It was almost a week since I saw Brenton. I was looking at my room, I got four unfinished sketches. All of them didn't feel right.
I cried in frustration when trying to sketch the first canvas. Gemma was calming me down, but by the fourth failed attempt she was telling me to suck it up and leave me to type diligently back in her room before she ends her day.Then I was desperate when the week ended and Brenton called to check up on me."Why didn't you go back to your parents? I thought we agreed on that matter?""Well yeah, but the thing is... ehm, I have a thing...""Ella...""What? it's his book signing and I've jotted the event on my calendar since months ago." I whined and pouted while knowing that he wouldn't see me from the other line."Tell me one thing, does he even notice you?""Well, with the long line of crowd it'll be tough, but...""Ella, go to your parents. If you won't do this for me, do it for Gwen."The mentioning of her name made me, slumped back to my seat and I finally said my okay to him.I texted Gemma and told her I'm going home for a couple of weeks. So, that late afternoon I was on my way back to my parents and arrived just before dinner time."Ella?""Mom, I miss you!""Yeah?""Mom!""What? you didn't tell us you're coming.""Wait," I was instantly suspicious and look at the dining room.Candles, meatloaf dinner, wine..."Eww... mom! are you having your dinner date with dad?""Why not? our kids are all grown up and we finally have the nest to ourselves." She shamelessly shrugged, but continue to hug me."And I miss you too my most beautiful baby girl." She cupped my face and pinched my cheeks as if I was still five years old."Mom! I'm your only daughter." I hugged her back and takes in her favorite floral perfume scent."Ella?""Dad!""You didn't say you're coming home, is everything okay?" dad asked as he walked into the kitchen from the back porch, he was still in his shirt and jeans all dirty from his backyard studio."Oh my god, dad! both of you, can I just go back home without being questioned? maybe I just miss my parents!""Yeah?""Right? that's what I asked and she gets offended." Mom smirked and kissed me on my cheek before she gets back to the kitchen to set up another plate for me.Dad hugged me and I inhale and rubbed his back as I was missing his outdoor earthy studio scent."You've been busy?" I looked at dad's hands and he chuckled, telling me he was doing a commissioned sculpture for one of his clients.Yes, I got my artistic side from my dad and he has been spoiling me more just because of it. Meanwhile, I was just glad that he's not expecting great creations from me."You don't come here often, not like your brothers." Mom was opening the conversation, and the first thing she said was most predictable."Well, maybe Ella is busy?""I have been busy," I nodded in agreement to dad."Right, still read those books?""Mom!" I blushed instantly realizing one of my stupid brothers must've told her about me and my reading habit."Look, there's nothing wrong about reading those books. But, you have to live in our world too. Be creative, unleash your potential. Your brothers, they're just worried about you." Dad said with him warm loving tone.Mom called us to the table for dinner, her cooking was as delicious as I remembered. It was the most welcoming dinner we've had, and it's probably because I was telling dad that I was there to paint.Dad was all too excited about us working side by side in his studio, while I was worried that he would find out that I wouldn't live up to his expectations.I was nervous for tomorrow and decided to have my alone time at the back porch. I was sitting on my childhood swing looking at the darkening skyline when the handsome cowboy greeted me. "Hey! I didn't know that you're here.""Danny!"He laughed when I run to him and hugged him the moment his off his horse."I missed you too." He twirls me and kissed my forehead."Where're the others?""Really? after all these months I finally meet you and you're asking for those two lame cowboys?"I giggled knowing there was nothing lame about them, the hot cowboys I have as my neighbor were usually the ones keeping me entertained."How are you?"He was standing to my front when I started telling him about why I was coming back home."I'm sure you'll do great. I believe in you, come on, they're waiting." He grinned and held out his hand to help me mount the horse.He took me to ride with him, the black horse took us to a deserted area where his two buddies were laughing and drinking beers."Ella? damn, you've gotten cuter by the day." Jack the tallest of them all hugged and suffocates me at the same time until Sam slapped his head and told him to let me go."It's about time you come to visit us," Sam pulled me in for his brotherly side hug."Dude, she's here for her parents," Danny opened a bottle of cold beer and give it to me.The guys would do gather to relax after their hard days working on the ranch down the road. I know the sisters who live