In My Art

Chapter 17- Playing The Therapist

Song- Come Back When You Can by Barcelona

…/…

ASHER’S POV

“Are you still going to enter your painting for the competition, the deadline is pretty close now,” Tobi says. “Have you entered yours?” I asked him. “Yeah, I told you about it. The Rose?” “Oh, I love that painting, man. I think it’s one of your best”.

“Thanks, bro. So, are you?” “Yeah actually. Charlotte told me to do something to a painting of mine and it came out so well. So, I’m just gonna use that”. “What’s going on between you and Charlotte anyway?” “What? What do you mean?”

It’s a somewhat sunny afternoon. Tobi is in my room, which can be likened to a one-man house because it’s bigger than all the other single rooms in the dorm. There’s a couch that’s not too far from the bed and a small center table.

To the left of the first window is my personal art space, and then there’s a closet and a bathroom big enough to fit a regular-sized bathroom and a bed. Perks of being the son of the former Head of Seniors, they really adore him.

I pretended not to understand what Tobi said, as if I hadn’t asked myself the same question multiple times since the day I took her to the ice cream factory. “I know you know what I mean, Asher”. Tobi had that look on his face. This particular look is very familiar to me. He’s been doing it since our first year here and I’ve gotten pretty used to it.

We’ve been tight since the day he was skating and he broke his leg. I had to help him around a lot. It was out of the kindness of my heart and when I figured out that he draws too, I couldn’t help accepting him as my friend. I wouldn’t call him my best friend, I wouldn’t call anyone my best friend, but he’s definitely a brother from another mother.

I caved as soon as I saw the face, there was no use running away from the question. “She’s just a really cool person”. “So, you like her?” “What? No, I just like hanging out with her”. My voice was almost convincing, but I know Tobi. He can detect the slightest change in pitch when a person is talking.

“So, it’s just May then?” he asks after a while. “Yeah, I like May. Charlotte is just a really cool person and I like spending time with her”. “Okay man, I believe you”. “Look, when I saw Charlotte for the first time, there was this instant click and there’s no denying that, but I really like May”.

“But does May really like you?” Tobi asked that question to piss me off. He knows it’s something that bugs me. This minute she acts like she likes me and the next, she's flirting with five other guys when I’m there. She’s the only one that makes me feel this way.

“I’m not going down this path with you. I’ll see you later,” I said to him. “C’mon man, I was just joking”. “I know that. I’m not pissed, I just need to clear my head for a minute. I’ll be back”. I know he knew where I was most likely headed but he didn’t ask me and that’s one of the things I like most about him, dude really gets me”.

I took the long route to the Art Space, trying to clear my head. One of the perks of being an executive is the fact that I have unlimited access to the building and I get to use it on days it’s supposed to be closed, under the simple excuse of ‘I came to drop these off and arrange a few stuff’. It’s really that easy.

People weren’t allowed to leave the building without returning the materials they used and cleaning up. A different set of officers were in charge of that, so I’m not surprised that the place is clean. I walk to the office at the back to get my finished painting and examine it in the general space out front.

There’s this theory that says ‘One shouldn’t look at their work for a long time because, soon enough, they'll start seeing it as ugly’. The saying is hung on the wall to the left of the interactive board. I’ve been to this building a million and one times and I’m still staring at the saying like I’m just reading it for the first time.

Despite reading it and trying to apply it, I catch myself staring at my painting for the longest time, and I’m starting to rethink its beauty. “What are you doing?” I say out loud to no one in particular, but after a few minutes of silence, Charlotte walks into the building.

I forget about the discussion I had with Tobi momentarily because her being in the building caused me to take my mind off the fact that the painting was looking weird to me now. I listened to her intently as she went on and on about how it is mentally tiring for her to read for hours.

I’m happy that she feels comfortable enough to talk about stuff like this to me, but then again, I’m not sure if I enjoy it because I’m cool with her as a person or I enjoy listening to people talk about their problems, because I do enjoy playing the therapist, sometimes.

Then, it occurred to me that she could’ve gone to meet her soon-to-be boyfriend but she chose to come to see me instead. Were they fighting? I asked her and she explained her reason for coming here. I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of pain, but I shook it off and made a joke out of it.

I noticed the necklace that was around her neck, it was new and beautiful. I commented on it and the next thing she said was, “Yeah, ‘Breanna’ gave it to me”. I think that’s what drew me to her in the first place, the fact that she gives me the same energy that I give her, sometimes even more.

She makes a comment on the painting and I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Well, it was your idea, Freshman”. If she hadn’t come to the building, I probably would’ve talked myself out of applying for the competition but she did and now, I will enter it.

There is just something about her that I just can’t place. I mean, I can see both of us getting really close, but I can’t see from her point of view if she even feels anything towards me other than friendship. She keeps talking about Bryan to me and that suggests that I’m just a friend, right?

We talked for a while, then I decided to return the painting to the office, as it was getting late. I realized that she had been taking a lot of ice cream from the factory and that could result in the taste becoming basic for her, which would be a disaster. I told her of a friend of mine that had the same experience and then, I decided I’d take her to a different ice cream parlor for now, so she’d have a break.

“Yeah, so seeing as we can’t get ice cream right now, I know this amazing place that serves the best tacos”. She doesn’t reply to me for a while and then, I’m forced to say, “Say something or you don’t like tacos? Who doesn’t like tacos?”

“I like tacos, I was just a bit shocked, that’s all”. “Why were you shocked exactly?” “Never mind, it’s not important”. I was about to disturb her to talk when it dawned on me that it looked like I asked her on a date, but she can’t possibly think I’d ask her to get tacos with me as a date, even though that is my ideal date because I’m not one to dress fancy.

One would think that because of the statement and impending misunderstanding, things would be weird, but the entire time we’re walking to the shop, we talk about anything and everything. Conversing with her is easy and seamless.

“Hey, my man”, I did a 'bro hug' with the owner of the shop and asked him to fix my usual for both of us. Her phone starts vibrating and the ringtone fills the air. “I’ve got to take this, I’ll be right back”. She walks a fair distance away from the last chair in the opening.

I text Tobi to ask if he’d want tacos, and that’s when I hear her shout, “What?” The urgency in her voice makes me whip my head up so fast. I could see her hand shaking. This was not good.