Izzy seemed to play along with his joke, responding in a light manner. As she called herself the real style icon, Adrian pulled his sunglasses down to his nose bridge. A pause followed as he looked up and down her outfit in disbelief. The paint stains stood out against her outfit, almost making his eyes burn. Just the imperfection and carelessness in her image, he couldn’t stand it. But he knew he had to keep the conversation friendly. Adrian raised a brow playfully, looking into her eyes with doubt. “Oh, really?” he asked, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. And shortly after he burst out laughing. “Please, you have to teach me your ways, great master! How can I ever reach your level of skill?” he teased back.
Yet despite the small deflection from the topic, Izzy’s concern wouldn’t fade. Adrian looked away while she reassured him. His laughing began to die down as he strained to keep his smile. Though he’d always wanted someone to show concern, just the thought of opening up about his feelings was unbearable. He felt backed into a corner, her eyes on him and anticipating a response.
“Yes, yes. I appreciate it, really,” he sighed. Maybe a lie would pass. “Well, there is something on my mind, I guess. But it’s not as serious as you think. I’ll tell you, though, since we’re… Friends.” Friends was an odd way to put things, considering how one sided it seemed. He looked up at her, his hands firmly holding onto the edge of the bench. “I guess I miss the summer. I didn’t feel like going back to class so soon, know what I mean? There were so many places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do. But before I knew it, it was all over,” he shrugged, letting out a hollow laugh. “Back to endless academic suffering…” he added, trailing off into awkward silence.
When the topic changed to Izzy’s painting, Adrian sighed quietly in relief. “Yeah, go ahead!” He lifted his sunglasses to the top of his head and leaned forward in anticipation. “Landscapes are a good choice. But you must be really creative to be able to blend two different elements together,” he commented as she talked about her painting. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the bench, smiling slightly. It was almost unbelievable how curious he was.
As Izzy unveiled her artwork, Adrian’s eyes widened. A part of it was due to his surprise, that someone as insignificant as Izzy could hold such a hidden talent. The wildflowers were the first thing that caught his attention, mesmerized by the vibrancy of their colors. While she continued her explanation, he nodded along and let his gaze trail across the painting. She moved on to speaking about the background, and Adrian glanced at the scattered buildings, trees and water which remained unfinished. He was lost in a daze, studying the artwork from its brushwork to the smallest of details.
After a short pause, he spoke up. “…It looks… Amazing.” His wide eyes were almost shining in awe, unable to look away. “I’m personally a fan of realism more, but you make everything look so coherent. All the elements blend so seamlessly together. I especially like how you painted the flowers—” Adrian cut himself off, his cheeks going slightly red. He’d realized he went a little too in-depth for his liking. He cleared his throat, looking back up at her. “I mean, uh, you’re a very talented artist. You surprised me,” he laughed, trying to distract from his growing embarrassment.
He looked back at the painting as he considered her comment about adding a final touch. “I see what you mean, though. I think it lacks a little definition, to make it look more real and add depth to the scene,” he explained, as his gaze trailed up to the sky on the canvas. Oddly enough, he’d always found himself drawn to it, not only in paintings but in reality as well. “Hmm, and, you could add more to the sky, I think. It’s always the main element to set the mood and lighting of the piece. Just a suggestion,” he added casually and shrugged, acting as if he hadn’t put much thought to it.
@Jass {✧} Isabella Rodriguez
Outfit
Once again, sunglasses at night