Repainted {Camila/You}

2

"I'll come with you." She said almost immediately, standing quickly from her seat. I snorted to myself.
"You don't have to walk us back, we're literally a building over."
"Yeah, but it's late," she explained, leaning over to grab my coat for me, "I don't mind."
We looked at each other for a few beats, and I maintained eye contact as best I could before finally a smile began to creep across my face.
"Fine, you can take me home."

The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache, my stomach already working itself into knots. I squirmed in bed uncomfortably, trying to adjust to my hungover state.
Water.
My glazed over eyes shifted about the room. Lauren slept soundly, her body flung onto the bed and her covers wrapped around everything except her face. I groaned softly and maneuvered my figure in an attempt to rise out of the bed. The floor was hard and cold as I padded across to sip from my water bottle. I needed a shower.
I peeled myself out of the tight shirt I'd worn the night before and flung it onto my bed to search for a towel, wrapping it around my shoulders. I glanced at the microwave clock and read that it was only 8:17. Even when hungover, sleeping in was never an option. The bathroom was a short walk down the bright hallway, and I took care to ensure I didn't wake anyone up while walking. All of our rooms were so close together that the smallest of noises could wake everyone up. While I showered, I tried as hard as I could to remember the events of the previous night. I rolled my eyes when I remembered all the awkwardness that transpired between Nate's roommate and I. I washed quicker than normal and shut off the water to finish the rest of my morning routine. I was hungry and I knew that I had to make reparations for all the alcohol mistakes I'd made before continuing my day. Once I was presentable, I returned to my room to dress myself. Settling on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt, I grabbed my phone, scrolling down my contacts until I found her name.

(Message Delivered): Hey, sorry about yesterday, I definitely made everything awkward.

I would text Nate later, I decided. Coming on too strong was not attractive, obviously. My phone buzzed almost instantaneously.

(Message Received): haha it's totally fine, I had fun

Message Delivered): Really? My staring wasn't extremely uncomfortable?

(Message Received): You were staring?

(Message Delivered): Oops.

I mentally slapped myself, noticing that she hadn't even noticed.

(Message Recieved): I'm kidding, I definitely noticed. It was cute.

I snorted, putting my phone on the opposite side of the room as me and sighed. Today was going to be busy, and I needed no distractions. So far, Camila was a distraction.

As I stepped out of my door, the day seemed as normal as any other. Noticing the slight morning chill, I tugged my jacket around me. I had plans to go to my classes and study in the quad after, but they were interrupted when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I pressed the green button to answer instead.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this YN LN?"
"Yes, who am I speaking with?" I turned on my professional voice with ease. Whoever was saying my full name meant professional business.
"This is Joliffe University, the office of student advising?"
"Yes? Yes! This is she."
"We see that you requested to be in a figure drawing class this semester?"
My ears perked up at the sound, "I mean? Yeah. I did, but I heard that it was all full for the semester."
"We had a few students drop the course last moment, your name was first on the waiting list," the woman explained. I could hear the sound of a fax machine in the background, "Do you still want the spot?"
"Yes! Absolutely, yes!" I spat excitedly, "I mean, thank you for the opportunity, of course I want the spot."
"Okay, great. We'll add it to your transcript. Since you now have a class inside of the Arts Center, you have access to the facility during its open hours. Your campus keycard should be all set to open it. Did you have any questions?"
"No, no thank you." I said eagerly. We said our goodbyes and hung up, and my feet turned immediately towards the building.

Joliffe wasn't anywhere near the top of my college choices list, but their art facilities were some of the best in the location. If I couldn't major in art, I'd take as many art classes as I possibly could. My feet hit the pavement with surprising speed, fall leaves crunching under my weight. The building loomed in the distance, the rest of campus reflecting off of the glass windows. The sleek architectural design only excited me more. I swiped my card on the door and flew inside the building and up the stairs into one of the student art rooms. From what I'd read, they could be signed out and used for whatever project one was working on. I wanted it for one reason only. I could draw almost anything. My techniques accomplished much, and I was learning everything for myself. I just couldn't get figure drawing right. My drawings lacked reality, cartoonish lines and sub-par shading. There was one practice room left, and with my hands shaking excitedly, I scribbled my name on the clipboard on the door. When I walked in, my lungs took in the smell of paint and wood. The high beamed ceilings and brick walls gave the same air of an art museum, and the windows let in strong natural light. Easels were lined up along the far end of the wall, a work table beside them. Crates held various supplies, and a rack on the opposite side of the room held drying canvases. There was a small raised platform in the center of the room. It was absolutely perfect. I closed my eyes and tried to capture some inspiration from the room, relaxing into it all.

"Hey, you okay in here?"

I opened my eyes and turned around to see Nate's muscular figure behind me. He wore a skin tight pair of sweatpants and a simple grey top, his backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I chuckled nervously, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked, one of his eyebrows raising, "You sure you're good? You looked a little stuck. I'm waiting for someone. What are you doing? You're a psych major."

Waiting? "I am, I am. But I just got into a figure drawing class and I figured I'd check things out first."

"You draw?"

I nodded, "I dabble... waiting for what?"

"YN?"

"Camila." By then my eyes were bulging out of my head at the sheer irony of the encounter. The two people I least expected to see were standing in front of me.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, feeling any better from last night?" her lips contorted into a half smile as she looked at me. Her snapback hardly fit her head and her hair was a wavy mess beneath it. A blue flannel was wrapped around her small waist.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine. Just wanted to check out the studio, but if you guys have something to do, I'll just-"

"Hey are you all ready?" A smoky voice joined the conversation and before long, a girl covered in tattoos appeared from behind the two.

"Who's this?" She smiled at me, the piercing in her nose shifting slightly, "I'm Kehlani." She stuck her hand out for me to shake and I noticed her fingertips were covered in black.

"Don't worry," Nate said, "it's just the color of her soul."

I shook her hand, "I'm YN, but I was just leaving, I'm sorry."

"You do not have to leave, silly," Camila chuckled, "stay if you want."

"Definitely, YN, please stay." Kehlani nodded eagerly, placing her backpack on the floor and drawing the curtains on the door. She bent down, the rip in her jeans no doubt extending further. Camila and Nate moved from their positions towards the center of the room. I awkwardly took my place in the corner of the room, where I could see both Kehlani's easel and both models. The tattooed woman set up a speaker first, and set her phone up, LOVE by Kendrick Lamar and Zacari blaring through the room. The uptempo beat pulsed through the room.

Give me a run for my money
There is nobody, no one to outrun me

"I hope you don't mind!" Kehlani shouted, getting my attention over the music as she moved over to the easel, setting up canvas, pencils, and paint.

"Mind what?"

"This painting, duh... it's nude."

Just love me
I wanna be with you, ay, I wanna be with,
Just love me, just love me, just love me
I wanna be with you, ay, I wanna be with,
Love me .