Paint Me (GXG) ✒️

1

The once-bright blue sky was already turning a hue, as evening was fast approaching.

I had been sitting on the concrete chair around the creative arts arena in the FSS (Faculty of Social Sciences) department at Unilag for more than an hour, if not close to two. I was hiding behind a book, pretending to read it with my legs crossed. But really, I was there for some other reason.

Her.

I didn't know her name, but I knew I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind since the first time I saw her. I had been coming for an elective class when I had bumped into her, painting, by the open arena close to the cement chairs. I was first struck by her beauty, everything else about her came next. I had shrugged it off, but seeing her more often became hard for me to ignore. Before I knew what I was doing, I started coming to her faculty frequently to see her, hiding behind something so she wouldn't know I was watching her.

I peeped above my book, pulling to a side as I stared at her. She was so mesmerising. I had never seen anyone like her. I blushed, pulling my book back and looking at it. She was a sight to behold.

I had never seen her with friends or anyone. She was mostly, always alone. I didn't even see her say something as simple as 'hi' to anyone. She was simply usually alone, painting.

The sky had become dark, making it easier to see her as the light became brighter. Her tan skin glowed like she used exotic products for it and did expensive skin care. She spread her legs wider, bending a bit as she used her small-sized round brush to detail something on her painting. Her full, brown hair was packed in two puffs, making her look extremely adorable.

I had dropped the book I was holding, outrightly staring at her, not caring if anyone was finding it creepy. It was hard to look away from her. I was scared that if I did, she would disappear as she used to, and I wouldn't know where she went.

I had been following and admiring her from afar, for exactly two months, three weeks - I checked my time - and five hours. I felt like a stalker, but I couldn't help it. I felt creepy, like I was some evil person, but I honestly couldn't bring myself to stop. I just wanted to either watch her or be close to her. Whenever I wasn't near her, I was thinking about her. So, what was the use? I had to be near her, watching her.

After watching her for some time, I began to feel the strong urge to talk to her. Not like I didn't feel like that every time I watched her, but that day felt different. I felt more confident, sort of, but my legs didn't agree to move. It was like they were stuck. My mind was set, the entire script of how I was going to introduce myself and talk to her was ready, but I still found myself unable to move. "You can do it, she's human," I said to myself, trying to boost my ego. But I still couldn't move. Like always, I began to doubt myself and find reasons to go back to my hostel and act like I wasn't a creep some minutes ago.

I stretch my legs, feeling some life come into them. I was about to stand up and leave, but before I could come to the realisation of what I was doing, I was already walking towards her, approaching.

The arena was pretty deserted; most people had gone to their hostels or do other things with their lives, but there I was, being a chicken.

The more I approached, the more weak my knees felt. It was like I should halt and turn back, making a run for it while I still could.

She sat up, sitting upright to examine the work she had been doing. I was close by, close enough to see. She had been painting a cherry blossom tree, with some falling on the floor, and some already on the floor. It was beautiful. I wasn't one to pay attention to flowers, but looking at the painting made my heart swell up in a lot of ways. I think I developed a sport for flowers.

She hadn't noticed my presence. Maybe she thought I had been talking to someone.

Standing by her side, staring at her painting, my mind went blank. I wanted to introduce myself and let her know my purpose for being there, but all I could come up with was, "Paint me."

Her brows pulled towards each other as her face creased into a frown. She raised her head to look at me. I almost physically let out an 'awwn'. She had the usual coffee brown eyes, but staring at it, it felt like I was staring at the stars. "Huh?" she asked, pulling back a bit at how a little too close I had been to her.

My whole body weakened as tingles ran through my entire body. She sounded like an angel. "Paint me," I had managed to let out again, causing her frown to deepen. I wanted to coil up, hide my face from her. I felt so... out of place, like I didn't need to be there at that point in time. She was staring at me strangely, like I was insane, sort of.

"I don't do body art," she replied me, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, finding my voice. "No, on paper."

She looked away from me, looking back to her work as she replied, "I don't do paid art." She paused, then quickly added, "But some of my classmates do. I could connect you to someone."

I shook my head at her suggestion. "It's you I want."

"Then I'm sorry, I don't do paid art." With that, she began to pack her things.

"How about you just do it?" I asked, feeling really confident and wanting to persist, hoping she would give in.

She shook her head as she grabbed her canvas. "I don't paint people," she said, still keeping her voice calm. "Thank you." With that, she walked out. Leaving me alone to hate myself for mustering up the courage to talk to her.

I be mumu (fool).