Disclaimer: Not mine, title inspired by Bedshaped by Keane

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, work is getting tedious, but I'm determined to keep updating as often as I can. You guys are amazing with all the reviews, thanks for reading!

Chapter 10: Nailshaped

"Hi…" My voice faltered and I promptly felt my cheeks catch on fire as Jared shot me a puzzled glance before starting to pull his top on.

I shook my head, trying to focus on the project on hand. Clearing my throat, I gestured to the left and told him to stand against the banister while I finished up with Nina.

She shot him a wink over my shoulder and I did my best to ignore the two of them as I matched paint to her skin tone.

Next I moved her back into position before shifting towards Jared. He was leaning against the railing, his head turned down slightly. The sun caught his hair and the brilliant shades of bronze and an almost burgundy shone out.

I took a step towards him, and I took a deep breath. I could be professional about this, I really could.

"So, if you could just face Nina, and try to mirror her posture." The words came out a bit warbled but I tried to move on as quickly as possible and slowly I started to get back into my paints and forgot about Jared's incredibly distracting attire.

Which I only had myself to blame…or thank, I hadn't quite figured out which one just yet.

Anyway. I took a few steps back, and check their positions. Jared's left shoulder was a little too high and his hips needed to be angled out just so and then they'd be perfect reflections. It was incredible, the symmetry before me. Without thinking or forewarning my model, I reached in front of me to shift his hips and froze, my hands just at the top of his jeans when he cleared his throat.

I looked up and he raised an eyebrow. I didn't know what to do; my mind went completely blank.

Nina coughed behind us, and somehow my body must have reacted because I instantly withdrew my hands and mumbled a quiet apology.

"Sorry, I forget that you guys aren't in my head sometimes," I expelled a breath of air before turning to Jared.

"If you could just angle your hips out just a degree or two, your-ah perfect."

"Sure." His voice was gruff but there was a hint of amusement in there if I wasn't mistaken and when I turned around to double check Nina, I could see why.

The girl was putting her best efforts into smiling but her eyes; oh they were glaring daggers at me. I averted my gaze almost instantly.

Retreating to the safety of my easel, I asked Jared to lower his shoulder before asking them to try to maintain as still a posture as possible for the next few minutes.

And then I got to work. The lines came easily to me as I followed the contours of their mirrored bodies. Nina was startlingly well proportioned, her figure slim and toned. Jared had the body of a swimmer, which was curious considering out school did not have a pool but his lines were incredibly lean. Their faces, however, couldn't be more different. Nina had darling cheeks, perfectly rounded with dark blue eyes and fading blond hair, the dye job she'd done at the beginning of the year dying away. Jared was all angles, his cheekbones sharp and shadowed from the light above him. His face was impeccably carved, and it was an honor to copy them down.

I made a rough, preliminary sketch and then spent a few minutes working in the surrounding details and their facial features.

Pulling back after about half and hour, I stretched my back which had started to cramp a little.

It was decent, the color would make the difference but currently it was far too photographic, once the watercolors came in I was going to fade out the details and turn it into something a little more abstract.

I stood and walked over to them, and they halted their conversation abruptly as I approached but I caught the tail end of Nina's question anyway. Jared had the grace to look somewhat sheepish but Nina just raised her proud nose, her eyes imploring.

"I don't know if you'll think I'm any good, but you two are welcoming to look at the sketch once I take a few photographs."

I smiled at her pleasantly before brushing my hair out of my eyes. She looked horrified for a second then and I glanced at my arm. I'd raised the one she'd grabbed and to my surprise there were clear, distinct impressions where her fingers had been, the edges turning a reddish-purple. I lowered it instantly, pulling my sleeve down as far as it would go and then turned back to get my camera. Jared had been distracted with something or perhaps he just didn't care, but at any rate he made no comment.

I didn't want to deal with anymore of their drama today. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was climb into my bed and sleep; sleep until tomorrow and wake up to my parents.

