Chapter Text
I’m an artist and you have a really nice face so would you mind if I drew you? AU
Being an early November morning, the air is crisp and there’s a chill so the park is quieter than usual. Just the way you like it. You’re wrapped up in your biggest jumper and thickest scarf, armed with the newest recommended reading from class. You usually wouldn’t bother, but it was on your personal reading list anyway, so you borrowed it from the library last night. Looking around you inhale deeply through your nose, taking in the morning air. You walk until you find your regular bench, settle down and loosen your scarf a little. The sun is finding gaps between the trees and illuminating random words on the page.
After 10 chapters or so you finally look up from your book, the park is a little busier but no one has sat down next to you, so you’re not too concerned. It’s just after 11 and the coffee hut in the centre of the park should be open by now. You stretch a little, straining your neck side to side. When suddenly, you notice someone approaching the bench opposite. A women not much taller than you, in fact she’s probably a little smaller. You notice a sketch book and a pencil behind her ear, “Pft, art students”, you mutter under your breath as you begin to stand. She looks up from her seat opposite, and you freeze because you’re convinced she heard you. She just gives you a small smile and eye contact. Wow, a lot of eye contact. Her brown eyes, no, honey brown eyes, staring at you. You stare back, until she eventually looks away and flips open her sketch book.
As you make your way to the coffee hut, you can’t seem to shake the image of that women’s face from your mind. What was her problem? What was with all that staring? Your thoughts were interrupted at the sight of two red heads unstacking tables and chairs. “Morning.” You mumble, you haven’t had your caffeine fix so there’s no way they are getting any more than a one word greeting.
“Hey grumpy pants! Coffee?” Laf says with the biggest grin, which has to be illegal at this time on a Sunday.
“Yes”
“Now, now. You know our policy Carmilla” Perry quips from the back of the hut.
“Yes, please” adding the fakest smile you can manage.
“Much better! You know Carmy Pants, if you smiled more, you might be happier. There’s a study that sugg-“
“Laf,” you interrupt, “you know I love a good science lesson. But I really would love to be anywhere else.”
You grab the steaming cup from the counter, turn around and shove a hand in the air.
“YOU’RE WELCOME CARMY! GOOD BYEEEEEEE!!” Laf shouts after you. They always love finding ways to try and embarrass you, it never works of course. It doesn’t stop them trying though.
You find yourself back at your bench. You manage to safely balance the cup of the metal arm rest and settle back into your book. You read one sentence, when you get a strange feeling. You flick your eyes from your book to the bench opposite, where the staring women was sat. She’s still there and she’s still staring. You glance again in her direction, this time for a couple of seconds longer and she doesn’t even to attempt to cover up her actions. You let out a small cough and return to your book. You can still feel her honey brown eyes on you. What is her problem? You snap your book shut, she jumps a little in surprise but her gaze is still fixed.
“Can I fucking help you?” You ask, leaning forward in your bench.
“Oh. Um, maybe?” She stutters. She blinks a few times, but her eyes are still locked on you.
“And what might that be cupcake?”
“Well, I came here to draw flowers, I’m an art student you see and –“
“Really sundance? I would have never had guessed. I mean the sketch pad really screams business major.” She looks down and stifles a giggle. Wow, her laugh is damn cute.
“Anyway, I came here to draw but I haven’t found any inspiration.”
“Oh well that won’t do will it?” You’re turning your seduction eyes on, while biting your lip.
“No not at all,” she starts to get up and approach you slowly, “You have a really nice face and I’d like to draw you if that’s ok?” Wait what? You must have looked taken aback because her face started to flush and she started to flail her arms about. “Oh my god, I totally freaked you out right? I mean I don’t usually approach beautiful strangers in parks. But you left and I started to think about how I’d draw your portrait and I was hoping you would come back and you did and I said to myself that if you came back I’d ask you for your permission to draw you, you have really defined features and – “
“Ok, sweetheart breathe” You take her hands in an attempt to stop her talking. “In, annndddd out.” Raising both your hands on in, and bringing them back down on out. After a few breaths you let go of one of her hands and you raise an eyebrow, “So, you think I’m beautiful?”
“No! Well, yeah I mean traditionally your features are exquisite…” She trails off, knowing she’s making a total fool of herself. Every time she opens her mouth to speak you can’t help the smile that’s growing on your face.
“Way to dig a hole, cupcake” She looks at you and tries to start another sentence but fails. She looks at your hands still joined, and then to the ground. A moment of silence passes until you decide you literally have nothing else better to do. This woman is cute, you want to see how this goes.
“Ok, creampuff. Go ahead, do your worst.” You drop her hand and sit back in the bench with your hands joined in your lap. She whips her head up to look at you, her mouth open in the shock of your answer.