there and asked about them after sipping the beer."Well, Emilie is happy with her family and this guy here is still messing with her sister." Danny slapped Sam's back while Sam is telling everyone that Celia's dad is scary and her brother-in-law is the worst."He's a freaking surgeon but acts as he can kill you, and I don't know any surgeon who travels with their so-called assistant who looked more like bodyguards. And I know for sure that they're packing guns under those expensive suits."We laughed while the boys were catching me up with the newest gossip around our small little town. It still amazes me how these cowboys keep up with the trending talk of the town.That night I was drunk and laughed like I haven't laughed in months. The three cowboys treated me with respect like they always do and brought me back home all giggly and tipsy.I was having the worst hangover in the morning, yet the situation seemed to kick off my work when I suddenly get up and know exactly what I was going to paint.And yes, it was not Brice Durant's face.Days went by and I was painting and spending more time in the studio. Dad was at a point where he was so proud of me that he gets into a fight with mom because she made me eat my meals in between my session."She still has to eat,""But she's painting! an artist needs her creative flow.""Right, just like you when you don't want to be interrupted?" she talks as if they were arguing about something else other than his work and it was making me uncomfortable to the point that I started chewing faster."Done! I'm getting back to the studio. But mom, how about we have a girl's day in the city tomorrow?""Right, you need to buy your art supplies. But sure, I'll go." She sounded disappointed, but I could see her little smirked and dad confirmed it by giving me his secret wink making me laugh at both of them.Days turn into weeks, and I haven't had the time to stalk Durant's latest activities up until it was week three when I was finished with one medium size painting and another painting on a larger-size canvas.I was overworked, tired, pale, and have bags under my eyes. But I feel happy and mostly relieved that my work was coming together. I was taking a couple of days off from painting before I decided to go back to my apartment in the city and show my finished paintings to Brenton.Then he'll be the judge of my career choice as a painter."You're going to go far Ella, you're my daughter." I hugged my dad, thanking him for his confidence in me while mom was busy preparing her homemade cooking and packed them up for me to take back to my apartment."...there are plenty for you and Gemma, sends her my love and tell her not to work too hard." Mom hugged me after she managed to put everything in the passenger seat.So there I was an hour later, staring out to the afternoon traffic and thinking about my life choices while listening to the audiobooks of one of Brice Durant's mystery romance novels.Gemma had just got back from work. It was dinner time and I had just finish plating mom's dish for our meal. "So, my mom said hi," I pointed to mom's cooking on our small dining table. "Oh my god, I miss you! and your mom is the best!"We laughed and start to eat our dinner while we talk about everything that we've been missing out from each other."Well, I can't believe you skipped the most awaited Brice Durant's book signing event.""Right?! I hope he's not upset that I decided not to go..."Gemma throws a napkin at me to stop me from continuing my words."Shut up before I throw a kitchen knife at you." She muttered while spooning mom's casserole in between her words."Jeez, cuz...didn't know you've become this bloodthirsty since I'm gone." She shrugged and continue eating mom's cooking. "...anyway, you looked like you've actually been working your ass off, can I see the paintings?" "It's still packed in my room. Why don't I show you in the morning, I want to sleep early tonigh
"Okay! I've been thinking about our dates last night. I think we need to arrange new strategies."I shook my head, silently telling myself not to go up against her when she gets excited. The best I can do is listen to her."Give me your phone." "Don't you have work to do?" "It's Saturday," "Gemma, I'm not sure I want to do the date thing two nights in a row. How about we do the traditional way and go have drinks and just stare at cute guys longingly?" She laughed at me but finally agreed. "Okay, but we're doing this my way. Let's do a spa day, shopping, do our hair, waxing..." she kept on listing our schedule while I decided to leave her and go to my room to stalk my honey bun bun on social media.I sighed when I look at his handsome face, it didn't take me long before my hands reach out for my sketchbook and start sketching him. Again. It has become an addiction, I should stop. That afternoon we had our spa day, we talked and relaxed all through our sauna and bath session, I
