5. Chapter 5
Today is my first art therapy class. Over the last few days, I”ve been getting to know Carlee. Every time I see her sitting out in the sun sketching in her sketchbook, I can’t ignore her. Whether it’s her beauty, or her serenity or something indefinable, I’m drawn to her and like spending time with her. Without a doubt in my mind, I am convinced that she’s meant to be in my life. I just know.
Even though I”m falling harder for her than I have any right to, there”s no way in hell I can walk away, either. Since dawn, I’ve been waiting for the therapy class to begin. Not because I think the therapy is going to help me, but because I get to see Carlee. I get to see her doing what she loves. I”m hoping I can convince her to spend some time with me after class too.
I”m watching more of the sign language videos that Faith is assigning to me. All my free time is dedicated to learning it. I’m guessing most of the staff around here knows it, because they learned when Faith”s husband was here. Carlee has even been learning it, so I am looking forward to being able to talk more with her without the tablet”s hindrance.
I”m so zoned in the videos that I jump when the lights flicker indicating someone is at the door
When I look up, I find Noah standing there with a concerned look on his face.
Turning off the videos, I wave him to sit down while I open the notepad on my tablet.
Are you okay? You seem really out of sorts today,Noah says.
Yeah, to be honest, I”m a bit nervous about this art therapy. I figured I would go over some of my videos to distract myself, I tell him truthfully.
I think you will really benefit from art therapy. It teaches you to look at things a different way while letting go and just being. Plus, I think the teacher is pretty good if I do say so myself, he smirks.
At the mention of Carlee, I break into a smile. There”s no hiding it that I”ve got it bad, but I wouldn”t have it any other way.
The teacher definitely has something to do with me being nervous about this class. This is what she does and what she loves, and I can”t wait to experience it. Though art is not really my thing. I think the fanciest I”ve gotten with drawing is stick figures with clothes on them, I admit.
Noah nods. Yeah, most of the guys who join the military have no artistic experience. It”s all about giving you another way to think through things and to see things from another point of view. You will do great. I’ll talk with you again with you after the class.
Once Noah leaves, I finish the video I was watching, and then head down to the dining room. Since the class is right after lunch, I’m going to eat now. As I watch all the people around me, I try to remember what the sounds of being in a dining hall were like.
The dishes clattering, people talking, and silverware hitting the plates as people ate. Even the sound of laughter, I still remember and can hear it in my dreams. Though most of my dreams have been completely full of Carlee.
Going early to the art class, I find I”m the first one there and Carlee is still setting up. I tap my knuckles on the door frame to get her attention. She looks up, smiling and waves before walking right over to me and takes the tablet. Over the past few days, it’s become our little tradition.Even though Noah signed me up for your class, I”m really eager to be here. I want to see what you do and what you get excited about. Don”t expect too much from me. Stick figures are about the top of my ability.
That causes her to laugh as she reads it. At this moment, I would give anything to hear that laugh.
She continues to type away on the tablet before handing it back to me.
I assume most soldiers don”t join the military because they have a fantastic art ability, so we”re starting super easy today, I promise. And I”ll give instructions to the class and then I’ll come back and type it out for you.
Thank you. Hopefully, one day soon, just having an interpreter will be enough. I”m pushing hard to learn. As it’ll give me back more freedom.
I”ve been learning it, too. My niece has been super excited about teaching me. Though I think what she’s most excited about is being able to have a conversation that her parents don”t understand. It”s gotten her in trouble at the dining room table a few times already.
I laugh at that one, but then she looks at me weirdly, so I take the tablet back and ask her if everything is okay. She smiles and types, handing it back to me.
Everything is great. That was just the first time I got to hear you laugh. I guess for some reason, I didn”t think that you would still be able to laugh, which means you could probably still talk if you needed to. But I think sign language is the best option for you. It”ll be like we have our own secret code and private language when we talk around other people.She smiles mischievously as others start to files into the room.
Taking a seat near the front of the room because I want to get the best view of her as other people start taking their seats. She greets each person with a smile, though not quite as big as the one with which she greeted me.
My ASL teacher showed me this really neat feature on the tablet that I can turn on and it will dictate what”s being said around me. So as Carlee starts talking, I turn it on. She is moving around as she speaks, so it”s not perfect, but I can get a sense of what she”s saying.
