Prompt 62. "I went to the museum to get some inspiration for my art and then I saw you staring at one of the paintings in awe but now you just noticed me drawing you and this is awkward AU"
Regina cocked her head as she admired the latest exhibition at the Tate Modern, she tried to put time aside to come down to London once a month to visit the Gallery. Since she lived in the middle of nowhere it took her a while to travel down, if she lived closer she just knew that she would go more often. She loved art, although that was to be expected in her profession, she was an artist, well, part-time at least, whenever she wasn't working on her father's farm. When he died he left the land and livestock to her and she had to carry on his work, keep his memory alive.
This particular piece had captured her attention, it was impressive, to say the least, the realism captured within the work was spectacular. She had to admit that she might have been stood there for longer than she had needed to, but she just couldn't seem to move away from it, she didn't know what it was that captivated her so, it was just something. It was a landscape piece but incorporated elements of portraiture in the form of a woman sat on a pier watching as a boat came in on the horizon line. The colours used were captivating and she couldn't help but fall in love with the composition.
When she felt as though she had observed it for long enough and numerous people had been and gone, she snapped a couple of pictures of the piece, some of the detail and some of the entirety of the work. Once she had a sufficient amount she turned to move but out of the corner noticed a man squatting against one of the pillars seemingly looking at the same work she had been, but unlike her he held a sketchbook in his hand and was working in it, his graphite and pencils balancing precariously on his knee as he drew.
She furrowed her eyebrows and turned back to the piece with a sudden urge to do some sketches of her own, at least it would give her the chance to admire it a little longer. It had been a while since she had done a study of someone else's work, something she hadn't done since art school when it had been mandatory.
Regina shook her head, she didn't really have the time if she wanted to stop by the Tate Britain before she headed home on the train, that and she had to finish looking at the rest of the museum, she had spent far too long with one piece. When she turned back she caught the man staring at her and as soon as he locked eyes with hers he awkwardly looked down at his sketchbook once more. She furrowed her eyebrows at him and decided that she might awkwardly try and catch a glimpse of his drawing. Running her hands through her hair, she walked towards the pillar he was leant against as though she was going across the room to look at another work, as she did she glanced down at his sketch pad only for him to quickly flip the page over. "What was wrong with the one you were working on?" she quipped, not even thinking before she spoke, it wasn't often she randomly spoke to strangers.
He glanced up at her his eyes widening before he quickly stood from the ground causing his pencils to drop off his lap and roll across the floor of the gallery, Regina cringed in sympathy for him and the fact that all the led in his expensive pencils was probably now broken. "Damn," he groaned as he placed his sketchbook on top of his backpack before trying to pick up all the stray pencils, Regina tried not to laugh as he sprawled out in an attempt to stop them going any further, she opted to help him, catching one that had just escaped him, she picked it up and carefully put it in its correct place within the tray.
"Sorry, I guess that was my fault."
"No! No, it wasn't, it was all on me, I shouldn't be so clumsy," he chuckled awkwardly as he put his pencils back in the case in a random order that made Regina raise an eyebrow.
"I take it you really didn't want me to see that sketchbook, I thought it was just a study of the painting you know, sorry for being nosey," she chuckled, "comes with being from up north I guess."
"Oh, you're a tourist," he grinned, "wondered why you were spending so long with the painting, locals tend to be too busy to look at things for that long."
"So, your drawing, is it a secret?"
"Urm, yeah kinda, but it's a bit rubbish anyway, so it doesn't matter. I take it you're enjoying the gallery?"
"Of course, well, what I've seen of it anyway, I haven't really been out further than this room to be honest. I guess I just really love this piece."
"I noticed."
"What?" she tilted her head at him, how long exactly had he been sat there? Had she been stood in the way or something?
He looked slightly startled as he shook his head, "nothing, I just meant that you had been stood there looking at it for a while, not that I was watching you, that would have been creepy, but you know you were kinda stood right in front of it, so it would have been hard not to look at you… you know what I should just stop talking before I make an idiot out of myself," he muttered awkwardly as he ran his hand through his dark blonde hair. It was only then that she properly took note of his appearance, he was ruggedly handsome with a fresh scattering of stubble on his jaw. The green shirt he was wearing clung to his arms showing off the muscles underneath and she couldn't help her tongue from darting out to wet her lips.
"Is that your way of saying you were creepily watching me?" she laughed, raising a single eyebrow at him in question. She'd not even noticed that he'd been there until she turned around.
"No, that's my way of saying that you were stood in front of the painting that I wanted to look at and I couldn't help but notice that."
"I see," she tucked her hair behind her ear, it was a nervous habit, but she didn't really know why she was nervous, maybe it was because she was usually horrendous when talking to guys, especially ones that looked like he did, normally she would be running by now, but she was intrigued, she wanted to see what he had drawn, "so, I hate to be nosey, but could I see your drawing?"
He looked down at the pad that was laid on top of his bag and swallowed nervously before nodding, "don't judge me for it, like I said it wasn't my fault you were stood in the way of the picture I wanted to look at," he picked up the book and handed it to her awkwardly.
