Hunnam Number Challenge: Canvas

Words: 898

“The paint is supposed to go where?”

You were standing in the center of your living, or at least what’s left of it. In the thirty minutes, it took you to get a movie and ingredients for tonight’s dinner you entire living room had been rearranged. Furniture was pushed against the wall, sheets from the guest rooms draped over their surfaces, to clear the floor.

Charlie, who was concentrating on carefully pouring the blue paint, stole a quick glance in your direction. “On your body.” The casual nature of his response wasn’t enough to convince you that he was serious.

The thing is, Charlie loves to dabble. He dabbles in everything. He hears a new song, and might get the urge to pick up a guitar. You go to a restaurant and fall in love with a dish, and Charlie’s buying whatever is necessary to make it at home. Recently, he’s been dabbling in art: painting in particular. And here’s the thing, he’s really good at trying new things out. If his attempts aren’t perfect, they come pretty damn close.

“And what is this for again?” You asked, your brow raised.

“A project.” The grin on his face brought a smile to yours. Even from across the room, you could see the excitement dancing in his bright blue eyes. Talking him down would be difficult. He was already dressed the part, his sweats and ratty t-shirt willing to take a few hits of paint if necessary. His mind was already made up. “A personal one.”

“Sure you’re not just trying to get me naked?”

“I don’t need the paint to do that, darling.”

You push against his chest a giggle leaving your lips as he stopped to kiss you. “Stop, this isn’t helping convince me. Is this even safe? It’s-”

“The paint is fine.”

You shook your head. “No.”

“I just wanna try it out,” he continued as you dropped your face in your hands. “All you have to do is lay still. Besides, I could go get someone else to be my canvas…”

“Fine.” Stepping out of your shoes, you reach down to pull your sundress over your head. “Just so you know, I better not hear any complaints during My Fair Lady tonight.”

“None whatsoever, although this would have been the hundredth time we’ve seen it.” Charlie promised, the boyish grin on his face making you stand on your toes to press a quick kiss against his lips. 

“Where am I supposed to lay?”

Taking your hand in his, Charlie moved you to the center of the room. You lay down on your stomach, resting your cheek against your arm, listening to his movements. Reaching forward, Charlie gathers your hair in his hands before letting it rest over your shoulder.

A cold sensation sent a shiver down your spine, the warmth of his hand quickly taking it away.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, the heat of his hand remaining against the center of your back.

“How long is this going to take?” You ask as you shift into a more comfortable position.

“Try and stay still,” he scolded, the lingering of his fingers against your lower back causing you to take a deep breath.

“Easy for you to say,” you huff. “You’re the one doing all the touching.”

Despite the cool strokes against your back, you do your best to remain still. You don’t need to see his face to know any trace of that boyish grin is gone. He was in full concentration mode, each of his strokes meticulous as he stole a few glances to the photo propped up beside your head.

You still remember the exact moment it was taken. Three years ago you were on a family vacation in Greece, celebrating your parent’s wedding anniversary. Charlie had woken you and practically carried you out the house, not after a few good hits for disrupting your sleep. The sun hadn’t even began to rise yet.

“I wanna show you something,” he’d smiled as he started leading you through the deserted streets. An hour later, you were at the highest vantage point he could find, overlooking the city and ocean. You would never forget the sunrise or the smile on his face. You knew Charlie inside and out. Smiling, was part of the package. He did it a lot. Only, this smile was different. It was one you only saw in fleeting, not meant to be seen moments.  It was a smile that came when he found himself falling in love with you all over again.

You remained as still as possible, listening to your surroundings. You listened to his breathing and the way he recounted the story behind the picture. It amazed you how differently he remembered the events of that day. It might be because you were both on two different ends of the spectrum. He had been nervous while you were oblivious. He had been carrying the ring in his pocket for nearly two months. Each time he felt the moment might be perfect he hesitated. There was no doubt in his mind that you would say yes. He just wanted the moment to be perfect. He knew you didn’t like attention, so nothing public. He knew as soon as you reached the top of the cliff it was the perfect moment. When he was finished, he stopped to snap a few quick photos. Stopping to kiss your cheek, Charlie smiled as you released a deep breath. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”