Work Text:
“Are you sure you have time today?” Jamie asked her girlfriend again. Of course, Dani only gave a reassuring smile, ushering Jamie out of the restroom.
“Yes, Jamie. I don’t need to watch the kids; we have nothing to do. Now, go on. Get ready!” Dani laughed, shutting the door in front of the flustered woman.
Jamie let out a breath she had been holding, running her hands through her mess of hair. She hadn’t even thought about brushing it or doing anything with it; her mind had been solely on Dani the entire morning.
The florist had asked if Dani would mind modeling for a painting she wanted to make. She didn’t paint as often as she liked to, and Dani was the perfect inspiration for her next piece. In fact, she wanted the piece to be solely about Dani and an expression of her love.
But, Jamie had been frazzled all night and morning. She didn’t want to take away Dani’s time off work to sit in the freezing cold for hours. And she definitely didn’t want Dani to participate if she was uncomfortable. Mind you, Jamie has already seen her girlfriend in the nude numerous times; but she was worried, nonetheless.
With a wide-eyed look, Jamie took off to the studio. She frantically grabbed at paintbrushes and paints, pushing all her needed materials towards her large easel. She fixed the canvas several times, mortified that it should be crooked once she’s halfway done, and the piece be ruined.
Her eyes scanned her setup, counting the paints she needed, how many brushes she would actually utilize; how much time this would take. And she was worried all over again.
Groaning in frustration, she took off her faded jean jacket, leaving her in an old paint-stained tank top. Her sweaty hands wiped down her khaki shorts, already dirtying the article before she had even begun. She began pacing, waiting for Dani to leave the restroom. God, what if she doesn’t want to anymore but she just won’t tell me? Jamie frowned, knowing it was likely something Dani would do.
Clouded by her worries she didn’t notice Dani pad out of the bathroom and towards the wooded chair seated just a few feet from the canvas. Her eyes darted from all her materials and anxieties before finally landing on her girlfriend.
Dani only smiled, adjusting the ribbon that tied her silk gown to stay against her body. “Where do you want me?” She asked softly, hoping her calm demeanor could relieve the other somehow.
“In my bed.” Jamie whispered offhandedly, her eyes never leaving the other. But Dani only rolled her eyes, walking past the woman to seat herself.
Jamie watched in silence, before rushing out an apology and going to stand behind her canvas. She looked from the blank off-white parchment to her girlfriend, hoping to get the idea of what she wanted for the image. But she could hardly think right. Every thought she procured was consumed by Dani. Every possible solution to finding the perfect pose and piece, came down to Dani’s beauty and Jamie not wanting to somehow insult it.
She would never be ever to let herself live it down should the painting turn out horrible. Or if Dani disliked it? Jamie might lose it and break up with her so she could bear the shame on her own. The thought of that made her hands and her heart tremble.
“Um…” The woman finally began, “if you could— and again you don’t have to, but if you could sit and angle yourself this way—. “ She hesitantly moved forward to put her hands to her lover's waist. She had set her hands here so many times before, but the warmth she felt under her fingertips made her chest burn. Her brain was filled with steamy clouds, and her blood seemed to boil in a way she had never experienced. It wasn’t anger, or jealousy, but purely a level of love she had only just let herself claim.
She wondered if Dani felt this way at all. Was she over exaggerating her feelings? Or maybe she has just been underestimating her love and desire for the others this entire time. This sudden intimacy, this treasure that Dani was allowing her to rummage through; has she just been attempting to hide it until now? She was sure she was feeling all the love she could and giving that same to Dani in return, but this single moment of Jamie’s fingers pressed on the others body, thin silk sitting between her burning fingers and Dani’s pure skin, she felt a gate break open. This twice locked over gate now giving way and submitting to a feeling she truly had not known as she thought she did. She was overwhelmed almost.
Dani’s soft sigh brought Jamie back to the situation, causing her hands to tense slightly. “That’s perfect, it’s… great.” She breathed out, stepping back a couple steps to make sure the angle was okay with her canvas. With a nod of approval, she stepped back to the easel and got out the pencil she wanted to utilize first for the sketch.
“So, uh, if you want to just drape it—“ Dani followed instruction instantly, loosening the silk belt from her waist. The smooth material rolled down her shoulders with ease, her arms shifting so that the garment could rest inside her arm. The robe slipped effortlessly from her body, only staying close to her skin by the hold she had on it in her arms.
With her body at a diagonal, Jamie had a clear view of her long legs, moving all the way up to her hip bone; before being denied any further eyeing by the robe. Moving past the tinged silk, Jamie’s dark eyes wandered up to see the gentle rise and fall caused by Dani’s breath. A rib or two could be made out beneath her thin skin, but the sight was completely overshadowed by her breasts just above them. The way Dani held herself, her posture straight and at attention, Jamie could see the work of art painting itself before her eyes.
She could see the individual paint strokes coloring in each freckle and mole, filling in her pale skin before adding hints of pink, red, and tans. The brushes swirled in a balanced unison, going all the way from the top strand of her hair down to her dirt-stained feet; their previous garden escapades somehow sneaking its way into the intimate moment. God, and now she could see the paintbrush—
Oh, wait, she’s supposed to be doing the painting. Jamie shook her head before finally picking up her pencil. “Just… just there.” The words fell out so quietly, Dani barely heard them. Regardless, she smiled softly and turned her eye to the corner, trying to keep still for the other woman.
Long fingers trembled, hesitating to touch the lead to the canvas. One wrong touch and it was ruined. The painting was a failed mistake, their relationship was over if that was the case.
No. Now, she was just overthinking.
Her eyes slowly crawled to meet Dani's. Her lover only shook her head softly, her parted lips letting out a sigh. Jamie understood all too well, not even needing Dani to say anything after that. She mumbled an apology, trying to take a deep breath and start again. With her eyes never leaving the exposed body in front of her, her hand suddenly started flying across the canvas. With the lightest touch of the lead to the parchment, her pencil danced in circles and flurries. It was as if her hand decided to do its own thing, simply tracing every inch of what was seen through Jamie's eyes.
Before she could add too much detail to paint over, she stopped, her eyes darting over the sketch. She let out a shaky sigh of relief, relieved that she hadn't ruined things so far. But when her eyes met her girlfriend's once more; she wavered in strength.
The crinkles made from her upturned smile, her hooded and slightly sunken eyes holding the fondest look; the way her hands folded over each other just barely grasping the silk robe that adorned her vessel. The crease where her neck was turned to smile at her lover, its indent moving down to her collarbone. The skin moving down was so smooth to the look but had such freshness and life to the touch. Each visible, and barely seen, freckle and mole, bump and crevice, could only be admired; the light hitting every angle perfectly.
Jamie could feel every inch of that perfectly flawed skin, every bit that Dani was insecure about, just under her fingertips. She was reminded why she let her fingers linger so long when they embraced, kissed, or made love. So that times like this, she could recall what it all felt like without even needing to reach forward; though she would if she could. Their distance became painfully aware to her, not from an artistic standpoint, but simply Jamie's desire to have her lover within her hands.
Shaky breaths wavered from her lips, eyes scanning every inch that she had observed so many times before, taking it in all over again. With a ghostly smile, her hand eagerly reached for her awaiting paintbrush.