Regina could sense his reluctance, not that she knew what the problem was, unless he was embarrassed because he was an amateur, but she doubted that, amateurs didn't buy expensive equipment like he had. She smiled at him shyly before flipping open the sketchpad to a drawing of a sunset, "this is beautiful," she stated with a shake of her head, she didn't know why he was being so shy about it, his work was spectacular.
"Thanks," he grinned as she looked up at him, noticing the dimples that pressed into his cheeks.
She continued to flick through the drawings, each one just as stunning as the previous one, until she landed on the one she was looking for, her eyes widened in shock, instead of seeing a study of the painting like she had been expecting, it was her, well her side profile with the painting faintly recognised in the background, "oh," she breathed. That was unexpected, she simply thought that he had liked the painting as she had, seemingly she was wrong. "You drew me?"
"Yeah, sorry, I came here for inspiration and then I saw how enamoured you were with that painting and I just had to capture it, please don't think I'm a complete freak," he cringed, "you just looked so caught up in the art, you truly are stunning. If you want to rip up the drawing or take it, it's fine…"
"Why would I want to rip it up?" she asked, tilting her head at him, it was perfect and she was kinda glad he'd drawn it.
"If you're uncomfortable with it I understand."
"Surprisingly I'm not, you're good at capturing a likeness, though I doubt I looked like that in real life," she chuckled, self-consciously adjusting the tartan scarf wrapped around her neck.
"You really do, in fact, I don't think I did you justice in that drawing at all, the painting behind kinda detracts from you," he murmured, taking his sketchbook back from her and slipping it into his backpack.
"I think it was perfect," she smiled before sighing quietly, "I think I better be going, I have to get around the exhibition and go to another museum before catching my train at 7."
She watched as he seemed to contemplate something, "I'm not doing anything today, would you let me be your tour guide? I swear I'm not a creep and we'll stick to public places."
Regina chuckled and shook her head, "I think I could cope with you coming with me around the galleries, but trust me I don't need a tour guide, I went to UAL so I know my way," she winked. That was one of the best times of her life, for three years she had lived in London whilst at university which meant she had so many resources, but it had been so expensive she'd had to move back home afterwards, leaving her college boyfriend behind. Luckily, she'd managed to get a job in a gallery back home and her father built her a studio on their land so she had everything she needed.
"No way! I went to UAL."
"Really?" she gasped in shock, he looked the same age as her but she didn't recognise him.
"Yeah, I graduated around 2010."
"What?! So, did I." How the hell hadn't she seen him before? Unless she was totally blind, which would be ironic since she was an artist and had been at art university at the time. "I don't remember you."
He looked at her a little closer and his eyes widened, "wait a minute, Regina Mills?"
"Yes." So, this was freaky, like full on freaky.
"This may be hard to believe but I used to look pretty different to how I do now," he chuckled, "let's just say I hit the gym and ditched the pot noodles, not joking I was literally living off them for the whole of my third year."
"Wasn't everyone?" she chuckled as she looked at him her eyes locking with his, if she thought about it there was something quite familiar about him.
"Okay, so imagine me a couple stones heavier, with like, dare I even admit it, long hair, I thought it was cool and artsy but it really wasn't."
"Oh my god," she laughed in realisation, there had only been one guy with long hair in her year and if she looked at the man in front of her and imagined him with the description he had given, it had to be him, "Robin?"
"Locksley."
"This is crazy," she breathed, "never grow your hair like that again, I think it just didn't work for you," she laughed, "gosh you've changed!"
"So, have you! What happened to the tie-dye and the baggy ripped jeans?!"
"Still wear them back home," she grinned, "but I like to dress up when I come back to the city. You look so good now, really Robin, just good…" she trailed off awkwardly, he did look good, but she didn't want to make a fool out of herself.
"I really like your hair, I see I'm not the only one who had a bit of a trim."
"Yeah, it was getting in the way so I had it chopped off a little while ago," she stated, playing with the shoulder length curls, they used to fall down to her ass in an unruly mane, but she found that having her hair at that length was way too difficult to maintain and it would always get paint in it. When she moved to take care of the farm long hair like that just wasn't practical so she decided to chop it all off.
"It suits you."
"Thank you," she smiled, "I think we definitely need to catch up some more, it's been so long!"
"It has! Eight years."
"How time flies," she chuckled, that made her feel so old, she had been twenty-two when she graduated and now she had just celebrated her thirtieth birthday.
"Well, seeing as we are no longer strangers, how would you feel about me taking you to dinner tonight? Before you have to go catch your train of course."
Regina saw the look of hope on his face and grinned at him, "I would like that."
"Good. So, can I accompany you on your tour of the gallery?"
"Yes, I suppose you can," she bit her bottom lip as she laughed and shook her head watching him pick up his backpack sending the newly collected pencils flying across the room once more, "let me help you with those," she giggled.
"Why thank you milady."
