Paint a Pretty Rainbow Part 3/?
Rating: NC-17
Type: J2-AU
Warning: Angst, Romance and First Time
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing
Words: This part, 2333 words
Part: 3/?
Summary:
Owner of a corporate empire inherited from his father, Jared Padalecki is a talented architect, rich and successful but desperately lonely. Whilst looking at the site for his dream new development, he meets a man who will change his life forever. Can two lonely people break down the barriers of time and find love?
Author’s Note.
Loosely based on the musical Brigadoon (a favourite of mine) but I promise no singing or dancing and I moved the location to the depths of the US, away from Scotland. I hope you enjoy. Calysta
Paint a Pretty Rainbow
by Calysta
Part Three
Previous
Half an hour later…..
Jared stared down at the table trying to ignore that he seemed to be the centre of attention, and had been since he had entered the small town. Well if that’s what you could call the collection of rickety and roughly painted wooden buildings flanking each side of the dusty track Jared had followed. Jared shuddered; the buildings offended his sense of precision and design. He couldn't seem to help himself - his architect brain tended to view life in black and white with straight lines and sharp angles. Precise, exact and accurate.
Jared risked looking up, ignoring a group of giggling girls, seated two tables from him. He glanced around. The town was small, just the dusty track running from one end of the town to the other. He noted the houses were a mixture of wood and rough looking bricks, and could see some were homes, others stores. Ugly, and definitely would be the first to be bull-dozed. A corral on the opposite side of the track housed a couple of horses, and Jared had nearly been run over by a buggy crossing to the dining house. The townsfolk were all dressed similar to Jensen, in work clothes. Jared frowned, the whole feel of the small town seemed off to him, almost old fashioned and stuck in the past. He shook his head dismissing his silliness; the town was obviously some kind of historical enactment. The town seemed crowded, and Jared couldn't help calculating in his head, how much it would cost the company to relocate all the people. They bustled about their business, with more than one curious look in his direction.
Jared stared down at the table again, resisting the temptation to squirm under the scrutiny. Sitting outside the small dining house, Jared felt oddly vulnerable and alone. "You suck," he muttered under his breath, but still hadn't worked up the courage to order breakfast. His one and only attempt at a conversation, an innocent question, had caused the man to stare at him, then run down the track, slamming the door to his house - Jared could still hear the sound of the bolts being banged into place. He fingered his map, trying to figure out exactly where he was, with no success. Banging his head on the table seemed like a good option at the moment. He noticed it out of the corner of his eye, and reached over - a symbol roughly etched into the wooden surface. He traced a finger tip around the gouged out wood. "Freaky," he murmured, recognising it as the same as the one on the bridge. Jared sighed; the girls were still giggling and pointing at him, and Jared could feel himself blushing. He looked up as a plate of breakfast appeared in front of him.
Jensen grinned down at him. "So you decided you were hungry after all?"
Jared shrugged. He eyed the plate; the food looked wonderful, and his stomach grumbled loudly.
"Guess your stomach forgot to tell your brain." Jensen chuckled, moving a small pitcher of milk and two glasses from the tray to the table. "Is your map hungry too?"
Jared glared. "Are you always so annoying?"
Jensen quirked an eyebrow, as he slumped down opposite Jared, with his own plate of food. "My big brother says I am."
"I think I like him already."
Jensen laughed. "I like you Jared Padalecki."
Jared stared at a smiling Jensen. "You don't know me."
Jensen shrugged. "I'd like to get to know you."
"Why?"
"Don't get to meet and talk to many new people."
Jared glanced around. "You could always talk to the giggling girls over there."
"I could, but I think you're probably far more interesting."
Jared couldn't think of a suitable retort, and swallowed not sure why a man he had just met affected him so much. Ignoring the heat of his blush, Jared leant forward, lowering his voice. "Do you think you could let me into a secret?"
"Depends on the secret," Jensen frowned, as he leant closer to Jared. "A secret is a secret for a very good reason, you know." He smirked at Jared.
"Like I said, damn annoying."
"Wouldn't wanna disappoint you."
