One Week of Art in Seattle
*An Intensive Life Drawing Course*

* * * * *

Day Two (The Torso): A detailed torso can add depth to your sketch. A major part of the human body consists of torso; therefore much care should be taken when drawing it. A torso can be unique depending upon the type of body you are sketching. You should have the particular body type possessed by your live model in mind before you begin.

* * * * *

It was an exceptionally warm Tuesday afternoon and I was at the Seattle Learning Annex again, only this time I was more prepared for what I was about to be subjected to.

Jacob.

Shirtless.

Torso was such a funny word, not very attractive sounding at all. How deceiving Professor Landing was with his terminology. He made it all sound so technical in writing that for a few brief minutes I actually wasn't nervous about seeing Jacob again.

Until he walked into the room, that is.

My breath hitched and my pulse quickened when I saw him stride through the door and saunter towards the front of the room. He gave me a little wave and I returned it with my own.

He was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans that caused a severe hike in my body temperature.

"Is it hot in here?" I whispered to Jessica without bothering to turn my head in her direction. I really found it impossible to take my eyes off of him.

"It is - now that your boyfriend's here," she joked in return.

This got my head to turn.

"He is not my boyfriend. Not at all," I denied her accusation vehemently.

"Oh relax, I'm only kidding. You've known the guy for like a day."

Her words made me feel a little foolish about my reaction. Of course she was kidding. How could anyone acquire a boyfriend in such a short amount of time? One little date didn't mean anything.

"Not that he couldn't end up your boyfriend, eventually. Heck, I'd leave Mike for a guy like that," she continued.

"Like what?" I mumbled back quizzically.

It took her a beat to formulate the perfect response she was going for.

"Built," she finally answered.

I tried to contain my laughter but a short giggle left my lips, and I quickly covered my mouth to ensure that no more got out.

Jessica was completely right. Jacob did appear to be built. Just a quick glance at his bare arms at that moment was enough to make me want to sit at his feet and worship a higher power.

I wondered if that was the only reason I was drawn to him, but decided that it really wasn't.

I knew him now- knew him more than anyone else in this classroom did. They could all 'ooh' and 'ahh' at his physique but I was aware of his greater qualities, like his boyish hopes and dreams and his graceful walk. From my experience he was kind and thoughtful and quite the gentleman, too.

I looked up towards the front of the room again, just in time to see Jacob remove his tank top.

And he is so fucking muscular.

The dirty voices in my head were starting up again, pushing every other rational thought aside.

Three days.

Jessica was whispering something else to me but my head was suddenly clouded, her voice sounded miles away. The only word I could make out was understatement.

I ignored her and tried to collect myself so I could focus on the task ahead of me. I was here to draw after all. I couldn't let my feelings for Jacob distract me.

I touched my pencil to the paper in front of me and decided to begin outlining his shoulders. His abs were probably going to take me the longest I realized, so I would leave those details for last.

It wasn't until I began sketching his left nipple that my thoughts acted up again.

I'd love to run my tongue along his chest and…

Stop! Focus…

I would not drive myself crazy with desire. Not today.

I looked up at Jacob's face for a distraction and his eyes were closed. Damn.

I longed to see his fiery stare. I wished he would open his eyes and smile at me, give me a proper distraction.

But he seemed peaceful and serene up there, not at all uncomfortable standing like a statue. If he could get through this easily, then so could I.

I didn't need a distraction, I just needed a little strong will.

More determined this time, I let my gaze wander back down to his torso.

I studied him closely. I watched his chest rise and fall with each slow breath he took. I noticed as goose bumps formed on his stomach when a small breeze flew in from the slightly open window. I caught him quickly roll his shoulders back and heard the small click of his stiff bones cracking.

And when the professor called out that we only had fifteen minutes left, I looked at my mostly bare canvas and sketched like a madwoman.

* * * * *

At the end of the class, I expected Jacob to come see me before leaving.

What I hadn't expected was that other girls were going to rush up to the front of the classroom to see him first.

I watched intently and tried to deny the jealousy that flooded through me as one by one they fought for his attention. I had to break my eyes away from the scene, so I began to stuff my pencils into my bag and cursed under my breath instead.

