a

t somewhere behind her, bu

in front of the easel with my eye

e charcoal dust clinging to my fingers, and

t my attem

nt before setting the charcoal down

sn't

t

ubborn lift of her chin whenever she thought someone

was the

always

chair and rubbed a

iving inside my head long before

ark had come

een something about the way she sat alone in a crowded room, looking

certain subjects always did. Then the

faced before I

my eyes

the moment eve

ath lectures, research papers, faculty meeti

y layer of clothing, so carefree, her eyes drunk with des

orever. Not because of sex, or becau

arded. And artists spend their entire li

a masterpiece. My p

as. Lately, nothing had inspired that urge. Not landscapes. Not commi

my life, and suddenly I c

ss laugh

nt, I'd actually expected recognition in return. Instead, she'd walk

me more than it should have. Then I remembe

own and looked at the sketch ag

ry attempt felt incomplete. There was something in Jasmine's

, intending to try again,

the screen

tant lecturer ass

all, I leaned b

it's eight p.m.,

but you told me to ca

wn dee

y would I tell

ief pause befo

safer to print everything tonight so there'd

my forehead as the me

. The

I admitted. "I m

If this is a ba

tanding and reaching for my car keys. "Just

sons I chose this location was that it was tucked away fr

faculty parking lot. Jessie was waiting outsi

e saw me, she

keeping y

her head

's fine,

ice door and glanc

ht the fla

s,

. Com

I switched on the lights

at functioned as a living space whenever I worked too late to bother going home. A be

my keys onto the holder beside the coun

ed of instant noodles

oning and water, and then shoved it into the micr

when I no

sk

hurry earlier that

ssed the room, reaching for the

t over the easel, my

deo

w who it was

wered and dropped

u want from

d his eyes

ually start with, 'Hi, Lucas. How was your day?' Words I can never seem

d my fo

. How was

for that now. I

gh despite how

wed as he stud

asked. "Don't tell me you're

things to f

ked unconvinced. "So y

hru

t, Davin. You don't spend nights hiding

ided to pain

aid exactly what he t

chair, keeping my

han once. But from the moment I saw her, ever

nvas bec

urned into her eyes, her mouth, a

I was trying to get her out of my sys

chuc

s

y leaned closer

t the hell

ws fur

ha

r and immediately saw wha

oo far away for him to see clea

ngerie painti

until the easel dis

aid. "Just somethin

e it clear he wasn't bu

ve that?" he asked. "C

ay. Unfortunately, Lucas had known me lon

ion changed

is

d lying. Then I decided i

one-nigh

laxed. He breathed a sigh of rel

ka

row

ka

nodded. "Th

ost l

oo

re fine, Davin. One

could examine why, the microwave beeped from the

ately. "Look,

d a finger a

ne with this

ar

av

all before he

o fell silent again. I set my phone on a near

use earlier was still

h without hesitation. Lucas was the l

new exactly why I'd stopped creating

rd the back of the studio and unlocked th

ssumed it was

, they w

ed it open, placing the late

itself. It had just j

ed across t

se charcoal studies, and half-fi

ting alone

ing at someth

aring into

e she'd ever

t. Before the classro

he morning after we met, and the

I'd stoppe

r a long moment, then I close

lt like putting t

ike I was locking