Knox's Little Annie

13

Every few seconds, I found myself glancing at Knox nervously as I sat down on my carpeted floor. Pulling out the paint, brushes, and canvases I have stored under my bed, I laid them out in front of me.

"You don't have anything to put down to protect the carpet?" Knox asked as he sat down across from me.

I eyed the arms length of distance between us, my heart still beating furiously. I passed him a canvas and small paint pallet before placing my set of brushes between us to share.

"It's okay if it gets messy." I shrugged, missing the way Knox's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise.

Carefully, I unboxed my paints and mindfully started selecting my palate.

I started to get so absorbed in the ideas floating around my head, I almost completely forgot that Knox was even there. With a pencil in hand, I drew out a sketch of a vase of my favorite flowers, Lilies. It's not something I would usually paint but I found comfort in the simplicity of the idea.

I was just about to grab a brush when Knox's voice startled me as it reached my ears. "How often do you paint?" He asked.

I spared him a glance, he was seemingly just as equally invested in his canvas. He had already adorned his pallet with paints and he didn't so much as look up as he asked the question.

"Not as much as I used to but sometimes." I said, trying and failing to peak at what he had started to paint on his canvas. He had it angled just enough away from me so I couldn't see what it was.

I refocused my attention on my lilies. I took my time, letting myself get lost in each stoke. I wasn't particularly skilled at painting but I did find solace in creating something that didn't always have to be perfect. This was a different kind of therapy for me - one that didn't make me feel quite so broken inside.

Soon enough I found my heart rate evening out and my nerves settling - almost comfortable.

It didn't last long, however, as I flicked my brush just a bit too hard and some of the paint flew threw the air and splattered on Knox's arm. I gasped, my eyes growing wide.

Knox looked down at the giant green blob on his otherwise clean arm before meeting my horrified gaze. I opened my mouth to apologize but before I could, he flicked his own brush in my direction. A giant glob of yellow paint hurled at me.

I jerked back in shock, gaping between Knox and the paint that now sat on my leg. Any form of apology I was planning to say abruptly died on my tongue.

"Knox!" I gasped, "Mine was an accident!" I looked down at the mess, gaping like a fish - unsure what exactly to do.

"Mine was too. Just like this one." Knox mocked.

I looked up just in time to watch him flick more paint at me, splattering all down my arm.

I sputtered in astonishment. Gritting my teeth at his audacity, I scooped up a giant bit of paint and lunged at his face. He raised his hands, clearly taken by surprise, but I successfully landed a thick line down his cheek.

Knox bit his tongue, a new fire dancing in his eyes as he dipped his fingers into his pallet. Having completely abandoned his brush, he smeared paint all down both my arms with his bare hands.

My breath hitched as the coldness of the paint coated me. Knox barking out a laugh after he pulled away.

It became a completely frenzy after that. Each of us took handfuls of paint and smeared them on whatever part of each other we could reach. From his arms, to my cheek, to his neck, it continued to go back and forth until we were almost completely covered.