CHAPTER TWO

She dyed her hair black.

Or rather, she asked me to dye her hair black. It was an easy task. At least much easier than what she asked from me a few nights ago. I remember asking her why she wanted it black when brown suits her just fine. And as usual she kept quiet almost driving me crazy with curiosity before finally revealing her answer. She looked at me, a little rueful and then shrugged her shoulders. “I want you to paint me in my most natural look.”

In other words, she wanted me to capture the real her in my white canvass.

I mouthed a big oh that made her laugh that tinkling laughter that would later haunt me even in my dreams. She sat on a stool a few feet away from me. Her back straight. Her long black hair broke like silk at her shoulders. Her lips small, red and curved into that rare shy smile. Her eyes bright with undisguised excitement. I knew that she was beautiful. But at that moment with the sunlight streaming through the windows she was breath-taking. If angels really do exist, and I believed in all honesty, that those angels would be as beautiful as she was. She only lacked wings and a halo. Other than that her face, heart and soul were more than qualified for the holy position. I never got to tell her this but I always thought that she was sent to me as my angel in human form.

How I wished that there were more than enough angels in heaven. Then maybe, just maybe she would have spent more time here on earth, with me.

“Are you starting?” She asked with barely opened mouth careful not to move too much. If I have asked her not to breathe I was positive that she would try to hold her breath or to at least breathe in carefully through the small opening of . Wanting to and see that frustrated look on her face, I tucked my still clean brush behind my ear then smirked at her. “Not yet. But don’t I look like a professional?” I asked wiggling my brows like a villain in villain Ville making her drop in pure annoyance.

Just as I predicted her nose twitched. And then her version of shouting, that sounded more like a notch higher than a loud whisper, followed. Threats of me waking up with just three strands of hair and my abnormally beautiful face painted the brightest yellow started. When her words pierced like flowers she let out a word that sounded wrong on her delicate lips. I raised a brow. She groaned, raised her little fists and ran after me, laughing.

That was the end of my first attempt.

That night she came to me with a small guarded smile. I smiled back as I moved to give her space to sit on. I watched her at the corner of my eyes, careful not to get caught. Her head was slightly tilted towards the night sky. The moon was not out but the stars brightened up the sky like a million twinkling lights. Her lips ripped into that smile I knew so well. She reached out her hands as if she was trying to grab a star. After a minute or two she gave up. “Beautiful.” She said before finally looking down at me.

For a second I was speechless. My heart started to beat wildly inside my chest. My lips dried. And before I could stop myself I held her gaze and spoke the words that have been lingering in my lips for quite some time now. “I wouldn’t use beautiful. Not with you here in comparison.”

And to my delight she blushed. “You are too generous.”

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