We've talked about the weather, the app, then venture to favorite food and drinks, up until it was getting too personal for a first date. Though he seemed to act casually about everything. "Tell me about yourself?""Uh..." He chuckled as I was crumbling on the inside while listening to his deep sexy laugh. I don't know what I did in my previous life to deserve to meet the handsome smart man in front of me. "Well, I'm a painter...eh, well I try to be.""Yeah? I've always wanted someone to do a portrait of me." "You're really fond of yourself?" He laughed and my heart almost skipped a beat when he gets a clean napkin and gives me his pen."Please?" he plea adorably, making me want to do things to him. Breathe Ella..."Not my first choice of media, it'll look a bit cartoonish but let's try it out." I took his pen and started sketching on the napkin, I don't really have to look at him to draw his facial features, but I was not going to pass the chance of watching him actually pose
"Ella...don't, I know you're happy but you don't have to drag me into it. I'm taking the day off.""What? this is Sunday. It is your day off." "Yeah, I mean tomorrow, just have fun. I don't feel so good. I want my blankie.""Is it because of Larry?" I tried to wake Gemma and have her join me for coffee but she was still cocooned under her blanket and not wanting to be disturbed. So, I gave up and have a cup of coffee while stalking Brice's Instagram feeds. I was trying to see if he mentioned anything about his mystery date with me last night. I was wishfully thinking that he actually liked me, so much so that he would let the world know. Get real, Ella...I sipped my coffee and decided to set up my easel and canvas on our small balcony. It was a perfect day for painting, and I suddenly felt the need to start doing so.It was a weird feeling, haven't had it for years. The strokes were easy, the lines, the shapes were effortlessly drawn. I was smiling like a kid in a candy store when
"Damn, someone looks like they had quite an orgasm." Jacqueline greeted me as I entered our apartment with a huge grin on my face. Benjamin was busy plating cupcakes from the oven while wearing Gemma's very pink apron with a huge 'Spank the Chef' writing on it. "I'm still wet, still horny, and still a freaking virgin!" "You should let me pop your cherry." Benji was to my back and kissed my shoulder while he offered me the chocolate chip cupcake. "I'm saving myself for my honey bun bun." I grinned and thank him for the cupcake, then let out a delicious moan as my teeth sink into the moist chocolaty heaven."Gemma has been telling us about that, I think you should write a memoir for all of your stalker friends out there. I can already see the outline, how to bed your object of desire." Jacqueline was quick to comment while scrolling on her phone.Ben laughed, taking off the apron and placed the fresh batch of cupcakes. Then he was back to busying himself by making the white Russian
It was almost noon when I finish sketching yet another Brice's perfect face. And remembering what Ann said yesterday, I decided to be the stalker that I am and snapped the sketch and post it on my Insta page.And being a true stalker and fangirl I tagged Brice's account and his fan page. Ann was the first to comment with lots of emojis and praising my impeccable sketching skill.My creative juice seems to flow easily when my Insta notification buzzed, I put down my brush and peek at my phone. I almost knocked down my easel when I saw that Brice commented on my sketches. He never commented, not ever, he would like my posts but never comments on any of them."Ella, are you okay? you look like you've seen a ghost.""A miracle to be precise!" I shouted like a deranged woman waving her my phone."Huh?""My honey bun bun, he commented on my Insta post!" I showed it to Gemma and she slowly shook her head."You're going on a date with him tonight, you should stop calling him bun bun."I put m
Brice's POV"Brice, you know you're going to trigger your stalker by giving her the heart emoji."Clara Sherman, my agent was warning me not to poke the bear."But it is good work, I'm actually impressed. And she's not a bear, you should consider her as your little helper. She helped you with the fan group, right?"She sighed and reminded me about what happened last month when the woman sends me too many emails."I know I might overreact sometimes, but I was in a bad mood that day and her emails were bugging me,""Yeah, and who's fault is that? we have people for that, you don't
He looked like he's aroused right?Jacqueline said to always look calm, smile a little, and maintain eye contact.Oh my, I'm half-naked in front of my honey bun bun.Is he staring at my love handle?Wait...is it still a love handle when there's no love between us?Really? Ella, just call it a muffin top already, and focus on the hot author!My mind was calculating my moves, I was trying to keep eye contact, miserably failed when he pulled me to his lap and put his glasses onto the side table.Oh, mygawddddd...