It had already been three days since the kiss and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean I know that we had some kind of connection but I thought it was because we knew each other's stories. I mean we drive each other crazy every time we see each other. Is this what he does with every girl? Just surprise them and have them wooed because they didn't expect it? That had to be it. I don't kno-
"Clary? Yoohoo? You in there?" Simon chirped, breaking my internal rant.
"Oh, yea, sorry. What were you saying?"
"What is up with you recently? You have been acting so strange since the show." He asked, a trace of true concern evident in his voice.
"Yea I'm fine. Just worried about a test I had forgotten about that I have tomorrow." I replied halfheartedly. I didn't mean to worry Simon but he already warned me to stay away from Jace and after everything that happened with Jonathan I didn't want Simon thinking I didn't value his opinion.
"Oh, well don't worry about that, I'm sure you'll do great. You always do."
This was true, ever since I was really young I had been good at picking things up quickly. No matter if it was studies, skateboarding, or even cooking, things just came easy to me. Well, everything but life.
I chuckled "Yea I know, but it's still hard not to worry."
Simon nodded in response. I slipped my hand into the bag of garden salsa Sunchips I had in front of me. Simon had shown up begging for me to listen to new songs to decide if they were a good fit for his band. Since they had gotten such a good reaction from their first performance the entire band was dedicating every second of free time to perfecting their act. They truly thought that they could go somewhere with this…
"So what do you think about this one?" He asked beginning the next song titled "Death of a Bachelor" by Panic! at the Disco.
As I listened to the song play, I felt myself being pulled into my thoughts. All I wanted to do was analyze and over analyze the kiss. Music was always a good thinking catalyst for me, but I stopped myself before I got too enveloped.
"Actually I think this is a really great song. It definitely fits with the band's vibe but you are gonna have to do some serious work if you plan on pulling it off. "
When I reached down to take another chip, movement caught my eye. The clock had changed from 12:54 to 12:55. I had a class at one o'clock halfway across campus. Shit.
I dropped the chip before it even reached my mouth.
"Goddamnit" I screamed. Simon's head snapped up, immediately on high alert. "I have a class in five minutes and it normally takes me ten just to get there."
I scrambled around desperately grabbing all my supplied before sprinting out the door. Simon had no time to get an assuring word in before my person was gone.
As I ran through campus I couldn't help but appreciate the beautiful day. Institute University was notorious for its bleak weather basically all year round. When these days came around, no matter how bad my day's going, I made sure to appreciate them.
I checked my watch once the academic building came into view. 12:59. Almost there.
I crossed the threshold at one o'clock on the dot, completely sweaty and out of breath. Staring right at me is a very naked, Jace but this time there is no towel to cover up what lies below. My mouth dropped open as I involuntarily look at him in all his glory.
I caught the attention of everyone in the room and I couldn't help but blush profusely. Lowering my head, I rushed over to my station and began setting up. The past few weeks we had been working with the different models so often that I forgot about Jace being one entirely. This was not fair. Why did this have to happen so soon after the kiss? Everywhere I turned, Jace was there. The world definitely loves to hate me.
As I busied myself getting my paints and paintbrushes ready, Mr. Garroway began explaining the assignment. Today we were supposed to convey an emotion of our choice through the painting by altering color, stroke, and medium. I kept my gaze locked on Mr. Garroway as he spoke; I wasn't about to look at Jace anymore than I had to.
Even though I kept my eyes off of him, I could tell his eyes were on me.
After about five minutes of explanation on the assignment, Mr. Garroway set us off to our own devices. Jace had been asked to lean against a stool and to take whatever position he found most comfortable. With one leg bent and resting on a peg behind him, his posture displayed a cool confident aura. It was obvious he had no problem with being naked.
I looked over his body. I blushed harder remembering how not too long ago this figure of solid muscle was pressed against me, with hands in my hair and lips on my mouth.
I needed to get to work.
I picked up a pencil and began the rough sketches of where I was going to paint. I focused on the shapes and curves of his body, trying to forget about the man it belonged to.
The sketching came easily and I settled into a rhythm. The graphite practically laid down itself.
I finished the sketching rather quickly. Unlike most people I didn't need too much guidance from a pencil when it came to painting.
Picking up the largest paintbrush I began applying the foundation color. As the figure on the pages begins to take shape I am reminded of the man before me. I look up to double check the flow between the neck and shoulder and we accidentally lock eyes.
There was a fire in them that made a blush surface on my cheeks. His body was conveying a cool sense, while his eyes were hotter than the sun, brighter than my hair, and yearning for something I had not yet come to know.
I looked away but the gaze does not leave me. As I began to lay down the details with a shaky hand, a different story was portrayed before me.
Jace was a young man. He had made himself something and nobody messed with him. The gangs didn't bother and the bullies shied away in fear. He was on top of the world.
Everywhere he went, he received plenty of attention. He was the pretty boy. Girls stared. Guys stared. They all either wanted him or wanted to be him.
It didn't take long before the girls started to throw themselves at him. They all wanted a little taste of the mysterious, sexy blonde god.
Hot touches. Skin against skin. Breathy moans.
Most of the girls didn't bother trying to stick around and Jace had no problem with being an ass to the girls who did. To be fair they only wanted to show off a new toy after all.
Nails scratching. Sweaty bodies. Hands fisted in hair.
There were so many girls.
Blonde. Brunette. Black
All different shapes.
Thin. Thick. Curvy.
All because he could.
The paintbrush dropped.
