before it softly transitions to a stone column.
“I’m not done with this,” she says. Her eyebrows are scrunched together, and her hand makes quick swipes over the paint.
I lean back and wait for her to finish. Maybe we can take the time to eat and spend time together that isn’t in this apartment. She drops her paintbrush and looks up at me. “Ok, this is done for now. What do you want to do? I could use some sleep, to be honest.” My chest sinks, and I agree reluctantly. I wanted to take her out.
She frowns and tips her head. “You know, now that I think about it, I think it would be nice to go out for a little bit. You know, get some fresh air.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
“Absolutely,” she says and saunters into the bathroom.
I change my clothes, get my boots on, and wait for my girl. Revna doesn’t do the primping thing like most women. Well, I would assume. The women I’ve been with in the past didn’t need to primp by the time they came home with me.
If she wears makeup, it’s light. The most I’ve ever seen her wear is when she was on that date with the douche canoe Ryan. She got all dressed up for him with the heels, the dress, and the lipstick. But she hasn’t ever for me, now that I think about it. Should I take that personally? I shake my head, smiling to myself. No. Though I loved the way she looked, that’s not her. She is a paint-covered overalls or oversized t-shirt sans pants, hair piled on top of her head kind of girl, and I love that about her.
“Why are you staring off into space, smiling? It’s kind of creepy.” I look up to find Revna with a funny expression on her face. Her clothes are still covered in paint, and her eyebrow is crooked in question.
“Oh, nothing,” I sigh and lean back. I watch her take me in, letting her get her fill of me while I do the same. I know every inch of her body, but instead of sating me, it’s only made me want her more. Messy or dressed up, I crave every part of her.
“Ok, well, give me a second to change, and we can go.” I nod, and instead of looking out the window or our artwork, I just watch her get dressed.
“I can feel your eyes on me,” she says, looking over her shoulder before she pulls her shirt on.
“What’s wrong, muse? You don’t like being admired?” She spins on her heel with her arms crossed and eyebrow ticked up. I know I poked the bear; I only want to be bitten.
“Why are you being so weird?” she asks, enunciating each word. I rub the back of my neck, overwhelmed by what I feel for her. It’s too much, yet it’s not enough. It makes me want to fight wars, yet it makes me want to run and hide.
“I don’t know, little bird. I love you a lot, I guess. I just want to keep looking at you.” Her head tilts a little like she always does when she’s surprised and doesn’t know what to say. “Finish getting dressed, baby.” She nibbles on one of her nails and returns to the dresser. I watch her drop her jeans and toss them next to her shirt.
She digs around in the drawer and pulls out a leather-looking skirt. Then she opens my drawer and rifles through it, looking for something specific. She slides the skirt over her hips, then puts one of my shirts on, knotting it in the front.
She pads back into the bathroom. I can see her working on her hair from where I am. She huffs and then throws it back on top of her head in a messy bun. I love it when she does that because then I get to pull it out and watch her long, beautiful hair fall around her face. She leans forward over the sink and swipes lipstick over her perfect lips while facing the mirror.
I stand corrected. Maybe she just needed a reason to dress up. She flips the lights off and puts on her Converse. I walk over to her and stop so we’re toe to toe. My fingers skate across the collar of her shirt and pull her thin gold necklace out. “Beautiful,” I murmur in her ear.
“Thank you,” she rasps.
“Ready?” She nods and takes my outstretched hand. The second we stepped outside, she avoids the street I beat that dealer up in. We didn’t call the police, but the next day he was gone. So either someone came and picked him up, or he gathered the strength to get his sorry ass out of there. Either way, I can’t find it in myself to care. Good riddance.
I don’t know where we are going, but I hope we can find something fast. Maybe we will run into another nice place like we did before. I’ve never done the normal dating thing until Revna. It’s not something I’ve ever had to worry about. Most of my hookups came from the bar, or once in a blue moon, because it’s frowned upon, at the tattoo parlor. Revna isn’t just a girl. She’s mine now, and she deserves to be treated well. She deserves all the wine and dining I can give her.
We walk in a similar direction towards the Trevi fountain, but I decide to go right instead of left. The sun is beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow over the city. Revna has been quiet, but she holds onto my hand tightly. I see a place further up the street, and it looks pretty busy, so I can only assume it’s good.
“This looks good,” Revna says as she looks down at the menu. Luckily, this place just had a menu written in English and Italian. The host tells us the wait is twenty minutes. I give him our name and then pull Revna to wait.
I lean against the wall with my shoulder, and she puts her back to it, kicking up her foot. I didn’t notice the leather skirt had a slit, and now I want to run my hand up it. I don’t stop myself and reach for her leg. Her eyes widen as she watches my hand disappear. She looks around us to see if anyone is watching. My hand gets dangerously close, and she grabs my wrist. “We are in public, Lach,” she grits through her teeth. I grin and drop my hand, but not before I peck her nose.
“Thank you, baby,” I say to her.
“For what? Letting you feel me up in public?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “No, for letting me take you out, even though I know you wanted to sleep. But I don’t mind feeling you up either.” I wink, and she rolls her eyes.
“It’s good to get fresh air. Plus, in a very Lachlan-like way, might I add, asked me out on a date. I can’t say no to my boyfriend.” She emphasizes the word, and my chest puffs out. I like that she’s staking claim on me.
“Yeah, I’m not used to asking women out on dates.”
The corner of her mouth tips up. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. The last one, you just told me where we were going and expected me to come.”
