Page 34 of The Breaking Pointe
Curiosity rules me for a moment, so I make my way down to her, standing behind her.
“You alright?”I ask softly.
“You have so many sculptures.So much pottery.”She turns around, still in her drenched clothes.“They have to be beyond expensive.”
“Not necessarily. Once I buy the supplies that I need, the only thing that is expensive is my time to make it.”I snicker to myself.
She gives me a blank stare, then softly starts to laugh in disbelief.
“Nu-uh. You made all this?” she hesitates to inquire. “Dare I say, yes?” I ask, preparing for the worst.
Her smile drops as she continues to zone out on me, blinking a few times before she laughs more.“Why the hell do you downplay yourself so much?You are such an asshole.”She runs a hand through her hair, showing her glow of a smile.
Itcontagiouslytransferstome.
“It’s not something I’ve been very open about.Usually people don’t care about that side of me.” I lean over to the couch, grabbing the clothes I had tossed earlier.
I hold them out for her as I stand in front of her again. “Well, now you have someone who does. It’s beautiful work, Colton. You should be proud,” she says, taking the clothes, yet giving me an assertive stare.“You’re full of surprises, you know?”
I glance down, swaying a little as I push damp strands of hair out of my face.
“You seem to like them. That’s enough for me.” I shrug. “Get changed, so you don’t catch a cold, will ya?” I turn to jog back to the kitchen.
Listening to her follow behind me, I start to open cup- boards.
“The bathroom is on the right at the end of the hall. I’m gonna make pasta, if you’re still hungry,” I say, praying she still is.
“Pasta, yes.But no meat,” she confirms.
“You a vegetarian? Or vegan, or something like that?” I ask, turning to face her as I grab a pan from one of the hooks above the island, reaching above her.
She looks up at me with chaste eyes, smiling tenderly. “Vegetarian. I find my protein in other ways.” She purses her lips, still smiling before stepping around me, trailing off to the bathroom.
She leaves me there, lingering with her comment. Instead of the heavily drenched clothes weighing on me, her words were taking their place.
Itdidn’ttakeNoellelongtobecomecomfortable.Sheeven
gives Bonnie the play date of her life while waiting for food to be done. I simply have the pleasure of listening to them tire each other out until Bonnie falls asleep and Noelle decides to wander off into a different part of the condo. While listening to silence is nice, the food is pretty much ready, and I’m still standing alone in the kitchen.Which I don’t mind, but every five to six minutes the lights flicker, and I don’t want her to get freaked out when she can’t find her way back down the hall.
Before setting off to search for her, I set the table, which doesn’t take long. It’s incredibly small, and normally I never eat at it since I live alone. I guess, finally, it’s getting some decent use.Everything is getting decent use, all the way down to the goddamned silverware.
I place our plates across from each other, then grab the hand towel, readying myself to go find her.
“It smells so good in here, my God,” Noelle says, walking into the kitchen, as if she read my mind.
“There you are.Where were you?”I ask as she stands beside the dining table.
“Looking out the windows.We’re like skyscrapers up here.” She giggles.
I puff out a quick laugh, grabbing the pot and beginning to plate our food.
“Have a seat, sweetheart, the food is ready.You want some wine?” I ask, glancing at her as I plate her food.
She watches me, sitting in her seat. “I’d love some, thank you.” She nods, looking at her food in awe.
I set the pot back on the stove then snag an unopened bottle from my wine shelf on the counter, holding up a bottle of Meiomi Pinot Noir to show her.
“This one is really great. I love it.” I grab two glasses and set them on the table, grabbing the corkscrew to open the bottle.