I stood in front of the canvas panting slightly. There was a damp feeling on my cheeks, was I crying? I felt drained.
When I finally look at the canvas, a shock runs through me. Had I really created this?
Before me sat a hyper-realistic painting of the man before me. But something was different. Something was wrong.
Technically the work was amazing, probably one of my best. The skin was delicately blended but was accentuated with harsh shadows used to sculpt each individual muscle. His gold eyes shown bright with hints of brown and red, illuminating the fire contained within. His hair was just the right amount of distressed, portraying the don't-give-a-shit attitude and his body, although positioned relaxed, seemed to scream sex in the painting. Yet there was something dark to it. A darkness within the fire.
The story remained fresh in my mind but I think somewhere along the way my own anger and jealousy slipped onto the page.
I heard footsteps behind me. The class was still silently painting.
"Wow, Clary. This is amazing." Mr. Garroway said but it was obvious he could see the dark sensual nature of the piece.
"Uh thanks," I replied blushing slightly. This was not what I was expecting to create.
The exchange had caught Jace's attention and I could tell he was itching to see, yet there was a trace of concern on his face. I quickly began packing up my paint and brushes. There were only five minutes left of class and students could paint up until the end.
I wanted to get out of there before Jace was allowed to move. I couldn't handle facing him just yet. I didn't want him to see what I made. What would he think of it?
Three minutes to go and I'm just about done with packing up. My hands are shaking as I rush but not too fast as to not draw more attention to myself. I could tell that Jace was eager to be done. Whether it was to see the painting or address me, I didn't know. I just needed to get out of there.
I grabbed the canvas and began weaving in and out of the students, careful not to let Jace get a peak. As I walked, each student got a glimpse of the piece and each one looked away quickly fully understanding the emotion behind it. I was mortified.
I dropped the canvas off in a separate room where finished works were to be handed in and practically sprinted towards the door. Chairs began scraping behind me as I put my hand on the doorknob.
"Clary. Wait." Jace yelled across the room. The chairs stopped moving and silence filled the room. Everyone was waiting to see what I would do. I needed more time. And with that, I turned the handle and escaped into the bright world beyond.
"Hey, Iz! I'm so glad you texted me cause I had TOTALLY forgotten about the chem assignment and I'm already doing pretty shitty in the class."
After my embarrassing classroom stunt, Izzy had texted me hoping to do a chemistry assignment together which I, of course, had forgotten about. Why does an art major need chemistry anyways?
"No problem," she chuckled, "I was desperate for girl time. Even if it does include chem"
The assignment was a series of ten questions that took us about an hour and a half to complete. I don't even know why she asked me to help her out cause she was doing all the work and then explaining to me how she got to her answer. She was a genius.
Although I felt like deadweight, I was thankful that she was helping me.
"All done!" We both relaxed as the stress of the assignment slipped away.
"Well, now what?" I asked. I was hoping she wouldn't tell me to leave.
"Girl's Night!" She screamed excitedly. I knew the concept of a girl's night but I had never experienced one other than my mom and I drinking wine and painting into the early hours of the morning together.
"Sure," I smiled softly "What do you want to do tho?"
She looked at me as though I had three heads.
"Chick flicks and chocolate duh."
Of course.
"Oh yea, what are we watching?" I could make it through this. Be strong.
"I have an entire Nicholas Sparks collection, take your pick."
I approached the stack of DVDs and selected a movie called "Safe Haven" while Izzy went to go get the chocolate.
As I popped the DVD into the player, Izzy turned and stared quizzically.
"Is there something on my face?" I questioned.
"Haha, no. Sorry. I was actually just thinking. You're good at art right?"
Oh god had she heard about earlier? I nodded in reply.
"Oh goodie. I was hoping on getting a tattoo soon but I can't decide if it would look good. You think you could draw it on me so that way I could have an idea?"
Well, I wasn't expecting that questions but I was more than happy to be useful. After agreeing I set up a series of skin safe pens (I doodle a lot), and Izzy got in position. She wanted the tattoo on her back so she sat in front of me without a shirt and her bra unbuckled. The tattoo was a series of intricate lines she wanted to go down the center of her back.
As the movie started, I got to work. Izzy talked throughout the whole movie so I questioned why we even had it on. I was grateful for her talking though because apparently, the movie was about a girl on the run from an abusive boyfriend with ties to the police. I really should have read the summary before choosing the movie.
I interjected where I felt appropriate to tell her I was still listening even though I was very focused on the tattoo. It was beautiful really. It accentuated the natural curves of her body and was stark against her light skin. I could tell she was going to love it. By the time the movie ended, I was done. Tears had pricked the back of my eyes as I watched the main female character fall into the safe arms of the man she loved and he accepted her even after her secret endangered his family. It was just a movie.
"Oh Clary, its beautiful!" She exclaimed loudly and it was. "Why aren't you a tattoo artist? I wish you could do this permanently." I felt my ego grow slightly.
"I'm glad you like it," I say as I watch her examine her back in the mirror in her room. Izzy had a single too and it was very similar to mine. The only difference was she was a mess. Everywhere I looked there was a mess of some sort. I guess everyone had their flaws.
After spending about three hours between chemistry work and movie watching/ drawing I figured it was time to head back. I thanked Izzy for our time and agreed to another night in two weeks.
As I walked back to my dorm, I couldn't help myself from smiling as I realized I actually have another friend other than Simon for the first time in a long time.
Definitely enjoyed writing this one and ran into a few speed bumps but we made it. Hope you guys like. Let me know what you think!
~UndeniablyPeculiar