8
The final year students of the Sculpture department were in pairs of two's, the following morning at their studio, helping out each other for their upcoming various projects.
"Put your hands like this, so I can see all your fingers." Jennie was saying to a seated Sol, who had her legs crossed over each other and was seated in front of her.
"Like this?" She asked as she stuck out her hands over her knees.
"No." Jennie said and made her straighten her back before helping her cross her hands over each other. "This is better."
"Um...Where should I look?" She asked as Jennie returned to sit in front of her.
"Just look at me. Focus here." Jennie said and was about to start drawing when she rose on noticing something and Sol felt nervous as Jennie reached to run a thumb over her eyebrow.
"But Sol...your eyes, nose and mouth are all so pretty...even the shape of your face. Your eyebrows are pretty too. I wish I had eyebrows that were pretty too...I'm envious..." She said and Sol swallowed as she returned back to sit.
"What should we eat for lunch?" She asked as she started drawing and Sol was about to reply when Jennie noticed the bruise on her forehead.
"How did you hurt yourself again?" She asked, dropping her pencil to tilt her head, wondering if she'd told her about it before. "Did you tell me earlier?"
"Gosh, why are you always randomly jumping from topic to topic?" Sol asked, with a chuckle.
"No, I'm not." She shook her head as she replied, picking up her pencil to resume drawing. "To me, there's always a flow to the things I say."
"Flow?" Sol asked as she lowered her back to laugh and Jennie frowned.
"Make that posture again."
"Sorry." She said, clearing her throat as she straightened her back again before crossing her hands over each other. "How was the date yesterday?"
"It was good. I think I'll meet him again." She replied, not taking her eyes off her as she drew. "We have similar taste in movies, so we decided to watch one together next time."
"That's great." Sol replied and she dropped her pencil.
"I don't think you mentioned bruising your forehead. How did you get hurt?"
"Well...I just fell." She said and Jennie blinked.
"You fell?"
While the girls were discussing about how Sol's bruised forehead, Tahti was having trouble maintaining her position of an upside down model for April, who needed one as a reference photo.
"Yeah. Just a little more..." April said with her camera clinking almost every second.
"More?" She asked and pushed her legs upwards, an arm around her back and the other around the wall for support. "Like this?" She asked again and April took more shots.
"That's nice. Just a little bit more." She said and Tahti groaned as she pushed her legs again.
"Gosh...like this?"
April smiled and Tahti guessed she seemed to like her new pose, best. "Yeah, that's it."
"Then, hurry up. My legs are getting tired."
"It's looking great." April said and pulled back to look through all the pictures she had taken so far.
Tahti almost slipped but held on firmly to the wall. "Hey, April. I think this is my limit, hurry up."
"Just a few more shots."
"What are you trying to make?" She blurted and April turned back towards her to take more pictures.
"Raise your legs more."
"Raise? I'm going to fall at this rate." She said and April walked towards one of the corner in the studio to take another picture in a different angle.
"Just a bit more."
Her arm on her back was tired and her hold on the wall was getting loose already. Her legs felt like they were going to drop at any minute too.
"Hey, April...I think I'm going to fall. I'm really going to fall."
"Just a bit..." April was saying as her arms couldn't hold her anymore and her legs came tumbling forward, slamming her down to the ground.
"Tahti." April yelled and her course mates turned to her.
"Tahti." Someone called as he hurried towards her with concern boldly detected in his voice, almost at the same time, and without looking, Tahti already knew how it was.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" He asked, his eyes scanning her body for injuries, as he took her arm in his and helped her sit.
She looked pleased to see him for a minute before she recalled what had happened the previous night, with the girl at the club and Tahti realized she had to draw the line, first before he did.
"Yes, I'm fine." She replied as she slipped her hand out of his, wearing a cold look on her face as she turned to him. "What's up? I'm really busy right now."
He smiled, one which sent icicles down her spine. "I just came to see you."
She tore her eyes off him, not wanting to let herself waver, just because he threw a smile her way.
"You didn't read my messages." He said.
Since she was trying to give him the cold shoulder, she hadn't replied to any of his messages, even though she'd been online the whole night.
"Did you send me messages? I didn't see them."
A glint of sadness flashed through his face and she wondered if it was because of her response but he slowly took her hand in his again and she found it very difficult to pull her hand away, this time.
Was it because he was looking at her?
"Are you busy? Don't you have time to eat?"
She tore her eyes off her to April who had an enigmatic look on her face. "Well..." Her voice trailed off.
Well, it wasn't like she couldn't avoid him forever. A meal with him was okay, wasn't it?
"I guess I should eat."
"Then, let's eat together."
"Sure, whatever." She replied and he gently pulled her to her feet before they walked out to have lunch.
