I saw him there that day.
A handsome boy with his thick black hair shading his forehead. It ruffled as the autumn air blew, along with the leaves on the Ruby red tree he stood under. He looked as if he was pondering. His hands were in his coat pockets, his maroon scarf was flying in the wind like a flag, his head was turned off to the side towards the midday sun. He looked like a professional actor straight out of a movie scene.
I, a mere background character, happened to accidentally catch his gaze as I stared at
him, starry-eyed, from across the field. I figured the distance between us and the dozens of other colored trees would have disclosed my location. His eyes were a striking, cool grey and I caught my breath. His eyes seem to widen upon spotting me and we stood there, confused yet intrigued. After seconds of taking each other in, his lips parted. A cloud of smoke materialized as he whispered the words I would never forget.
"Bellissimo..."
~~~
"Bella..? Bella!"
I snapped out of my lost daydream to find my best friend, Aida, called me. "Huh? Was that a dream?"
"I'm not sure what your talking about...but your painting..." Aida smiled.
My eyes widened as I looked at my canvas. I completely forgot that I was in art. Somehow I managed to recreate the beautiful scene in my head and plaster it on the course material. A great, full red maple painted with a color scheme of reds and browns towering over a beautiful, grey eyed boy caught up in the dancing wind.
"The Ruby red tree..." I sighed. "So it was a dream."
"Is that the name of your piece?" Aida beamed. "You're so creative, Bella, and it makes me jealous! Especially when you can do things like blend the reds and oranges on the leaves so perfectly. It really feels like fall!"
"Thanks." I said halfheartedly. I turned to look at Aida's work. As always, Aida had an adorable piece to match her bubbly personality. This time, she painted a family of bears playing in a pile of tiny raked up leaves. The piece might of not been realistic, but it definitely had a warm and fuzzy atmosphere. I smiled just looking at it. "I love your painting too, Aida." "Hm?" She said, glancing at it with a confounded look. "Reminds me of when I was living in Wichita Falls with Ethan." Aida's eyes brightened as she registered my words.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, the bell rang and students began to pack up their belongings. "Oh! I have viola practice today!" Aida said, quickly stuffing her bag with supplies. "I'm assuming your staying after?"
I smiled at her. "Bingo."
She fabricated a gentle smile in comparison to my forced one and threw her satchel on over her shoulder. "Can you do me a favor then and put away my brushes? Oh! And bring my painting home with you. I'll pick it up tomorrow."
"Sure thing." I said. Aida smiled at me one more time before dashing out the door. Without looking back, she called out to me, "Don't stay here too late, Bella!"
Eventually, I was the only one left in the room. It was only 3 and yet the suns golden rays were already peeking through the blinds. One particular ray landed on my painting, exposing the dust floating around it. It almost made it look as if it were being hung up in a gallery with a spotlight. I sighed and took off my acrylic covered scarf then began to clean both Aida's and my brushes.