Jared rolled his eyes. He could feel Jensen's breath against his skin, and shivered. "Okay, so tell me why everybody is staring at me? I tried to ask some guy a question, and he just ran away. And last time, I looked I didn't have horns or anything scary."
Jensen leaned even closer, looking Jared up and down, a grin on his face. He shook his head. "Nope, no horns that I can see. So yeah, not scary at all."
Failing miserably, Jared tried not to fidget under the gaze, and suddenly the urge to punch the grin off Jensen's face overwhelmed him. Or kiss it away, his brain offered, making Jared want to pound his head on the table again, over and over. He settled on another glare. "So, come on spill, why is everybody staring at me?"
Jensen shrugged. "We don’t get many visitors here."
"You don't?"
"Nope, we're kinda outta the way here."
"Isn't that strange for your kind of set up?"
Jensen tilted his head to one side, his expression puzzled. "Set up?"
Jared waved his hand in the air. "You know …. all this, the town, the people."
"Oh," Jensen shook his head. "Nope, don't think so."
Jared frowned, confused. He nodded at the girls on the next table. "So what's the deal with the girls, and all the giggling, and pointing at me?"
"There aint many young men living here." Jensen shrugged again. "They probably like you, although I can't think why."
Jared scowled, and stabbed a piece of meat on his plate. It tasted wonderful, just the way he liked it, melting in his mouth.
Jensen snorted. "Do you always glare and scowl at everyone, or is it just us? I have a feeling you might have a nice smile, if you let yourself."
Jared rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the comment. He stabbed at another piece of meat on his plate.
"Guess not." Jensen said.
"How much do I owe you for breakfast?"
"Your money's no good here."
"I give up," Jared murmured.
Jensen laughed."Don’t worry, it's on me. Call it a gift for not being on your map."
"It's not a crime to want to know where I am."
"Nope, it's not." Jensen pointed his fork at him. "You're in Winchester. Welcome by the way."
Jared glanced around again; Winchester was the weirdest historical enactment he had ever come across. He pointed his knife at the buildings opposite. "Your town's kinda ugly, and the buildings could do with a makeover." The words were out of his mouth before Jared could stop them, and he blushed. "But it certainly does seem authentic."
Jensen cocked his head to one side, the look of confusion back in his expression. "We like it, and home is what you make it."
Jared blushed again. "I didn't mean to be rude."
"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold, and Emma comes out and skins our hides for letting her good food get cold."
"Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, or anyone. It's just I'm an architect. I like buildings … really I do."
"Just not ours?"
"Kinda."
"What does an architect do?"
"You're kidding right?"
Jensen shook his head. "No. I'd really like to know."
Jared narrowed his eyes at Jensen, but couldn't see any hint of teasing in his expression. "You don't know what an architect does? Really?"
"Wouldn't have asked if I knew what one did."
"You sure take your jobs seriously," Jared mumbled.
Jensen frowned. "I guess."
"Okay," Jared said, deciding to play along. "Architects design buildings, towns, malls and stuff. We draw them, and then ensure they get them built to our specification."
"So kinda like an artist?"
"Sorta."
"Sounds interesting." Jensen smiled. "What else do you draw?"
Jared felt strangely flustered at the question. "Nothing really, just the buildings, and towns and cities."
Jensen frowned before nodding. "So you just draw buildings?"
It had been years since Jared had sketched a landscape or done a portrait, or he realised even painted anything in colour. He hadn't even noticed his architect training had gradually smothered the dreamer he had been as a child, and now Jared preferred the preciseness of his blueprints and plans - neat, exact and black and white. Everything else, he put to one side, out of his mind. Jared shrugged. "Pretty much."
Jensen raised an eyebrow. "You mean you draw?" he waved his hand in the air. "But don't bother with painting nature and all that's wonderful around us?"
"No, not really. I'm real busy."
Jensen grinned. "Making sure stuff is on your map?"
"No." Jared glared. " Actually, I'm President of my own company."
"An important man then?"
"Yes. No. May be." Jared couldn't help feeling flustered, and wondered again why Jensen was making him feel like a complete stuttering fool. You like him, his brain helpfully supplied.