Later that night, Tahti couldn't help the scoff that escaped her lips as she was going through his messages on WhatsApp.
«Where are you?»
«Did you have dinner?»
«What are you doing?»
«Are you sleeping?»
"That frivolous...He probably did this to other girls too." She muttered and just then, a message from him dropped in.
«Where are you?»
She gnawed at her lower lip and hesitated, wondering whether she should reply his message or not.
"Whatever." She muttered under her breath as she raised her phone to text her reply.
«Home.»
A call came in immediately and she cringed on seeing Demir on the caller ID. She sat up in an instance, and cleared her throat, allowing the phone to ring for a while.
"Hello."
"What are you doing?" He asked, in a low and seductive one. One he used at the bar when he told her to dance and one which made Tahti feel he was right in front of her.
"Nothing much...Why did you call?" She asked.
"I just wanted to hear your voice."
"You're ridiculous." She replied.
He laughed."You always say that."
"You always say, I'm funny too."
"I really mean it though."
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she fell back back to the bed as he said something funny at the other end.
"Jeez, don't be ridiculous." She smiled.
She wasn't going to let his handsome face and sweet voice deceive her, because she knew what he was up to.
April, Derek and Herley walked out of the bar, headed their homes after having drinks for the night when Herley turned to April.
"Hey, do you think Sol coming tomorrow?...She's close to you, right?" He asked as he slowly swinged the last can of beer he was holding and April recalled the department had a get-together, the following day.
"Not really. The only person she's close to is Jennie...and I'm sure our department's ace would never eat at the same table as us."
Derek grimaced as he turned to her. "She'd never eat at the same table as us? You have lunch with her often." He sighed to shake his head. "You're so dramatic."
She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Don't you know what a metaphor is?" She asked and Herley drained the last contents of his beer, before throwing it in the air and kicking it into a nearest trash can on the street.
"I should style my hair properly tomorrow, then." He said and Derek turned to him, surprise written on his face.
"All of a sudden? You're not even sure if she's going to come."
"He's always been like that." April replied, clicking her tongue as she shook her head, knowing why he was that way. "You're excited thinking about Sol, aren't you?...Do you have a crush on her?"
"You're so quick witted." Herley muttered before he turned to her. "Help me out, then."
April shook her head. "Take charge of your own love life, bro."
Derek was particularly surprised. He had a crush on Sol? The department's quiet girl and ace?
"Sol?"
"She's pretty." Herley said with a shrug. "She's also sassy and extremely skilled...She's totally my style."
April fleered. "But does she even like guys?"
"What are you talking about?" Derek asked and April walked ahead of them to face them as she walked with her back to the road.
"I mean, I have never seen her hang out with guys...Or have you?" She asked Herley, who slowly nodded.
"But I've never seen Derek hang out with girls, either. Then, is he..." He stopped on the consideration of that, as he turned to him, panic-stricken at the thought. "Are you...?"
Derek raised his hand to make a gesture of hitting him and April sighed. "Derek hangs on with me. So what am I? A guy, then?"
"Exactly."
"You brat." She scowled as she ran to hit Herley. "Let me give you a punch."
"Hey, stop." Derek said.
"What are you guys up to?" A familiar voice asked and they turned to see Jennie walking our of a convenience store, a cigarette in her mouth.
"You haven't quit, yet?" Derek asked and April let go of Herley, with a laugh. Jennie had told the class she was going to give up on smoking as she didn't want to disappoint her date.
"It was just a temporary project, anyway. Where are you guys coming from?" She asked.
"We went to get drinks." Derek replied and Herley cleared his throat as he walked towards Jennie.
"Hey, Jennie."
"What's he up to now?" Jennie asked as she turned to April, who shrugged.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
"A favor? What is it?" She asked and April snaked her arm around Derek's shoulder.
"We're going for drinks tomorrow...Come join us with Sol." He said and Jennie, who was hardly serious, took out her cigarette from her mouth to turn to him.
"Sol? Why?"
"Please bring her over. Let him get rejected so he can shut up." April replied, with a sigh and Jennie's eyes widened in surprise.
"You have a crush on Sol?" She asked and when Herley didn't reply, she leaned closer. "Really?"
"I think I do. So, help me out. Help me get close to her. Okay?" He pleaded, throwing her the puppy eyes as he did.
"Help him out. He looks serious." Derek said.
"Looking serious isn't enough. I just can't wait for him to get rejected." April said and Derek turned to frown at her.
"Why would you say something like that?"
"Well, okay. I'll ask her." Jennie said and Herley grinned as punched the air in excitement.
"Nice."
Jennie sucked in a breath as she tilted her head. "But she might refuse. Sol doesn't enjoy drinking."
"I know. I'm pretty sure she won't come."