"If he is this popular today, just wait until Friday. I bet you'll bust a vein," Jessica spoke, jabbing me in the side with her elbow.

I looked back up and shook my head.

"I don't care about that. They have as much right to talk to him as I do."

"Yeah, but they didn't almost kiss him yesterday. You did," she correctly pointed out.

I tensed up at her statement, and again when some whore that looked like a younger Angelina Jolie reached out and actually touched his bicep.

"Well, almost doesn't count," I muttered.

I decided that it was useless waiting for the tirade to end. Apparently every eligible girl in the Seattle area was attending this class and Jacob had his pick of the litter.

It was fun while it lasted.

"Come on, let's go," I told Jessica and she was smart enough not to argue with me.

I made my way to the door and didn't look back to see if my leaving mattered to him.

I was so intent on getting the hell out of there that I actually ran into someone standing by the buildings entrance.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I began, until I got a good look at who was standing in front of me.

"Edward?" I gasped.

His unmistakable smell drifted to my nose, his deep golden eyes caught mine and held them steady.

"Hello Bella," my ex-husband said, standing in the flesh, right in front of my face.

"What are you doing here?" I knew the shock of seeing him was written across my face.

"You never answered my text, so I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said with sincerity in his voice.

"Well, how did you even know where I was?" I questioned further, still not believing the sight of him.

What were the odds that I would run into Edward at the Annex? He obviously went out of his way to find me.

He still cares, I couldn't help but think.

"I called Mike, and he told me that you girls were taking this class together," he answered simply. "Hello, Jessica," he threw in for good measure.

"So nice to see you again, Edward," she started, reaching out to shake his hand, "and so nice of you to care about Bella's well being after all these months. Don't worry- I kept her alive for you."

"Jess, stop," I chided and turned my attention back to the man in front of me. "It is good to see you, Edward. I was meaning to write back to you but it slipped my mind, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I know I should have attempted to make contact sooner, but I was feeling…"

My heart shattered at his pause. He was feeling, what- pain, misery, rejection, anger? All valid emotions and all caused by me and my selfishness. I was starting to feel my regret return to the surface just looking at him. I couldn't bear to wait for him to finish his sentence.

"I understand," I cut in, "You had every right to not give a shit about how I was."

"No, Bella," he reached out and covered my face with his warm hands. "It's not like that at all. I have thought about you, every day. I wanted to write or to call, but I didn't think you wanted to hear from me. I was just trying to give you what you wanted."

It felt good to hear those words pouring from his mouth. It felt even better to feel his familiar touch against my skin. I couldn't comprehend how badly I had missed being around him all this time, until he was actually there.

But I couldn't let him pull me back under. A big part of me still remembered what it felt like to be with him- the suffocating closeness, the lack of any semblance of a life of my own, and the dwindling love both in and out of the bedroom.

Maybe he's changed, my mind called out to me, begging me to give in to the warmth of his hands.

But I found myself ignoring my own thoughts, and pulling away from his touch.

"Thank you, for thinking of me. And it really is so good to see you, but I have to go," I blurted without thinking. I knew I had to get away from him if there was any chance of regaining my composure.

"Oh," Edward sounded defeated and my damaged heart skipped a beat. "I thought maybe I could drive you home."

I opened my mouth to respond but before I had the chance I heard Jessica's voice ring out.

"She already has a ride, with Jacob," she lied.

My heart skipped another beat. It felt extremely unhealthy. I thought I might actually faint.

"Jacob? Who is Jacob?" Edward asked me.

I opened my mouth again and this time another voice interrupted my oncoming sentence.

"Who wants to know?" Jacob asked, stepping out from the building behind me into the sunshine.

"This is Jacob," Jessica replied, eyeing Edward carefully, a smirk playing on her lips.

I could tell by Edward's expression that he was jealous. I knew from this afternoon exactly what that felt like, and I wanted to soothe him, but I couldn't find the chance because everyone kept talking. This day was too overwhelming. Where was my voice when I needed it?

"Bella, I'm so sorry about that in there. I was about to come over to your station and I was mauled," Jacob apologized jokingly and stepped closer to the other man standing by my side, "Anyway, I'm Jacob. And you are?"

