Tanya yawned and stretched like a cat, her senses filled with summer. She smelled the sweet scents of flowers, trees, the many grasses. The world seems to blaze around me, alive with color, she thought. And so many shades for each color. I wonder if I can ever come close to capturing even half of them. Tanya bent and pulled a strand of grass from the base of the nearest tree and nibbled it.
Kevin…she smiled as she realized he was again in her thoughts, never far from them, always close, as close as the touch of sunlight on her face.
She gathered her art supplies and glanced toward Kevin's house. Kevin's portrait was underway and coming along well; her landscapes had a faerie quality, as if laughing elves and dancing gnomes might appear at any time. The Bachelor Degree in Visual Arts she had just received pleased her, but not nearly as much as the peace and pleasure of this summer.
Kevin… She headed to his villa, as anxious to see him as always. It seemed the more they were apart during his frequent trips, the closer they became when they were together.
"Kevin?" she said as she entered the villa.
"Back here, love," he replied. "In the studio."
"I was lonely," she said. "Edda and Charles are away and it was much too quiet over there. I started to paint, but my mind wouldn't stay on the work." Tanya lifted her arms over her head and spun around like a small child, laughing.
"I'm nearly done here," Kevin said, watching her impromptu dance with a smile. "As soon as I close down here, I have something I need to discuss with you."
Tanya dropped onto the sofa. "Serious? I hope it isn't too serious. I feel too playful to be serious today."
Kevin stopped his typing for a moment, walked over to her, bent, and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "No. Not serious. Now, be still and let me finish this chapter, then I'll give you my full attention." His hands brushed up her body from her toes, slid under the edge of her shorts, then up and across her T-shirt to the top of her head. She shivered.
Tanya watched Kevin work, his head bent over the keyboard as he typed. Her fingers traced the line of his nose in the air, then his strong jaw line, drawing his features again and again into her memory. His brows creased as he concentrated, then cleared. He had finished. He lifted his head and looked at her.