‘Pandamonium’ Group show @ Signal Gallery, London. http://www.signalgallery.com/
Holding hands may seem like an innocent gesture, but they show more than a simple interlocking of fingers. Your hands are one of the most essential parts of your body: you build with them, feed with them, hold with them, touch with them, fight with them; they are the tools of the human body. To take a hold of another’s hand is to break from living individually. It is to link yourself to another being, to momentarily entwine your life with another’s, to promise, for a moment, that you need not face the world alone. More simple, more aesthetically naive than other forms of affection, i.e kissing, hugging, sexing.., the act of holding hands is often trivialized in its true implications.
Back on Familiar Soil
And then a taxi pulls up outside the apartment block and the back door of it opens, Jack steps out and it’s good to see he hasn’t changed at all. He’s back in his turtle necks, his jeans, and of course his pencil thin moustache is firmly fixed in place. Nobody would ever talk him into changing THAT let me tell you.
“Katelynn!” he exclaims at seeing her, and already he’s rushing to her, arms out. “Oh god K-Katelynn it’s so—I missed you so much!” Jack wraps his arms around her, pulling the shorter woman against him while the taxi driver works at getting his luggage out of the boot.
It felt so instantaneous – one second she had been standing there among the crowds like any other face, hard to distinguish and yet Jack had scoped her out without problem and she was swept up in his arms the next second, eyes blinking as she felt arms wrap around her.
Arms she had missed.
Heart pounding in a mixture of pain and joy, her own thin arms hugged him tightly to her person as she nuzzled into his chest, lashes moistening as tears began to collect at the corner of her eyes before falling down her cheeks. His smell, his body, his everything – how much she had missed it, craved it and now he was back, his voice filling her senses as the rest of him wrapped around her like a security blanket.
“J-Jack…” she choked out, unable to speak as her lips trembled from the force of her emotions. Her knees wobbled a bit and she clung to him tighter, all other thoughts, all other sounds blocked out.
“I-I missed you more…”
He wouldn’t argue with her over something as silly as that, instead he just held onto her for dear life. For a while it had felt as if he wouldn’t see her again, no matter how silly that was, truly. She had only been a phone call, and plane ride, away and yet he’d been incapable of doing either until now. He shivered before pulling back, and swiftly kissed her despite it feeling as if it were their first all over again since he had an eruption of nervousness and worry.
But her lips were warm, soft, and the kind of familiarity he needed right now to help him feel more grounded in the city that he called home. Yes, he’d been away, but he was back now and never again was he going to do something like this. He loved his art, of course he did, but he loved Katelynn more.
Back on Familiar Soil
The past few months had felt like a dream, a nightmare, and a whirlwind all at once.
Jack Maple. He’d been unknown, once. Sure he’d gotten some work put in a gallery but suddenly the mayor purchased one of his works to be displayed in City Hall. Then the orders began pouring in. People wanted to meet him. They wanted more of his work. He pulled so much out of storage to keep up with demands but then his manager had informed him he’d gotten him a ‘gig’ in New York.
Suddenly he was there, rubbing shoulders with the rich and artistic, whilst staying on the phone with Katelynn at night, missing her terribly. He hated missing out on the passing of her mother, and everything else, he hated being away.
But finally he’d ripped himself away from the people. He still had a lot of work to do, and had an open gallery travelling the country now without him (he really didn’t want to travel that much), and now heading home. He’d gotten in a plane, and now finally he was touching down in Metro City airport and he felt heartache at seeing the city.
How fast he’d come to love it, call it home, despite the dangers. But mostly, it was home, because she was here.
Needless to say he got in the first taxi he could to get home.
Having freshened up the best she could in a cute outfit and combing her hair to look presentable, Katelynn waited out on the sidewalk of their apartment complex for him, leaving their dogs inside the apartment as she wanted a chance with him first.
