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Jackson smiled. “What do all these colors mean?”
“These are colors I think of when I think of you.”
“You think of me?”
Oleander rolled her eyes and turned her canvas away. “Show me yours.”
Unlike hers, Jackson had actually drawn elements that described Oleander in his mind. sneakers, peonies, stars, a unicorn and all of it laid over watercolor, with Oleander’s name woven through the paint.
“Wow,” was all she said as she slid off her stool and came to stand beside him.
“It’s…” Jackson was at a loss for words as he watched her. “I agree with what you said about not knowing each other well enough for this assignment.”
“And yet, you managed to capture the little things about me.”
“Like you used my favorite colors.”
Oleander’s eyes widened. “Those were your favorite colors?”
Jackson gestured to his green Henley and smiled. “I think every time I’ve seen you, I’ve been wearing one of those colors.”
“Okay, we’re not doing too bad.”
They didn’t stay for the mingling, they left their sangria half finished, grabbed their canvases and slipped out before anyone could stop them. Jackson suggested a walk and Oleander pulled off her heels as they walked hand in hand along the promenade. At the end of the night, Jackson drove to Oleander’s apartment and walked to her front door. He set the canvases just inside her front door, not entirely sure what she would do with them. Then said good night and took a step back, resisting the urge to kiss her. Jackson moved towards the elevators, then changed his mind, rushing back as Oleander started to close the door. He nudged it open gently and stepped inside her apartment, his hands moving to frame her face as he lowered his lips to hers.
Oleander laughed against his mouth as she tugged him closer till her back was against the wall. The kiss was hot and sweet, and he fought the growing desire to press himself against her, so Oleander would know what she made him feel. But he finally pulled away, kissing her once more, and walked out of her apartment.
The following weekend, they attended a cooking class at a pizza place in Newark, where Jackson and the boys had been frequent customers for years. To say Oleander was excited was an understatement, because as soon as they walked in and were handed their aprons, gloves and hairnets, she was squealing about how she wanted to learn to make pizza.
The owner, an older Italian man, gave them instructions and made them watch as he prepared the dough, kneaded it and tossed it around to get the perfect shape and size. It took both Jackson and Oleander a million tries to even flip the dough the right way, but it never came down the way it was supposed to. And after so many failed attempts, they were asked to focus on the sauce. Jackson was glad other than the owner and his youngest son, nobody else was there to watch their absolute disaster. The sauce wasn’t their strong suit either, but at least they didn’t burn it. However, Oleander did steal a lot of pepperoni before they could spread it out across the pizza.
When Jackson parked under her building afterwards, Oleander climbed into his lap in the front seat and they made out till she leaned back and hit the horn, startling them. He walked her to her door and instead of walking away, he kissed her right there. Pressed up against her front door, their hands wandered and her mouth trailed along his jaw and neck till a neighbor chased him off.
Jackson was really proud of what he was able to do and how much Oleander seemed to enjoy all the dates. While he would have liked to take her back to Better Latte Than Never, he knew Saturdays were always a mad rush to get to class, so he opted for a different approach.
Armed with a tall cup of hot chocolate and a bag of danishes for her, Jackson waited outside her building early the next morning. She stumbled out through the main doors, rummaging in her bag, but all Jackson could see was how beautiful she looked. Oleander had clearly rolled out of bed and into her clothes because she was rumpled, messy and cute as fuck. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she was frowning until she looked up and saw him.
When their eyes met, Jackson grinned, watching the frown vanish and her eyes widen.
“What are you doing here?”
“I know you have an early start, so I figured I’d bring you some sustenance.”
Oleander grinned and walked over to him. “You brought me hot chocolate and a croissant?”
“And a few other things, yeah.”
She stretched up and kissed him before settling on her feet to take the drink from him. Oleander closed her eyes and Jackson’s heart stuttered as she sipped on her hot drink. A soft whimper escaped her lips and Jackson laughed.
“I’m also offering chauffeur services, if you need it.”
“Don’t you have class?”
“Not an early one like yours.”
Oleander narrowed her eyes. “How late?”
“My first class isn’t till 11.”
