Page 71 of Stalked By Shadows
“It’s fine,” I said. “I like it the way it is, remove your frowny face.”
“The hem is a little crooked.”
“Who else is going to be on their knees at my feet to notice?”
His cheeks turned pink. It was a look I was really starting to love on him. I pulled my kilt out of his grasp and returned to my little chair. “Carry on,” I waved a hand at him. “Don’t mind me. I’m going to lounge in my new kilt on my new pillow case and watch the magic happen.”
He glanced my way, studying me a minute before digging out the next project. I didn’t ask. He didn’t offer explanations, though the tension in his shoulders eased the longer I sat there. He actually began to cut the vinyl piece I gave him into squares. I watched him change the needle and find a dark thread that looked really thick.
“Will you start modeling again? Those cosplay pictures, I mean.”
“Maybe,” Micah said absently. “I’d have to find a new photographer. My old one was in Dublin.” His tone had a tiny lilt to it when he said Dublin. The first touch of accent I’d heard from him. It was adorable.
“I think you should. If it makes you happy.”
“Maybe. I like making the clothes, but really didn’t like looking at the pictures, though they were well done. We are always the most critical of ourselves and I could find a million flaws in a glance. But I had a pretty big following.”
“I’d follow you anywhere,” I admitted.
He gave me a chagrined smile.
“Not lying,” I said, nestling myself into the cushion. “Even if it sounds cheesy. I’m fascinated. Can’t wait to see what you design next. There’s a whole lot of magic in your head. I don’t know if you understand how amazing that is.”
He ignored my praise and went back to his crafting. Again it was a bit like magic watching him work.
“Is there a method to your madness?” I asked. “You make certain things when you’re in a particular mood?” Right now he looked calm, almost at peace.
“When I need a distraction, I work on more complicated projects, like cosplay, or designing a new pattern. Those things require a lot of focus and concentration, no real time to think about something other than the project. When I quilt or craft it’s more to think. I’ve done so many quilts, bags, boxers, and other basics that they are sort of mindless repetition. Something to lose myself in the motion while my brain wanders a thousand puzzles.”
And somehow that all made perfect sense. The nighttime frenzy of costume making in response to noises in the dark, and daylight crafting for reflection. He was beyond fascinating.
“Today you’re in craft mode. Thinking?” I said.
He nodded. “My brain is loud.” He glanced at me. “I don’t know if everyone’s brain is loud, but mine is always thinking, talking, analyzing. It’s exhausting. This…” he motioned to his sewing, “seems to slow it down a little.”
I had no idea what he was making, it was simply pieces of black vinyl and thread. Then it started to come together as a large tote bag. By the time I watched him sew in the lining and add the handles, I gaped at it. The bag looked like something you’d find in a high-end catalog for over a grand. It wasn’t a purse so much as an open-top tote big enough for a computer and a bunch of books. He added a little key fob to the side, and a large wooden button to the front as a latch before stopping to examine it then passing it my way.
“Um…” I said, floored by his ease and talent to make something amazing out of very little. Completed in less than an hour out of a fabric hank I’d spent no more than ten bucks on. No pattern necessary.
“It’s a simple pattern, but with the right fabric can look really unique and high end,” Micah said. “You seem to need a bag to carry your books and stuff, maybe some extra clothes.” He flushed. “More than a silly dragon pillowcase. I was thinking more fun than practical with that.”
I hugged the pillowcase. “I love the pillowcase and the bag. Wow, fuck, you are like magic or something.”
He waved a hand at me, then went to another drawer and began pulling out rolls of what looked like cut strips of fabric wound into a cake-like shape. “Pick one.”
“Okay?”
“One roll turns into a blanket,” he explained.
Oh. “That simple, eh?”
He gave me a wry grin. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but you don’t need to worry about the details. Pick some colors you like. I don’t have a specific project I need to work on right now, so this is something small to help clear my head.”
That worried me. “Anything I can do?” I prodded, hoping maybe to ease his need for distraction a little.
He shook his head. “Pick a jelly roll so I have something to focus on while I’m sorting things out. Think of it like Tetris. The pieces drop and I have to find places for them. Sometimes I have enough room to fit things together to make it vanish, other times it comes too fast and I get backed up.” He gave me a side eye. “I’m a little backed up. Mentally speaking.”
I grinned at him. “Glad you cleared that up.” I chose a roll that looked like a mix of green, brown, orange, and yellow. It made me think of leaves. He picked it up and began pulling it apart into long strips and sorting it into sections six strips at a time. “You’d tell me if there was something I could help with, right?”