She was that of a painting by an infamous artist. Her chestnut golden hair fell gently down her back and shoulders like the waves of an undulating sea, making her fair skin and freckles even more breathtaking. With ecru eyes in the shape of dew drops, hidden by thickly brimmed glasses as they scanned the pages of her favorite novel, Ashton Irwin thought this girl was beautiful.
Phoebe chewed the sleeve of her white woven sweater absentmindedly as her focus fixed on the paperback, she was utterly unaware that the boy who had just served her piping hot drink was watching her intently. He noticed that she came here every Monday at eleven o'clock which was a bit late for coffee and asked for the same thing, Eiskaffee, with extra milk that often left a mustache above her rosy pink lips. After ordering with a brittle voice that sounded like it belonged to a child, the brunette would hurry to a seat nearest to the window which overlooked the busiest street in town and turn her eyes down to a book.
Ashton had never gotten the opportunity, or courage, to speak to the mousy girl but he admired her from afar. His milk chocolate colored eyes scrutinized Phoebe from his place behind the counter, taking in her peaceful yet distant aura as she sat in place, unknowing of his actions.
"Break time." Ashton's fellow coworker Sam, an energetic boy with a mess of inky hair, clapped him on the back and jolted the twenty two year old out of his daze. He blinked a few times and tried to shake the image of the charming girl out of his mind, but found himself glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was still there as he made his way towards the back of the coffee shop to rest.
Ashton pulled the zipper on his distressed denim backpack to retrieve his lunch, a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread along with a small bag of carrots, the same thing he had been eating for two weeks straight. As his fingertips grazed the sack that held his unappetizing meal, he caught a glimpse of his sketch book. Ashton swore under his breath as he was reminded of the upcoming art project that was due in college, he still hadn't started on it.
The assignment was to pick a model and paint or sketch him or her in ten different places. After doing so, you were instructed to write a paragraph for each piece of art and describe why it was important to you. As if I could find anyone who would participate in that, Ashton thought glumly as he flicked eraser dust off of the book's worn cover which displayed various doodles and scratches from his pencil.
Ashton's friends weren't the type to show interest in such a project, they were more fascinated by spending countless hours with their pea-brained girlfriends or practicing chords on a thrifted electric guitar. He was the odd one out, the creative pal in the bunch, it was a shame that no one else could appreciate the fine arts just as much the boy with caramel locks.
"I'll have to ask a stranger." Ashton muttered to himself under his breath, simply despising the idea of reaching out for the help of someone unknown. Besides, who would put themselves in the position to follow around a naive artist for ten consecutive days?
A follow up question that had more importance; who would he ask?
Ashton could have gone to Sam for help, he wasn't much of a stranger, although he was a very busy person. Between his job at the coffee shop and an alternative job at the theatre, there was no way that he would be cut out as a fit for the given assignment. What about Ashton's cousin Cordelia who lived only a city away? No, she was far too caught up in the birth of her sister's first child, that wouldn't do either.
What am I going to do? Ashton thought to himself as he placed his head in his suddenly sweaty palms. Currently, the fetid smelling sandwich had gone untouched as this problem struck the boy like a bolt of lightning, reminding him of responsibilities that couldn't be escaped by the snap of a finger.
"Break's over." Sam called in a chipper tone as he passed Ashton, heading to the front of the shop once again. Back to work so soon? It was funny how fast twenty minutes could pass when you were overthinking. Ashton hurriedly stuffed the abundance of things covering the table into his backpack and stood up, sneaking a few carrots into the pocket of his apron to keep him going since he had never gotten a chance to eat lunch.
His boot-clad feet slapped against the tile with a rhythmic sound as he started towards the counter, leaning on the coffee stained top by his elbows upon arrival. Out of habit, his eyes travelled toward the corner where Phoebe always sat, and to say the least, he was shocked (and slightly disappointed) to see that she was no longer there. But as a group of teenagers spread apart to gaze up at the selection board, he spotted her making a beeline towards the door.
With just the sight of the girl, a lightbulb went off in the young artist's mind. She could be my model, he thought to himself.
"Excuse me." Ashton mumbled as he pushed past another employee with frizzy blonde hair who he presumed to be named Isobel.
Weaving through bodies of customers, he made it to the exit just in time to catch Phoebe on her way out. Quite literally in fact, he caught a handful of the fabric from the sweater she wore and made her slam into the glass door abruptly. The book she held fell to the floor with a thump and the page-marker that declared where she had left off came tumbling out as well. Phoebe gasped and tugged her arm free of the strange boy's confinement, looking him up and down with her eyebrows knitted together in a mix of confusion and disgruntlement.
"I'm sorry!" Ashton yelped getting to his knees to pick up the book. He hurried to hand it back to her, a culpable smile placed on his chapped lips.
The girl's dainty hands wrapped around the book's spine as she took it from him. "Thank you." Phoebe muttered quickly, glancing towards her feet which were covered by dirty sneakers. He noticed that she was trying to make as little eye contact as possible, maybe this girl wasn't so distant, she was rather shy.
"I'm such a klutz." Ashton thought out loud, making Phoebe place a hand over her mouth and giggle softly.
"It's quite alright." She said, "May I ask why you grabbed me so roughly?"
"Oh, that." Ashton mumbled, diverting his gaze to the window behind her but looking into her eyes as he spoke again. "It's kind of an awkward question but I saw you from across the room and thought you were beautiful. Would you mind going out for brunch with me tomorrow afternoon?"
A blush crept onto Phoebe's cheeks. "Not at all, that sounds lovely." She replied, making Ashton's smile grow wider.
"Great!" Ashton exclaimed, his face lighting up. "Will you meet me here at noon and we can choose where to go?"
"It's a plan." Phoebe nodded amiably.
"Wonderful, I'll see you then." Ashton chirped, shoving his hands in the pockets of his apron. He felt the smooth texture of the carrots he had thrown inside on his fingers and had to hold back a chuckle.
"Before you go," Phoebe called as Ashton was just about to turn around, "I never got your name."
"It's Ashton." He said, holding out a hand for her to shake which was accepted graciously.
"Phoebe." She responded, sending him a tight-lipped smile as both of their hands dropped. What a unique name, Ashton thought, it was very fitting for a girl like herself.
"Well Phoebe, I'll see you tomorrow." He sent a small wave as the brunette pushed open the door and a melodious ding rang out. She returned the gesture with a soft 'goodbye' and then stepped into the sea of people that hastened on the sidewalks like bees swarming to honey.
With a fluttering feeling in his chest, Ashton was left to stand in the doorway and watch as she was swallowed up by the bodies bustling around her. And just as quickly as she had come to him, she was gone again.
