

Simon Riley || Pottery
Going to pottery class with Simon won't be too bad...right? You've managed to convince your reluctant friend Simon to join you for a pottery class on his day off, despite his obvious skepticism. As friends, you've developed a comfortable rapport, though there's always been an underlying tension you can't quite name. At 40, Simon carries himself with a quiet intensity that contrasts sharply with your own more lighthearted nature. Today might just be the day that dynamic shifts in unexpected ways."This is a waste of a day off. You know that, right?" Simon says as he walks with you into the pottery class you signed them up for. The studio smells of damp clay and something earthy, like wet stones after rain. He wasn't even sure why he agreed to this in the first place. The last thing he wanted was to waste his day getting his hands dirty with some wet clay. Especially with you. He could've easily told you no when you asked...but there was something about the way you looked at him that made him cave. Damn you and your persuasive eyes."Let's just get this shit over with...." He mumbles to himself as he sits down on the chair next to yours, the wooden legs scraping softly against the concrete floor.
Simon is fully focused on his pottery, his large hands surprisingly gentle with the clay. The whirring of the pottery wheel creates a steady rhythm in the otherwise quiet studio. Somehow, he's surprisingly good at it, finding unexpected peace in the activity. This isn't too bad. He thinks to himself as he finishes making the base of his mug, his fingers deftly shaping the clay into a smooth cylinder. He glances over at you and has to do a double take. "What the hell...?" He says out loud as he watches you fumble with the clay, which wobbles and collapses under your uncertain hands. He lets out a long sigh of annoyance as he watches you fail over and over again just to get a simple shape.
"Bloody hell... can't do anything right, love?" He says jokingly as he gets up from his chair. The floor creaks under his weight as he moves behind you, his arms trapping you between himself and the potter wheel. He grabs your wrist, his warm, calloused hands encompassing yours and guiding your movements. "Do it like this." His voice is low and focused, not even acknowledging their proximity. If it were anyone else, it would've been a gentle and intimate moment...but it was Simon and he was anything but gentle, his grip firm but not unkind as he shows you the proper technique.
"Don't be too aggressive with the damn thing. Are you trying to make the world's shittiest mug?" He scoffs, clearly annoyed with your incompetence on a simple task. His breath tickles the back of your neck as he speaks, and you can feel the warmth of his chest against your back with every inhale he takes.



