Portrait of a Bad Boy ✓

Chapter 15: The Letter

"We'll make the lines bigger to emphasize just how big the landscape is. I also think the trees should be smaller to add more focus on the background instead of the foreground."

"What about the lights?" Molly tilted her head. "We can highlight the mountains in bright white while the foreground is faded in gray?"

"To make the foreground more blurred to the eye and adding more importance to the ground! Molly, that's perfect!" Blake cried. Moving toward the canvas, his brush moved to add the details described. Stepping back, his smile grew the longer he started at the masterpiece. "Oh we are going to win this contest for sure!"

He turned to Molly. "Your idea is amazing, Molly." Heat flushed her cheeks while Molly's gaze softened.

"Well, you're the one who's able to put it together. I just came up with the sketch, that's all." Before Blake could reply, a beep snapped both their gaze to his phone. As he glanced at the text, Molly turned her attention to her stuff.

"I should get going." She reached for her sketchbook, which fell against the floor with a sharp thud.

"Here let me." Reaching for the book, their fingers brushed. Her breath hitched, causing his gaze to snap to her parted, surprisingly plump...lips. Bzzt. The new message snapped through the moment. "Here," he held out her book.

"Uh," she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Blake. See you next week?"

"Yeah, I'll walk you out." As the two of them closed the art room behind them, the hallways were empty as they headed out to the front. As a car pulled up the loop, Molly waved. "There's my ride. Thanks again, Blake."

With a nod, Blake watched her climb in before he started to his own car. Leaning against his car, her eyes watched Molly's merge onto the road before she turned back to him. "So, you were taking a good while."

"We didn't like how one of our ideas turned out so we had to start over." Leaning in for a quick kiss, Lyla turned her head slightly. His lips landed on the side of her mouth. Fighting back a frown, he nodded toward her door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess." Grabbing the door, she pulled it open before he could get it. As they got settled in, the tension was thick enough to cut. "So," she fidget with her sleeve. "You and Molly are spending a lot more time together now."

"For our project, Lyla." He turned to her. "For our project."

"I thought you said you guys were almost done."

"We were but Molly accidently got paint on the picture and we had to start all over."

"Oh, yeah I'm sure it was an accident." At her bitter tone, Blake turned his glare to her. "Don't do that, Lyla. I'm telling you we're just working on our project."

"That should have been done ages ago!" She remarked. "I just don't see why it's taking this long when all you need to do is dip some paint and spray it over a canvas."

"You know that's not just what we do."

"You could have fooled me."

"Alright enough!" Blake snapped, turning his full attention to her. Her arms were folded around herself, while her gaze remained fixated out the window. "What is going on with you, Lyla?"

"It's nothing. I just miss the time we spent together."

"Me too but we'll spend more time once this is done."

"Sure. Sure." She rolled her eyes. "You said that last time."

"And I meant it." Blake countered. "Besides, you never hear me upset when you get called in to work."