Bouncing on her heels, she cupped her palms together, heart aching for the one she loved. It was the longest she had been without him ever since they had paired up and each day felt like an eternity to her. She hating thinking she was clingy but the fact of the matter was that it just felt strange without seeing his wonderful smile.
Her eyes darted around as she waited for any tell-tale sign that he was there and that the text hadn’t been a dream. She even made sure to reread it several times to make sure.
She didn’t want to wake up in bed and find out it was indeed a dream.
I can’t wait to see you..! she mentally cheered, biting down on her lip and trying to keep out of the way of the other people moving around her. They towered around her, shielding her from view so she had to side-step them at times to see the cars passing by in front of her.
And then a taxi pulls up outside the apartment block and the back door of it opens, Jack steps out and it’s good to see he hasn’t changed at all. He’s back in his turtle necks, his jeans, and of course his pencil thin moustache is firmly fixed in place. Nobody would ever talk him into changing THAT let me tell you.
“Katelynn!” he exclaims at seeing her, and already he’s rushing to her, arms out. “Oh god K-Katelynn it’s so–I missed you so much!” Jack wraps his arms around her, pulling the shorter woman against him while the taxi driver works at getting his luggage out of the boot.
Back on Familiar Soil
The past few months had felt like a dream, a nightmare, and a whirlwind all at once.
Jack Maple. He’d been unknown, once. Sure he’d gotten some work put in a gallery but suddenly the mayor purchased one of his works to be displayed in City Hall. Then the orders began pouring in. People wanted to meet him. They wanted more of his work. He pulled so much out of storage to keep up with demands but then his manager had informed him he’d gotten him a ‘gig’ in New York.
Suddenly he was there, rubbing shoulders with the rich and artistic, whilst staying on the phone with Katelynn at night, missing her terribly. He hated missing out on the passing of her mother, and everything else, he hated being away.
But finally he’d ripped himself away from the people. He still had a lot of work to do, and had an open gallery travelling the country now without him (he really didn’t want to travel that much), and now heading home. He’d gotten in a plane, and now finally he was touching down in Metro City airport and he felt heartache at seeing the city.
How fast he’d come to love it, call it home, despite the dangers. But mostly, it was home, because she was here.
Needless to say he got in the first taxi he could to get home.
First, What Is Your Name?
“You’re just saying that.” he mumbles but with a small smile on his face. Then he turned around to grab his boots, tugging them onto his socking clad feet. He gave his feet a little shake, before getting to his full height again.
“All right, let’s g-go!”
Oh she loved this, the two of them being spontaneous without a real destination, simply enjoying each others company as she followed him out of the apartment, keeping close to his side and feeling so grateful she wasn’t under the spell of the magic anon anymore. Because now I can enjoy this.
She was already lost in visions of a candlelit dinner as cliche as it sounded, perhaps even dancing with him if he wanted.
But no matter what, as long as she was with him, the evening would be magical to her, because she had her love by her side.
First, What Is Your Name?
He was just pulling his jeans on when she re-entered the bedroom and he glanced at her, and smiled faintly. “Oh, you look lovely…!” he complimented since, honestly, it was true. She always looked nice and he hoped he matched or at least looked like he deserved to be seen with her.
Jack was just reaching for his boots when he stopped and stood up, and observed his hand. “Oh,” he walked over to her quickly and tugged the ring from his finger. “Here..” Jack mumbled as he took her left hand and slowly slid the ring onto her finger again. “Sorry, f-forgot I had it..”
She flushed, feeling the magic of that night all over again as she looked down at her finger and pressed it to her chest. It felt like it had come home to her, the missing weight familiar.
“T-Thank you love,” she replied, kissing his cheek and leaving a lip gloss stain on it. “You look really handsome yourself. Though you look handsome in anything really.”
She took his hand tenderly, smiling in her complete honestly.
“You’re just saying that.” he mumbles but with a small smile on his face. Then he turned around to grab his boots, tugging them onto his socking clad feet. He gave his feet a little shake, before getting to his full height again.