Jensen grinned again. "You sure are strange Jared Padalecki."
Jared decided to concentrate on his breakfast, and not the way Jensen smiled at him. Kissing rather than punching was beginning to take precedence for Jared, and he squirmed on the bench seat. He focussed on chewing at his steak, and not the cute guy sitting opposite him. The food was delicious, but hell would freeze over before Jared admitted it. He looked over to Jensen. He wanted answers, had so many questions, but didn't really know where to start, but his dream depended upon it. He reached for the pitcher of milk at the same time as Jensen.
Their hands touched, just a light brush of skin against skin, but Jared thought he could feel the electricity the touch produced through every one of his nerve endings. He shivered slightly, and sucked in a silent breath glancing across at Jensen, who was staring at their hands, transfixed. A strange kind of silence seemed to ring in Jared's ears blocking out all the sounds around them, even the giggling girls, all fading into a weird abyss of silence as they sat, hands still touching for what seemed liked hours, but in reality, was only seconds. Jared pulled his hand away first, hoping Jensen couldn't hear the thumping of his heart. Jensen gave Jared a small shy smile before pouring them both a glass of milk.
"So," Jared finally managed to say. "How long have you been here?"
"I was born here. In the house you saw earlier."
"Oh," the answer surprised Jared, and he frowned. "You were born here?"
"Yep, that's what I said. I've lived here all my life. Most of us have."
Jared's mind was screaming at him. It wasn't possible. His research - hell his own eyes - told him there was no town supposed to be here. He resisted the temptation to pull out his map, and bang it on the table. "But…," he started to say.
"I know," Jensen grinned. "We're not on your map."
"I wasn't gonna say that," Jared snapped.
"No?" Jensen cocked his head to one side, and smirked.
Jared glared. "No."
"As I said earlier, you won't find us on your map."
"And as I said earlier, that's kinda big headed of you. Every town is on a map."
"If you say so," Jensen drained his glass before getting to his feet, and placing some coins on the table.
"Where are you going?"
"I have work to do."
His dream was crumbling before his eyes, and Jared needed answers and now, and decided Jensen was his best option. The fact Jensen was also cute had nothing to do with his decision, he told himself firmly. Liar, a little voice in his head taunted. Jared blew out a long breath. "But I wanted to find out more about your town."
"Really? Why?"
"Just say, I'm an interested party. And I'd really like to learn more."
Jensen narrowed his eyes. "I should just leave your ass here, after what you said about our town."
"I said I was sorry." Jared glanced at the still giggling girls. What was their problem, he thought. "You even said you liked me."
"Moment of madness."
Jared glanced at the girls again, their giggling got slightly louder. "You wouldn't just leave me here."
Jensen snorted. "Afraid of some girls?"
"No." Jared folded his arms across his chest, pouting.
Jensen smirked. "Fine, Mr Interested Party, you're welcome to come along with me. But I really do have to work. I have a big ass rock to move, and a field to get ploughed before dark."
"I could help."
"You and your artist hands are not made for a hard day's work."
Jared bristled at the accusation. "I'm stronger than I look." Jensen cocked his head to one side, and Jared tried not to wriggle under the intense scrutiny. The other man seemed to be teasing him, his green eyes twinkling with mischief. Jared nearly swallowed his tongue as Jensen licked at his lips, and he was proud that he managed to muffle the groan rising in the back of his throat, jutting his chin out in defiance. "I can work hard. Just let me prove it."
"You ever driven a team before?"
"No, but it can't be that difficult."
Jensen chuckled. "We'll see."
His dream depended upon him, and day's work would be worth it in the end, Jared decided. "Look, I'll make you a deal. I work for you, and then you answer me a couple of questions." Jared stuck his hand out toward Jensen.
"What kind of questions?" Jensen nibbled at his lower lip.
"Afraid of some little questions?"
"Afraid of some little girls?"
Jared glared. "Look at it this way, you get some free labour." He offered Jensen his hand again. "So we gotta a deal?"
Jensen chuckled, and took his hand. "Deal."
Part Four