I avert my eyes, feeling overwhelmed all of sudden. I’m not sure whether it’s a bad type of overwhelmed or a good type of overwhelmed. I’m not used to feel so overwhelmed by women’s beauty, so it’s a little bit weird for me.

But let us imagine for a second that Tina is indeed art.

It is commonly supposed that feeling overwhelmed by art is completely appropriate. This is a good type of overwhelmed. Art is meant to give us pleasure, arouse aesthetic emotions. Although it is certainly not impossible to have art that arouses disgust that you would also consider beautiful, but that’s another story. Therefore, you see, being overwhelmed by Tina is a good thing and is appropriate and not weird after all, which proves the theorem. That means I can stare all I want, right?

I turn my gaze back to her. Her eyes are already open, though she still seems very far away. I wonder where her mind is right now.

”Enjoying the view?” I ask softly.

The slightest smile tugs at her lips. ”It’s beautiful…”

”I’m glad you like it.”

She finally makes eye contact. ”It makes me want to write.”

I smile at that. ”You know, this is interesting, because just now I was standing there at the door, watching you against the background of all this beauty, and what I was seeing made me want to paint.”

She breaks into a wide smile. ”It’s like we’re on the same wavelength in terms of creativity. We’re in it together, experiencing the joy of creation…”

Goodness gracious… How she talks…

”Yeah…” I manage to say and that’s all I can at the moment, because I’m currently trying to fight the urge to wrap her in my arms and kiss her properly.

”Your hair is curly even wet!” she exclaims in childlike wonder. Reaching out her forefinger, she smoothes back a damp curl that has fallen over my eye.

Gulp. Her finger doesn’t even make contact with my skin, yet the sensual way she touches my hair, the heat coming off her hand sends electric waves traveling through every fiber of my body, as if there are thousands of nerve endings in that single lock of hair.

”Thick curly hair. I’ve always wanted that,” Tina claims as her hand falls back to her side. Phew.