A's Lullaby

Aiah Likes Arts

[ Aiah liked arts, Mikha did too but not as much as Aiah. So when the girl paints she sat by, watched, and played music. ]

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Ever since Mikha had known Aiah, the girl has always loved art. She likes doing coffee painting, acrylic, collage, or whatever form of art that is.

Mikha had adored that artistic side of Aiah because she could see how passionate and how much Aiah would enjoy doing it. 

Sometimes their room would be filled with canvases and paintings that they have to spread it around the house or give some away to their friends. Aiah had a phase where she was just painting away all day in the garden while she was in a vacation from work.

One of Aiah's favorite subjects to paint was portraits. Others were eyes, flowers, and pets. And there were times where Mikha would spot a portrait painting of a girl with thick brows, foxy-like eyes, and a face that really looked similar to hers.

She would ask Aiah if that was her portrait but the girl would deny and tease her for assuming. Mikha would roll her eyes and let the girl have her way with the teasings.

All the while the girl was painting, Mikha would let her be but sometimes watches and accompany her at the garden.

Today it was painting day for Aiah and Mikha decided to sit by.

Aiah still have her canvas empty. She was just mixing on her palette while Mikha went to sit at the bench across Aiah and scrolled through her phone.

Quietly, Mikha looked through song options and decided to play random music in her phone.

It was peaceful, the only sound was coming from Mikha's phone. It wasn't too sunny nor too cloudy. Their garden was kind of, slightly, misty. 

Mikha put down her phone beside her and stared at  the flowers. To be honest, she had just woken up from a late afternoon nap. The girl was still in a daze.

She yawned as she stretched her body.

Then she turned to Aiah who was now focusing on her canvas. Mikha smiled.

The painter was in a serious mode. Mikha would find Aiah's creasing eyebrows and serious look cute. Because sometimes Aiah would stop and look at her paint and then pouts her lips. Mikha was sure that the girl does it unaware. Aiah doesn't know how cute she looks.

If she would compare Aiah to the flowers and paintings—yes, they also have paintings in the garden—Mikha would say that nothing can compare to Aiah no matter what kind of flower or how beautiful the painting is.

Aiah is the most beautiful artwork ever to exist.

Time passed, Mikha doesn't know how long but she had been watching Aiah paint for a while now. Sometimes she would look around and go through her phone to pick new songs. But she would again look at Aiah after.

This kind of activity would for sure be mundane to others but for Mikha she would never get bored or tired with just being in Aiah's presence.

She then wanted to lay on the bench but as she started to move Aiah spoke.

"Darling don't move too much."

Mikha slightly raised her brows. "Huh?"

Aiah looked up from the canvas and repeated, "Don't move too much, love."

"Pinipaint mo ako?" Mikha looked at her in combined surprise and tease.

"Yes my love, now don't move." Aiah went back to painting so Mikha did as she was told.

She freezed her movement consciously and as seconds turned into minutes, Mikha could feel her arm getting numb.

"Uhmmm," she bit her lip. "Pwede ba gumalaw ng konti?"

Then the cutesy pout appeared on Aiah, "Wag big movements ha, mawawala ung angle masyado."

"Okay," Mikha chuckled.

As Aiah painted and Mikha sat there trying not to move, the music came to an end. 

Now it was really quiet. Mikha could hear the strokes of Aiah's brush on the canvas. 

A sudden wind passed by, it made Mikha's hair flew by her face. She shrugged and put it behind her ears as she looked back at Aiah.

Aiah had her eyes on her and she also stopped painting. 

The girl smiled, "You look pretty."

"Crush mo na ako niyan?" Mikha joked.

"Do you know that you're my favorite subject?"

"Really? Hindi ba portraits? or flowers?"

"Portraits of you." She beamed at Mikha with her eyes also smiling.

So tama nga ako, ako ung mga portrait na yon!  Mikha thought to herself.

"You're the prettiest art ever." Aiah continued. She put down her brush now and took a hold of her canvas.

She turned the canvas around to show it to Mikha. "Tada!"

It was beautiful. Mikha doubts that she was that pretty in real life. She looked so graceful and colorful in paint.

"You're really good at this huh." She complimented.

"Thanks. I think maganda lang talaga ung subject kaya maganda din ung output."

Mikha snorted, "As if, mas maganda ako diyan kesa in person."

Aiah looked at her like she said something offensive. "You're sooo beautiful in person! Inside and out."

"Yes, yes thank you." Mikha decided to just laugh it out and dismissed it because she was starting to get shy.

"Legit nga." Aiah pouted at her. "Remember nung kinwento ko sayo nung hindi pa tayo close? I was also doing a painting or something that day. But in every artwork I could see, you caught my eye."

"You are pretty."

That was it. This made Mikha became like a tomato. Does she really have to blush every time Aiah would compliment her? It's getting embarrassing. 

She decided to stand up and put her arm on her face. "Bahala ka diyan, what do you want to eat? I'm hungry."

"Hoy, are you shy?" Aiah giggled, "Yieee Mikha's blushing!"

"Ugh, I hate you."

Aiah moved to Mikha and removed her arm just to squish her red face. "I love art."

Mikha looked at her and understood immediately what Aiah was trying to say. She smiled and said, "You're my art too."

Because Aiah would and did associate her with art, saying that she loves art meaning that she loves her. 

"I love art." Mikha continued. "Even if I'm not so good at it."

And that means, Aiah was Mikha's art as well even if she doesn't do well with drawings and paintings.