My Muse | TKB Movie Contest

My Muse

As Jonah stared down at the pencil in his hand, only one thought ran through his mind.

How the hell did this happen? 

Flipping through his sketchbook, his eyes widen at the realization that this has been happening for weeks now. There she was, the Autumn Reed. There were moments of her laughing, smiling, rolling her eyes, and so many more expressions and positions that his head felt like it was spinning.

The only time they had ever held full conversations with one another was when they got partnered up to do an abstract painting for class. Jonah had been surprised at how easy it was to talk to her. 

He looked up and instantly locked eyes with the girl who'd set fire to his thoughts, creating havoc that he wasn't used to.

She was complete and total trouble. At first glance, she looked reasonably harmless with her warm hazel eyes and naturally rosy complexion. But after some time, Jonah couldn't deny that she was someone who should be kept far away from him. He was Jonah McCoy: reserved, well behaved, respectful, and what one may classify as a "nerd." Autumn Reed, on the other hand, was rambunctious, rebellious, and overall terrifying if one were to find themselves on her bad side. The two couldn't be more different.  

"What's got you looking all freaked out?" Autumn raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering down to the exposed drawings.  

Jonah quickly closed the book. He felt heat rush to his cheeks, the palms of his hands instantly warming as well. "No-nothing," he swallowed hard.

"Were those, um," she pointed at the book held tightly in his hand, "drawings of me?" 

"What? These?" Jonah let out a nervous chuckle, "No. What? No, of course not. Why would you even think-"

"Can I see?" Autumn asked him. When his response was to stare at her like a deer caught in the headlights, she took it upon herself to pry his fingers away, swiftly sliding the book in front of her. 

A silent moment passed between the two as she looked through. Jonah could hear the pounding of his heart and hoped she couldn't hear it from across the table.  

"Wow. These are-" 

At that moment, the bell rang. Jonah didn't hear the rest of her sentence, for he was up and out of the door. 

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Hey, wait! Jonah," he was pulled to the side, "You forgot something." 

Smiling, Autumn handed him a book, "See you tomorrow." She reached up, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

Jonah stared at her retreating figure, his mouth slightly ajar. Looking down, he was surprised to see a worn down leather journal in his hands. 

Upon opening it, he immediately saw a familiar face. He carefully looked at every page, his heart feeling as though it could burst. He spotted a blue sticky note peeking out from the most recent page, and his smile grew even wider at the scribbled words. 

"You're my muse, too."