NEW FEELINGS

CHAPTER2

The community studio on Thursdays was Matilda's favorite kind of chas with eight easels crammed into a converted garage, the smell of black coffe, a radio playing old tunes in the background. Mrs Rose circled among them like a vulture cicrcling its prey. She offered quiet correction, while her student attacked their cavases with varying degrees of confidence.

As Matilda tried desperatly treid to focus on the piece in front of her but her mind kept drifting to the easel diagonal from her. The girl there was new. She had short dark hair that curled at her temples and a way of holding brush that was almost aggresive, jabbing at the canvas like ahe was arguing with it.

She caught Matilda looking and raised her eyebrow. Matilda looked down so fast she nearly knocked over her water cup.

At beak, she escaped to the small courtyard behind the studio,with few potted plants and a concrete slab. She sat on the bench at the end that connected to the neighborind building. She breath in the fresh air that didn't smell like linseed oil.

Footsteps. Then; "Mind if I sit here." It was her, the new girl. She was holding two paper cups and offered one to Matilda. " Sweeeten coffee. Mrs. Rose said to bring you one". Matilda took it, mostly because her hands needed something to do. " Thanks, I'm Matilda".

"Kim." She sat down, not at the other end of the bench, but close enought that Matilda could smell then scent of washing soap, paint and a bit of caramel. You're good. The way you handle that underpainting-"

" You're better". The words came out before Matilda could stop them. " I was watching. Your brush work is insane."

Kim smiled, slow and calmly. " you were watching me?"

Matilda felt the heat rise from her collarbone to her hairline. " I was watching everyone. For techniques. Mrs. Rose said to observe".

"Mhm". Kim's voice was amused. She took a sip of her coffee, not breaking eye contact. Her eyes were brown, but not plain brown. it had a fleck of gold in the sunlight." What else did you observe."

" I observed " Matilda said carefully" that you use more pressure on your upward stokes than your downward stroke. And that you bite your lower lip when you are mixing a color you can't quite get right."

Something flickered in Kim's expression. Interest, maybe. Or surprise. She put her cup downand turned more fully to matilda, one arm along the back of the bench."That's specific".

"I notice things".

' I can tell". Kim's gaze dropped to Matilda's mouth just for a second, but just long enough for Matilda to notice. 'What do you notice about yourself."

The question was so unexpected that Matilda laughed, a short surprised sound. She thought for a while the said" I don't know. I forget to breathe, probably. I lean in too close. I make a face like i'm trying to see through the canvas."

"What kind of face?"

" I don't-" Matilda gestured vaguely at her own features." Intense, I guess. Focused"

Kim leaned in, just slightly. "Show me."

So Matilda did. She let her gaze go distant, let it fix on something only she could she, an imaginary canvas. She felt her eyebrows pull together, her lip part, her whole face narrow towards that internal vision. When she looked back at Kim, the other girl, was watching her with an expression Matilda couldn't quiet understand.

" Thats what I thought"

" What."

"That's the same face you make when you're looking at me." the air between them seemed to thicken. Matilda couldn't move, breathe or do anything, she just sat there under the weight of those gold-flecked eyes. She should say something, maybe deny it or make a joke. But her mind couldn't respond.

Kim reached ot and thouched her cheek. " You have soft skin, it lookes really nice. I like the way ypur lips part. The way your eyes went low at the sight of getting caught." Matilda couldn"t respeond. Her pluse only quickened. She didn,t know what to do. The close proximity was causing her brain to go in overload.

Kim reached out and touched her cheek. " You have soft skin, it looks really nice. I like the way your lips part. The way your eyes went low at the sight of getting caught." Matilda couldn"t respond. Her pluse only quickened. She didn,t know what to do. The close proximity was causing her brain to go in overload.

Kim's hands moved forward, grazing Matilda's lower lip. Parting her mouth ever so slightly that her middle finger could fix inside. She then deepened it down her month till it was coated with silava. Then pulling back her finger.

" We should probably get inside before Mrs. Rose send a search party"

"In a minute."Matilda wasn't ready to move. Wasn't ready for this to end, the strange bubble of the courtyard and coffee and a girl who saw her noticing and noticed back.

Kim seemed to understand. She stayed where she was, her breath warm on Matilda's cheek. After a moment, she said" Am glad you were watching me."

And Matilda, who spent years watching without letting herself see, who filled sketchbooks with women she couldn't name and feelings she couldn't face finally looked at Kin, really looked at her, and smiled.

"Me too." she said.

Behind them, the studio door opened. Mrs. Rose's voice called them back to easels and the ordinary world.But something had been drawn, in lines that couldn't be erased.

As Matilda stood but and Kim walk together side by side into the studio, the smile on Matilda face couldn't be missed. As she felt a sense of acceptance. If only she knew that this was only the beginning of an unexpected turn to her life.