Page 25 of Caught Stealing Your Heart
“What if I don’t want to?”
The air between us changed. I held my breath while Banks seemed to hungrily take in his. There was something about the way he asked it that held a different meaning, one I wasn’t going to address, so I cleared my throat and slipped from his grasp.
I went back to setting up. My phone vibrated as a text from Brandon came through. Once again, guilt consumed me. I quickly shook it off and checked his reply.
It’s important, something I think will be good for you. For us.
Immediately, my brows shot up. My interest was piqued, but I would wait until later to respond.
“You mind if we get on live?” I asked Banks, positioning my camera to where it would capture everything.
“I’m here for you. Do your thing. Who is this singing?”
“Oh, you vibing to this, huh?”
“Hell yeah. It’s nice. We have the same taste in music, so I’m going to need you to send me this.”
I nodded as I secured my apron around my body and started the live. Briefly, I watched as viewers flooded in before turning toward my canvas. It took me a few moments to figure out exactly how I wanted to start. My gaze went from Banks to my canvas and back to Banks.
“Am I supposed to be posing or something?” Banks inquired, and I burst out laughing.
“No. Why do you think that?”
He shrugged. “Because that’s what they do in the movies or back in the old days. I’ll lay on the couch in my underwearwith my leg propped up if you want me to. You want me to get naked?”
My stomach ached from how hard he had me laughing as he posed. “Banks. No. You’re fine where you are and how you are. All I need is your handsome face, and I can work my magic.”
“Well, let me draw you.”
“Huh?”
“Now what you tell me earlier?” Banks called me out, and I gave him the finger. “Seriously, Leilani. Let me draw you how I see you.”
I bit down on my bottom lip and hesitantly agreed. I set him up his own canvas across from me and asked him what he wanted to use. He preferred watercolors, so I gave him my least expensive set to get started.
It was hard for me to concentrate on my own drawing while watching Banks. My canvas was large enough to shield him from me, but I kept staring at him through the camera. My screen was flooded with hearts, flowers, and many comments speaking on us. The moment had become intimate for me, so I waved bye to everyone and ended the live.
“Why did you turn it off?” Banks questioned, roughly stroking the brush.
“Because I don’t want anyone talking about you if your drawing comes out ugly.”
“Oh, you got jokes. Don’t sleep on me. I can do a little something when I want to. Give me about ten minutes, and I’ll be done.”
“It’s going to take me way longer than that, Banks. I need a few days.”
He peeked around the canvas and winked. “Sounds like you need to pack up and come on the road with me then.”
“Oh, no. I need to stay here and create a few new pieces. I haven’t been able to do what I love, and I’m yearning for it.”
“I get it, for real. That’s how I feel during the offseason, so do your thing, but don’t hesitate to pop up on me if you get to missing me.”
“I will.”
A comfortable silence fell over us except for the music playing in the background. While patiently waiting for Banks to finish, I carefully placed the pushpins into my canvas to start a guide for me. The idea of how I wanted everything was clear as day, and I couldn’t wait to execute it.
Banks rose to his feet with a proud smile. “You ready to see it?”
I bobbed my head, too nervous to verbally respond. When Banks turned it around, my eyes instantly began to sting as I blinked back tears. It wasn’t the best-looking thing, but he’d gotten his point across well. There were sunflowers, music notes, hearts, paint brushes, and smiley faces. He used vibrant colors, and I was actually surprised it didn’t look as bad as I thought it would.
