Page 13 of Her Braun
"Or maybe I can take you to dinner after I pay you for fixing the hole." She held out her hand for a handshake to settle the deal. He took it without a second thought. A chance to touch her? He wasn't about to give that up without a fight.
"Sounds like a deal."
Color climbed into her cheeks, and he wondered if he'd overstepped somehow.
He let go of her hand and lowered his to his side. "So I guess now you have to decide on a color for your bedroom."
He gestured at the massive wall. "Are you looking for pink?"
She looked back at the paint chip in her hand and shook her head. "I admit it drew my eye, but no. I couldn't look at it for long and I while I'll be in the room the most when it's dark, I do want my room to be... a refuge, not a punishment."
He nodded.
"The name is kind of funny, though."
He had an idea. "You like funny names?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened it up. He went to a browser and typed out a search. "I remember seeing this awhile back. There's an online article on funny paint names. Just a second... Here."
He stepped to Kay's side and held the phone down where he thought it would be a comfortable height for her.
She read the first color aloud and laughed. "Arsenic." She stopped laughing quickly and brought the phone closer to her face. "It's actually a nice color. Almost a sea green."
He nodded. He could see that. "The color is nice, but I don't know what they were thinking, naming it after a poison."
She stroked her finger up along the screen to scroll through the article and he was struck by how delicate her fingers were.
No, not delicate. Elegant?
"Careless Whispers." Her voice had softened. "That's WHAM, right?"
"I think so," he held his breath as she moved closer, almost standing right in front of him. It made it easier for her to see it, but he could also smell her hair. It was a clean scent, with a hint of something like spice. He could breathe her in forever.
"Snugglepuss?" She sounded like she sighed out the word and it did something to his insides. "Oh," her voice lifted, "I think they meant Mister Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street?” She shook her head. "Nope. He was brown, I think. But this is a nice purple."
"Purple for your bedroom? I've never done purple before."
She leaned to the side and look back over her shoulder at him. "How many bedrooms have you painted?"
"Painted?" He made sure to clarify. "A few. But that's all I did."
She blushed and turned away. She continued to scroll and only slowed slightly at, "Dead Salmon? Ewww."
He agreed. "I think I wouldn't choose that just on the title alone."
"I agree... But what is a Disco Nap? Never mind," she continued to scroll. "Hyperlink isn't half bad, but it's a little dark for me."
The next color was called Marry Me, but Gibson was glad she passed over that one.
His mind was whirling already, having her near, he didn't need his head mulling over that phrase.
Marry Me.
"Hmm?" She looked up at him. "What did you say?"
"I don't think I said anything."
"Oh," she looked a little shaken, "I thought I heard... never mind. You know. I kind of want to look at Arsenic. Maybe it's just a morbid doctor thing, but I think it might be a nice accent wall thing. I saw that in Pinterest. Where you make one wall a color and the others a different color."
"So you get this color you like but you don't have to have too much of it."
