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Mickie
As the final notes of the opera lingered in the air, I sat in my seat with tears streaming down my face. I didn’t give a second thought to anyone around me or their opinion of my emotional reaction. I was absorbing the music that had unraveled every thread of every emotion I had, weaving a tapestry of joy and sorrow. It was a visceral feeling that had always drawn me to the opera since Aunt Bev took me as a little girl.
The resonance of the soprano’s voice echoed in the depths of my heart, awakening feelings I hadn’t known were lodged within me. The applause of the audience surrounded where I sat, staring at the closed curtain, lost in the poignant beauty of the performance and the cathartic release of feelings that’d overtaken me.
I wanted to stay in this moment forever, absorbing the emotions it seemed I’d buried as a defense mechanism, always scared to feel them until now. I couldn’t put into words how moved I was by the performance and how cracked open to the core I felt.
“Are you okay?” John asked, his hand massaging gently over the bare skin of my back.
The tingling sensations of his warm and sturdy hand grazing over the cool skin of my back jolted me out of my emotional state. I sniffed and took the handkerchief he offered me.
I couldn’t resist the urge to smile at him. His expression reminded me that some people are moved by the opera, and some just endure it. It seemed we were both moved by it.
“You definitely know what you’re doing,” I sniffed while blotting my wet cheeks.
“Oh? How so?” he said, smiling at the elderly couple exiting our shared box.
“I assume this was all part of your plan to get laid tonight?”
He chuckled as his face returned to its natural mischievous expression. “Well, if I’m honest, that’s been my plan since the first night I met you. However,” he paused and shrugged, “I think it’s obvious that’s what I want, given that I have an amazing hotel room waiting for us once you’re ready to leave this place.”
I stared at his flirty and cocky grin. I wanted this man more than ever, with or without a relationship. I didn’t care anymore. My hormones were raging, replacing those intense feelings the opera had stirred moments ago.
“That’s interesting,” I started with a smile, standing with him, “because I’m not horny. I’m inspired.”
He took my hand and placed it in the bend of his arm, leading us out of the area, “Inspired? That might be a good thing for a little late-night hotel room fun. I like it.”
I think what had me falling for John was his cocky but playful personality. It’s like he was a big kid who wanted to play and live life at full throttle all the time, yet he was serious when the situation called for it. I loved the way he weaved all of that together. However, right now, this was the playful side of him—the excited side—that believed he was about to get something. And I loved that I could play around a bit and watch his expressions as I deflated his balloon.
“Hmm,” I responded thoughtfully. “That’s not the inspiration I’m talking about.”
I glanced up at him as he walked regally through the theater hall, “No?”
“No,” I responded with a smile.
He covered my hand that rested on his forearm with his own, “Then what exactly, my dear, are you inspired to do after that performance, which seemed to make you quite emotional?”
“Draw,” I said, biting my lip to keep from smiling. “Yeah, that’s what I’d like to do.”
“Draw?” he stopped while people moved around us to exit the theater.
“Yeah, I used to draw and paint when I was little. I just feel inspired to do that right now.”
“You’re fucking with me, right?”
“No,” I said with a confident grin, knowing this man was most likely getting laid but having fun seeing his reaction.
His confused, youthful, and sexy-as-sin expression changed as he took my hands into his. “Well,” he said, his eyes staring intently and challenging into mine, “if you want to draw, then I’m down for that.”
I was confused, but I knew what he was doing. Since our camping trip, I could quickly tell that John was picking up on when I was fucking with him, and when he did, he would give it right back. I had to be careful, or I wouldn’t be getting laid tonight, and he would intentionally play this out to the very end just to call me on my bullshit.
Something inside me wanted to enjoy this, though. I wanted to see how far John would take this little game.
“Really?”
His eyes glistened under the fancy chandeliers where we stood, “Absolutely.”
“What if I want to draw right now at the hotel?”