But instead I had a cement block to sit on and two people whose tempers with me were as mercurial as the wind today.

I pulled out my camera, another birthday present. I had a brief phase where I had wanted to be a photographer and so I saved up for about two months and bought an SLR worth it's weight in gold. My photography skills turned out to be miserable but thankfully the camera was so good it made even my mediocre skills seem professional.

I took about twenty-five different shots of the two of them, ensuring I got ever angle I would need, before walking over for their close ups.

Nina submitted gracefully, even smiling slightly and while that ruined my chances of actually painting from the photo, I was too excited at the change in demeanor to mention anything. Luckily it didn't last long and her surliness returned as I flashed a couple of Jared, so I grabbed a final shot of her before announcing that we were finished.

"Thank you so much, you've been absolutely fantastic." I smiled at them pleasantly.

"Sure, Kim." Jared replied, his voice distant but sincere.

"Are we going back now?" Nina questioned, her voice hopeful.

"Yes, I just have to pack up quickly and then make a stop or two on the way home, but if you guys want to do anything in the city, I can leave you to it and then pick you up when you're ready to go."

Jared perked up at this.

"Yeah, I'm starving," he exaggerated, grasping his stomach with both hands before chuckling.

"You mind if we grab something to eat, Kim?" I looked at him in surprise.

"Oh-yeah, sure. I just have to make one quick stop but I suppose I could do that after-"

"Oh Kim, silly, he meant do you mind if we went out, not you. We wouldn't want to disturb your plans." She burst in suddenly, her tone all too eager. I felt my stomach drop. For some stupid reason, I had been convinced that I was included and I felt so incredibly naïve. Of course he hadn't meant me. What was I thinking?

"Oh, of course. Sorry I wasn't-uh," but the words weren't flowing properly, my disappointment stilting my thoughts. I shook my head slightly to focus myself but I just felt my lip tremble in embarrassment.

I didn't want to be here anymore.

I could feel my face heating up again and I shrugged my hair forward and then focused on the crack in the pavement before me.

"Hey, you're welcome to join us." Jared interjected before I could continue but I maintained my focus on the floor.

"It's okay, really, besides I do need to take care of a few things. Tell you what I'll get Frank to drop me off, and you guys can have the limo take you wherever you like." The words came out in a rush and I swallowed hard after but I felt better now that I was in control of the situation again.

"But-" Jared began.

"It's fine." Nina ended for him and then shot me a grateful look, but I didn't want to play along, right now I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible so that I could stop feeling so lame and awkward.

"Just let me pack up really fast." I started to pull my sketchpad off, and had just released it from all its pegs when Jared lifted it out of my arms, pulling it easily over my easel.

His face was inquisitive and I felt my heart soar at the surprise and approval in his face as he perused the image.

"It's quite early, so the finished product will look much better…"I started.

But he turned to me and I went quiet instantly.

"This is amazing." I shivered at the tone in his voice, but I just smiled, unable to form words at the moment.

He looked like he wanted to say something else but instead motioned for me to continue packing away.

I finished up quickly then and then reached over to him to grab the drawing but he stopped me just as I brushed the edge. My sleeve had ridden up, leaving my wrist and a little bit of my forearm bare.

His hand, slightly cold from the winds outside and calloused, griped my own. I felt the vibrations in my nerves explode at the contact and all I could think about was that I would die, just outright die, if he let go. I never wanted this moment to end, never mind Nina standing right behind us, never mind the fact that he wasn't looking at me, just as long as he never dropped my hand.

But then I realized what he was looking at. His thumb brushed carefully over the grooves that Nina had left behind and he rubbed lightly. I recoiled slightly, at the pressure and his head shot up, his eyes dark and his brows narrowed. He softened for a second; he must have noticed me pull back.

"Sorry." I'd never heard his voice so soft, it was comfortable and warm and I felt like I was sinking in it. But then I was pulled up sharply when he continued, his voice deeper and more furious than I'd ever heard it before.

"Who did this to you?"