“All right, let’s g-go!”
First, What Is Your Name?
He, in turn, looked down at himself. As usual, Jack was in a loose necked shirt as he worked, and his jeans were splattered with paint. “Probably do me some good to change too…” he mumbled before he walked into the bedroom, past Katelynn who was half in their closet, and he opened his dresser drawer.
“Mmm…” he pulled out a shirt and vest, before he pulled the loose shirt up and off, revealing his blue back. Then he began redressing.
Rummaging around her outfits, Katelynn wondered what to wear for a moment, moving through her clothes. A dress of white and lavender caught her eye, memories of way back in December coming to the forefront of her mind. She had bought the dress for Jack’s gallery opening when they had been only girlfriend and boyfriend but she had never worn it because of her accident.
Now’s a good as time as any, she thought, throwing it on and then going over to the bathroom to run a comb through her hair. Sticking a headband on her hair that was shaped like a silver flower, she twisted her hair up in a bun and then did her make up; lip close and a bit of eyeshadow to match
“O-Okay, ready,” she announced, moving out of the bathroom to see if he was ready. And they say girls take forever to get ready. She giggled.
He was just pulling his jeans on when she re-entered the bedroom and he glanced at her, and smiled faintly. “Oh, you look lovely…!” he complimented since, honestly, it was true. She always looked nice and he hoped he matched or at least looked like he deserved to be seen with her.
Jack was just reaching for his boots when he stopped and stood up, and observed his hand. “Oh,” he walked over to her quickly and tugged the ring from his finger. “Here..” Jack mumbled as he took her left hand and slowly slid the ring onto her finger again. “Sorry, f-forgot I had it..”
First, What Is Your Name?
He smiled genuinely, and nodded his head before lifting her head gently with his hand and kissed her lips but only just. A touch of lips to lips, nothing more, nothing less. Then he pulled away, giving her hip a gentle squeeze.
“Let’s g-go out and have dinner together. In other w-words, let’s go have a date.”
That definitely left her weak in the knees, eyes fogging over a moment because it was just teasing enough for her to try to lean in for more. It took her a second to recollect herself, shaking her head slightly to clear it.
“W-Wha..oh..Oh!” she blushed, looking down at her clothes. “Yes, um..let me go change into something cuter then and we’ll go.”
A date, a real date. Not since Valentine’s Day have we gone out on a date. Oh this is so exciting!
Moving from the room, she rushed over to her closet to pick something cute to wear and do her hair up in a cute way.
He, in turn, looked down at himself. As usual, Jack was in a loose necked shirt as he worked, and his jeans were splattered with paint. “Probably do me some good to change too…” he mumbled before he walked into the bedroom, past Katelynn who was half in their closet, and he opened his dresser drawer.
“Mmm…” he pulled out a shirt and vest, before he pulled the loose shirt up and off, revealing his blue back. Then he began redressing.
First, What Is Your Name?
“Work can wait.” he whispered as he ran his hands down her back slowly until they settled around the small of her back. “You’re m-more important than work.” Jack said since, really, he’d been working two days straight. Work was the only thing that kept his mind even slightly occupied whilst he was worrying over Katelynn.
She couldn’t help the slight shiver of pleasure then, holding onto him tightly for different reasons now and hoping her legs didn’t buckle.
He still easily has this affect on me… she thought, peaking up at his eyes from under his lashes. “T-Then would you like to go out and relax? M-Maybe have some dinner and do something fun..?”
She really couldn’t remember the last time they had gone out, her heart beating in anticipation of his response.
He smiled genuinely, and nodded his head before lifting her head gently with his hand and kissed her lips but only just. A touch of lips to lips, nothing more, nothing less. Then he pulled away, giving her hip a gentle squeeze.
“Let’s g-go out and have dinner together. In other w-words, let’s go have a date.”
Jack Maple 