Exposure | MikhAiah

Black & White

Maloi glanced over at Mikha and frowned. She had been silent for the entire class so far and even her movements as she drew were noticeably harsher than usual.

"Everything ok, Mikha?" Maloi asked, gripping her pencil nervously.

"Fine." Mikha replied flatly, pressing another hard line across her page.

"Alright." Maloi responded hesitantly, turning back to her sketch pad with a frown.

Their model for the day hadn't shown up so their professor had told them to draw whatever they wanted that day. So far Maloi had a few lines and swirls. She was realizing art was not one of her talents.

Mikha's eyes focused on the page in front of her, her pencil leaving a thick line across it. She started mumbling to herself as she used the edge to draw in the shading along the edges. Stepping back she let out a sigh as she set her pencil down and let her eyes scan the page.

What had started out as a lazy doodle had morphed into something else entirely. The longer she sat there, the more she thought about the night before. What she felt, somehow making itself seen on the page in front of her.

The left of the page held the shape of a door. The pencil marks smooth and light creating the large frame. The door was shut but bleeding through the cracks of the door was the image of light. Fighting to pierce through the barrier, the glow pressing against the frame and splintering through the cracks, like its purpose was to break free and shed light on the rest of the drawing.

The right side of the page was the image of a woman. Dark hair, loose curls, dark eyes. She was surrounded by darkness. Dim shadows of varying shades of gray, swirling around her haphazardly.The shades of gray darkening and sharpening near the edges. Shadows turning into piercing darkness, seeming to be consuming the woman, trying to pull her into the blackness surrounding her. Sharp spires reached for her, holding her back as her arm reached out for the door, desperate to let the light in.

Maloi stood from her place behind her sketch pad and stepped over behind Mikha, taking in her drawing.

"Mikha, thats—"

"I think I messed up." Mikha cut her off, ripping the page from her sketchbook and crumpling it in her hands.

Maloi watched with a concerned look as Mikha threw the crumpled page into the trash can behind them and dropped down on her stool.

"On.. on the drawing?" Maloi asked hesitantly.

"No." Mikha sighed. "With Aiah."

"Oh sweetie." Maloi frowned, "What happened?"

Mikha brought her pencil up to the blank page and started drawing again. "I fell in love with the stars. Then I wanted the stars to admire me back."

——

"Ugh." Aiah groaned as she walked into the apartment, "I think I messed up." She dropped her bag on the floor and walked to the couch, dropping off the arm to land face first on the cushion.

"Uhh, care to elaborate?" Colet asked from the table, homework spread out in front of them.

"With Mikha." Aiah mumbled into the cushion before pushing herself up. She pulled off her coat and threw it over by her bag and leaned back into the couch, letting her head drop back against the backrest.

Colet shut their textbook and clasped their hands together on top of it, giving their attention to Aiah completely.

"She won't respond to my texts and she didn't show up for tutoring today." Aiah lifted her head and looked over at Colet.

"I thought things were fine at fake thanksgiving?"

"They were!" Aiah leaned forward, throwing her arms out in frustration.

"So.. what happened?" Colet leaned their chin into their hand lazily.

—

*click*

"That's.. what you make me feel." Mikha lowered her camera and looked at Aiah nervously.
Aiah sat there stunned. That was not what she was expecting to hear at all. "I thought.. um.." Aiah licked her lips, her eyes unable to look away from Mikha's, "I thought you wanted to take pictures of the stars?"

"I do."

*click

The silence was overwhelming as Mikha stood there nervously. She lowered her camera and watched as a breath escaped Aiah's lips. The air swirling in front of her in a cloud as the warmth provided by the fire died with its flames.

The popping and cracking from the last piece of wood still large enough to burn echoed in her ears. It felt like years had passed and Aiah was still silent.

"Mikhs." Aiah finally breathed out, moving to stand up. She went to step forward but stopped, realizing the dying embers blocked the path she hoped to take.

Mikha swallowed hard and tried to read the girl's face. The fading embers barely cast a glow on her thoughtful features. Aiah's expression sent a cold shiver through Mikha. She had seen that look before. That was the look Stacey had when Mikha had told her she loved her.

Stacey hadn't said it back.

Mikha fought the stinging sensation behind her eyes at the memory. The first time her heart broke.. now the cracks were splintering once more after months of them finally starting to mend.

Aiah's expression shifted as her eyes moved upwards to the open sky. The caved in ceiling allows the lightest dusting of snowflakes to start to cover the ground around them. Tiny flakes taking purchase in Mikha's dark curls, her eyes looking up at the falling snow.

Her eyelids fluttered as flakes clung to lashes and turned to liquid on warm cheeks. It looked like ashes, scattering across cold concrete. The embers from the dying fire, like the hope she had been holding to so tightly. Drifting away in the cold breeze. The universe had always been cruel, when it came to her heart.

"We better go." Mikha broke the silence, quickly moving to her bag and pulling out a bottle of water.
The remaining fire hissed as water enveloped the last of its glow, a puff of smoke swirling upwards in a fight against the ever thickening snow.

"Mikhs, wait." Aiah stepped towards her, her silence had lasted too long. Too stuck in her own mind to say anything. And now it was too late.

Mikha shook her head, "It's ok." Her eyes lifted to look into Aiah's. A pleading expression, begging her not to say anything more. Sure that whatever words she spoke would only break her heart into more pieces. If it was even possible.

Aiah swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue. She could see the glassy shine in Mikha's eyes and her whole body froze, afraid to do anything to cause a tear to fall. She hadn't meant for this to happen, for Mikha to be hurt.

Mikha brought her fingers to her lips and blew out a loud whistle before shoving her hand in her coat pocket and pulling out her keys. Joey came running towards them, unaware of the uncomfortable tension building.

"Why don't you and Joey head to the car while I finish packing up." Mikha tossed the keys to Aiah and turned back towards her tripod.
"Mikha." Aiah stepped forward slowly. She didn't want to leave her there alone but didn't know what to say.