"Edward."

"Oh, Edward," Jacob recognized the name.

"I see you've heard of me," Edward spit back, the hate in his voice thinly masked with civility.

"In passing," Jacob answered, before turning back to me awkwardly. "Am I interrupting something, should I go?"

"No, don't go," my voice finally returned. The longing to be with Jacob overshadowed my guilt over Edward. I couldn't afford to let Jacob leave without figuring out where we stood, or better yet, where all of those other girls stood.

"Yes Jacob, stay. It appears I'm the one who is interrupting. I'll be on my way now," Edward said as he took a few steps away from me. My eyes lingered on his, and the hurt I saw in them was unbearable.

"Call me tonight Edward, I'll be home," I told his retreating form. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to give him a leg to stand on, and also to let him know that I would not be spending the night with Jacob.

"I will," he responded, and the smile that followed was enough to take away my pain.

As I watched him leave, I felt relieved that our first meeting went so well.

"That was stupid of you," Jessica told me as soon as Edward was far enough away.

"No, she feels bad for the guy. It was a nice gesture," Jacob came to my defense.

How does this guy know me so well? I wondered.

"Thank you, Jake," I smiled at him appreciatively.

"No problem," he quipped back, his smile undoubtedly more breathtaking than mine. "So where are we going?"

"I'm going home," Jessica stepped in between us and claimed the center of attention. "But I guess you two are going to go off somewhere and make babies, right?"

I wanted to kill her, badly.

"Sounds like a plan, but that's totally up to Bella," Jacob whispered huskily and glanced in my direction.

I felt my insides tremble.

"Hmm, I don't think-"

Jacob's laughter filled the air and broke the tension. "I was kidding Bella, relax."

"She seriously can't take a joke, this one," Jessica laughed with him and started to walk in the same direction Edward had gone.

"By the way, you've got some killer abs, Jake," her retreating voice called out.

Murder her. I wanted to murder her in cold blood.

* * * * *

I found myself alone with Jacob, finally.

Unbelieveably.

"So where are we going?" I asked him as we walked to his car, for the second time that week.

"I have no clue. Where would you like to go?"

I thought about his question for a minute. Where did I want to go?

The problem was, I hadn't planned on hanging out with Jacob again- if I had then I would have come up with a list of things that we could do, ahead of time. I was really bad at thinking on my feet.

Food was out of the question. I feared I might throw up a nice hearty meal after all of the drama I'd experienced earlier. Plus, it felt like we'd been there and done that already.

A movie wasn't the best way to get to know someone, but it was pretty laid back and fun.

"You want to go see a movie?" I asked him.

I had subconsciously placed my arm around his as we were walking. I finally noticed this when I felt his hand moving down my arm and reaching for my own hand.

"Sure!" he responded, more eagerly than I expected.

I suddenly felt giddy with anticipation.

When we reached his car, he opened the passenger door for me and I swooned.

The hopeful feeling returned.

* * * * *

We were sitting in the quiet movie theater, waiting for the previews to start, when a thought occurred to me.

"How old are you?"

He wagged his eyebrows at me and said, "Old enough."

I grinned at his blatant flirting, and asked again, "No really, how old are you?"

"Twenty-two," he replied before taking a large handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth.

"Oh," I whispered.

Not that much younger.

"Why, how old are you?" he asked this time, once he was done swallowing.

"Old enough," I repeated his words and attempted to do the same thing with my eyebrows.

We both laughed, and I waited for him to repeat the question so I could answer for real.

But he never did.

"I'm twenty four," I offered.

"Oh," he whispered and his face took on a sad expression. "You're too old for me then. I only date younger women."

I felt my stomach drop and acid rise in my throat. The disappointment hit me like a ton of bricks and I could barely get my reply to leave my lips.

"You do? I didn't think it would be a…problem. I guess-"

His face came closer, and his proximity stopped my train of thought.

"I'm joking with you, Bella. Just joking," his words calmed my fears and his sudden smile made me believe him.

"For someone older, you're really gullible," he chuckled, and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth.

