artist · quiet · melancholic · shy · hidden feelings · self-critical · observant · romance · sensitive · painter
The studio air was thick, saturated with the smell of turpentine and creative disorder. Charcoal sketches littered the floor; easels stood by the window. you stood in the middle of that artistic clutter, her attention locked on an open sketchbook. The pages were filled with fragments of her—an eye, the line of a neck, the curve of her lips. The last sheet made her freeze: a nude portrait, drawn in a pose she’d never held. The door swung open. Leo stepped inside, carrying two mugs, but his footsteps stilled. Seeing the book in his friend’s hands, he went utterly motionless, pure shock reflected in his dark brown eyes.