Page 21 of Treehouse Whispers
“Annoying?” Benji filled in.
Jamie narrowed his gaze at Benji. “No. I can’t think of the word…captivating…enlightening…I don’t know. But it’s beautiful, too. I love that you can see more than other people can.”
Benji lowered his head, heat flooding his cheeks.
“Come on. Let’s head home. We can watch a movie and cuddle up on the sofa.” Jamie chuckled as he pulled on Benji’s hand.
Benji had forgotten they were outside. Usually, by now, he would be itching to go back into the house and hide away from the rest of the population. At the thought, he felt some of the anxiety coming back. Not wanting it to win this time, he focused on Jamie talking about what they were going to watch when they got back.
Half an hour later, they were settled in their now-usual places—Benji cuddled up into Jamie’s side—as they watched Magic Mike, hooting, joking and swooning their way through it. Towards the end, one scene reminded Benji of the rainbow effect he noticed in the park. He could see how the painting would look in the end and itched to get it down on canvas.
“You can go and paint if you want to.” Jamie’s words punched into Benji’s thoughts.
“Sorry?”
“I said you can go and paint if you want to.” Jamie indicated Benji’s hands, which were in the air as if holding a paintbrush and palette.
Benji dropped his hands to his lap, blushing. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Hey.” Jamie aimed Benji’s face towards him, gazes locking. “I’ve told you to stop being sorry. You don’t need to be. Would you like to paint?”
Benji licked his lips, nodding once.
“Come on.” Jamie stood, reaching a hand out to pull Benji up, dragging him to the door.
Benji took the lead when they entered his house, running up the stairs, leaving Jamie to shut the front door. In his studio, he grabbed a new canvas, replacing the one that was on there, immediately hustling straight over to the cupboard, rifling through to find the colours and brushes he’d need, only partially aware of Jamie entering with a stool. Benji put Jamie to the back of his mind and focused on the image in his head.
Returning to the canvas, he set up, squirting paints onto the palette: red, green, blue, yellow, black and white, then he picked up a brush and began. He couldn’t explain to anyone where his mind went when he painted, he didn’t understand it either, but he found himself in that place where all he could see was the canvas, the movement of the brush, the replenishment of the paint.
“Benji?”
He blinked rapidly, drawing his attention away from the canvas towards the sound. Jamie sat in the corner of the studio behind Benji, and it took Benji a little while to focus on him rather than his painting.
“Yes?”
“It’s time for lunch.”
Benji blinked again, allowing himself to come back to the room like waking up. He glanced at the painting, happy with what he saw, and replaced the palette and brush to the table. Whirling towards the window, he saw Jamie and beamed. “Were you sitting there the whole time?”
Jamie nodded slowly at him.
Benji took a step forward when Jamie didn’t say anything. “Are you okay?”
“That was…” Jamie exhaled roughly, rubbing a hand over his mouth. “That was mesmerising. I was transfixed. I couldn’t have moved if my life depended on it. You are utterly amazing, Benji!”
Benji dipped his chin and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the heat rising. He didn’t accept praise easily, but in the same breath, he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs as tension released from his body. “Thanks.”
Arms surrounded him in a warm embrace, and Benji allowed himself to be held, serenity flowing through him. He’d never get tired of this feeling.