I felt silly for buying into his joke, but my fears were legitimate. I wasn't gullible, I was realistic.

"Well, after seeing all of those young girls you were chatting with today, I thought maybe you were serious."

"Those girls in the classroom? You shouldn't worry about those girls," he told me simply.

"Oh yeah, why not?"

He leaned closer again.

"Because none of them even compare to you," he breathed into my ear, causing a shiver to run through me.

I smiled wide and looked down at my lap, feeling a little embarrassed at his attention.

I felt the intense need to change the subject and take the focus off of me.

"You've got a really nice body, do you work out?"

Wow, nice subject change, idiot.

I felt my face flush instantly, and was thankful that I was looking down already.

"Thank you," he answered easily, clearly not bothered by having the attention thrown onto him.

"I work out a couple of times a week. Really, I inherited this body. All of my family members are tall and cut up. But, you know, I maintain myself- eat healthy, do some sit ups."

"Your stomach is outrageous. It was really hard to draw, so many lines," I tried to be funny, but I think it ended up coming out as pure adulation.

Luckily he laughed anyway.

I actually got up the nerve to look at him, and found him peering over at me intensely.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little rusty at this, but I find it really easy to be around you so hopefully that'll make it easier," I spoke honestly.

I prayed he wouldn't see past my sturdy facade and determine me too damaged to bother with.

I really, really hoped that this might turn into something more than just a couple of dates and a nude drawing above my bed.

Three days.

Don't you dare think about it…

"I find it easy to be around you too. And we hardly know each other. That's weird right?" he asked, his face mashing up in the most endearing curious expression I could imagine.

"Very weird. But good," I smiled.

"Definitely good."

An awkward silence developed and the whole 'easy to be around' thing felt like it was spoken a bit too soon. I cursed my luck with dates.

"When the heck is this movie going to start?" I wondered out loud, breaking the silence.

"I'm guessing the previews will start any minute now," he answered and popped a few goobers into his mouth.

"What is it even about by the way?" I asked, because I had let him pick the movie and I didn't even notice what he settled on. I was too busy eyeing the girl in the ticket booth who was checking out his tank topped form.

"I think it's a scary movie, but it doesn't really matter," he replied nonchalantly.

"I love a good scary movie," I gushed.

Then I caught on to the second half of his statement.

"But, why doesn't it matter?"

He looked at me, and the fire I remembered was in his eyes. The intense flame that I had drawn on my canvas the day before was burning bright.

"As soon as the lights go down I'm going to kiss the hell out of you."

I didn't know what to say. I felt a rush of excitement travel down my body, and settle itself between my thighs.

"You are?" I managed to sputter.

I turned and glanced around the theater to see if anybody would object. There were a total of five people in the whole room, all sitting closer to the front.

"Yup, and I might not be able to stop. We might end up missing the whole movie," he disclosed, his tone getting lower and his face drawing closer again.

The lights started to dim, as if he had timed his statements perfectly.

I blushed, but it was dark enough now that it didn't matter.

The booming noises of the first preview flooded my ears and I braced myself, turning to face him.

His mouth was on mine in a heartbeat.

His full lips crashed into me with such a force that I thought I might end up bruised, but it would be entirely worth it. He tasted like chocolate and heaven.

I kissed him urgently and feverishly, giving him all I had. When his lips parted and his tongue massaged mine I sighed into his mouth, and he groaned in response.

One of those five people in the front must've heard us because he shouted, "Get a room."

It sounded like such a brilliant idea.

Jacob broke away from me and looked in the direction of the shouter, but he had turned back around in his seat and was already watching the next preview. I used the time to catch my breath.

Then Jacob faced me again and smiled brightly.

With our first kiss out of the way, I felt much more relaxed.

I felt ready.

I reached out and pulled him back to me, pressing my mouth to his again.

I kissed him softer, more patiently.

I took the soft pillow of his bottom lip between mine and sucked it lightly. I saw stars when he slowly and keenly grazed his tongue against mine again

Then I felt his hand come up and stroke the side of my face.

The warmth of his hand against my face reminded me of something, but I couldn't stop to wonder just what it was.

I could only keep kissing Jacob Black.