After a few minutes, everyone picks up their paintbrushes and start painting. When she walks over to me, I exit out of the program and open up the notepad. She picks up the tablet, types out the instructions for me.
Once I start, she heads back to the front of the room and begins painting on a canvas. I am mesmerized watching her go at it. Painting a flower from nothing but the image in her mind is something I want to try. When I attempt to replicate what she does, by the time I”m done, it looks like a five-year-old tried to copy a masterpiece.
She walks around looking at everyone”s paintings, giving tips and advice. I can tell she loves it because she has a beaming smile on her face the entire time. When she gets to me, she places her hand on my arm before she picks up the tablet.
I love her soft skin on mine. The feeling is a shock to my system and has my cock taking notice. I’m always fighting getting hard with her around, but when she has her hands on me it’s impossible to hide.
That is much better than a stick figure.She types, handing the tablet back to me.
Well, I had a really good teacher, and I just tried to mimic what she did.I offer her a small smile. Yeah, I used to be so much better at flirting.
With fascination, I watch a light blush coat her cheeks as she types out on the tablet again. Fuck, she is so sexy, and she doesn’t even know it.
It just takes practice. You”ll get the hang of it in no time.
With you as my teacher, I have no doubt. Will you join me for a walk in the garden after class?I ask.
Normally, I wouldn”t ask something like that in the middle of class surrounded by everyone, but being that we are using the tablet, no one else can hear the conversation. So I feel comfortable asking her.
Yes, I’d like that. I have to clean up afterward, but once I”m done, I can go.
I”ll stay and help you clean up. I offer my help. Every extra minute with Carlee is a bonus.
Nodding, her eyes light up and she smiles. Then she hands me back the tablet and moves on to helping the next person.
Taking another look at my painting, I’m dubious and am wondering what I should get out of this class. If it”s hope that I”ll find a new skill, well, this definitely, isn”t it. I’ve seen kids draw better pictures in elementary school than in my effort at painting. Still, I”m pretty proud of it. But it”s better than anything I have drawn or painted before. When I look back at Carlee”s painting at the front of the class, I notice she put her signature in the bottom right-hand corner. So, I do the same with my signature. I think that means my painting is done.
Thankfully, Carlee walks back up to the front of the class, and I turn the transcribe app back on right before she starts talking. Wrapping up the class, she tells everyone to leave their paintings to dry and to pick them up next week.
As everyone leaves, I help Carlee clean the brushes, put the paint away, and move them to the side of the room so they can dry well. She puts the easels away and does some other cleaning.
Once the room is tidy, she smiles at me and nods towards the door. I follow her outside to the garden that I haven”t been to yet. Spending time with her the last couple of days on the lawn has been my priority. This is the first time I get to see the garden, and it really is beautiful.
Stone walls line the garden, and there are plenty of different seating areas, including a swing. There”s a creek with a little waterfall that runs through it, walking paths with flowers and garden decorations. It’s peaceful, colorful and charming.
Carlee leads us to the swing, where she sits and reaches for my tablet.
I plan on painting the garden next. I think, so far, it”s probably my favorite place on the whole property,she says.
I can see why. It”s absolutely beautiful and serene.I tell her.
We sit and talk and I tell her about Faith coming in and working with me on my ASL lessons. It’s fun to show her a few of the signs that I”ve learned.
She surprises me by telling me she is also taking some lessons, so she”ll be able to talk to me. After telling me how her paintings are going, she drops the biggest bombshell.
I told my sister about the accident and how I couldn”t have kids.
I take a moment to think about my response to Carlee telling her, but I can”t get a read on how it went either.
How did it go?I ask hesitantly.
Pretty well. She promised not to tell my mom just yet. But agrees that I should tell her. Though she also understands my reasoning for not telling her right now. We cried together. She felt really guilty about not being there when the accident happened, but she couldn’t have been because she didn’t know. By the time I was able to call them and tell them I was being released from the hospital, I was numb.
After we finished crying, we ate our weight in ice cream, watched a movie and had a sister night that we really needed.
As I’m reading this, it makes me glad her sister is supporting her. It was a big deal for her to talk to her sister and get it out into the open.
As we swing, she rests her head on my shoulder and I can tell that she doesn”t need my words, just me being here for her right now. So we sit and swing and watch the world around us.
Supporting her like this is easy. I’ve got this.