“Really?” She whispers, almost as if she thinks she imagined your answer. You nod and wink in response. She does an adorable celebratory jump and scurries back to her bench to grab her sketch book. When she returns, she places herself next to you on the bench and positions one leg angled towards you and rests her sketch book on the same leg. You angle the opposite leg towards her and raise an eyebrow to seek approval of your change of position.
“Yeah, perfect! You don’t know how much this means to me. I need 5 portraits to fill my portfolio and this would be my last one! You’re my hero!” She flips through towards the back of the book to the last few pages.
“Well I do look mighty fine in a cape” She lets out a small laugh while not lifting her head from the book. Which is a good thing, because you’re maybe too smug about that cheesy joke. You spot a portrait of a girl, signed Danny and a love heart at the bottom of the page. You feel a strange pang of something in the pit of your stomach. What was that? Jealousy? Over a woman you just met?
“Who, who was that?” You say without even registering your brain had engaged that thought.
“Who? Danny?” She points at the page, you give a small nod, preparing yourself for the answer.
“Danny is just a friend. Well she was something more, but then she got all protective and not like a girlfriend protective like a parent protective and I just- Wait you probably don’t want to hear this.” She shakes her head a little and finds an empty page.
“You’re good, cutie” A grin has formed on your lips and you try your best to wipe it off before she makes eye contact again.
“So cutie, what’s the deal? Still as a statue, pulling my best thoughtful look? Or am I allowed to speak?”
“Oh yeah you’re allowed to speak! You’ll get bored otherwise, I mean it shouldn’t be too long. But you know” She keeps glancing at her page making pencil strokes already, but every time she looks at you, she smiles, a heart-warming smile. You can’t help yourself, you smile in return every time.
“You got a name cupcake? Or are you one of these nameless artists?” You say after about five minutes of silence.
“Oh my gosh! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’m Laura, Laura Hollis. You are?”
“Carmilla Karnstein”
“Well it’s very nice to meet you Carmilla Karnstein” She sticks her pencil behind her ear and holds out her hand. You laugh and shake her hand, while shaking your head a little at her dorkiness.
“Nice to meet you too Laura, Laura Hollis” You catch a small blush slowly making it way to Laura’s face. When you realise your still holding her hand and stroking her knuckles with your thumb.
“As much as I’m enjoying holding your hand, I’m gonna need it back to draw” You stutter and pull back your hand. She laughs slightly and gets back to work. Even though Laura said you could talk, you don’t feel the need to. The silence doesn’t feel the slightest bit awkward. You take it as a good sign. You watch Laura at work, faint lines becoming shapes. Those shapes becoming your facial features. It was captivating. Correction: Laura was captivating. A crease was forming between her eyebrows as her concentration grew more and more intense.
“You’re staring” Laura says without her eyes leaving the page. You don’t think you would have heard her if you weren’t staring at her lips.
“I can’t help it cutie. You’re too damn, well, cute” You smile seductively, and Laura meets your eyes, her face still serious. You wink at her and she cracks into a smile again and gets back to work.
“So, what’s your book about?” You glance down at the book on your lap, almost forgetting you brought it today.
“Oh it talks about the great philosophers and how they found inspiration in the stars. It’s actually quite interesting. I can relate with them”
“How so?”
“The stars? I love looking at the stars. It’s comforting, to think how small we are in comparison. You probably don’t want to hear shit about the stars though, right?”
“Are you serious? Of course I do! Tell me more.” You ramble on for another half hour about constellations and planets. Until you look at Laura and she was giving you a look. Almost like you were her favourite part in a film. “What are you looking at me like that for?”
“You have no idea how beautiful you are when you talk about the stars. You’re so passionate about them, you got lost in it. It was. It was beautiful.” You blush slightly, directing your eyes to the ground embarrassed. When you feel a hand on your chin lifting your head up. You meet Laura’s loving gaze and she’s giving you the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen. Leaving her hand on your chin, she leans in to place a delicate kiss on your lips. You close your eyes and smile. You open them again when her hand leaves your chin and finds your hands. She smiles again and you don’t think you ever want to miss her smile ever again.
“It’s done, by the way, if you wanted to see it.” She nudges the sketch book with her free hand to angle it towards you. You gasp. It’s amazing. Better than amazing, but your words are failing you. She’s captured every line, freckle, nose crinkle, curve and strand of hair. You take a minute to trace the drawing with your eyes. Eventually your voice finds itself again.
“Laura… It’s… I…” Your words aren’t bubbling to the surface, so you place a kiss on her cheek to show your gratification instead. You stare into each other’s eyes for what seems like the millionth time, there’s no one else you’d rather be with right now. Your phone buzzes and pulls you out of the moment. With your free hand you check your phone, it’s just an email from a professor. But you realise it’s 3pm and you haven’t even eaten yet.
“Hey Laur, did you um. Did you want to get something to eat? There’s this little coffee hut further in the park and they do little sandwiches and cookies, I’m friends with the owners and they normally save me food and give me –“
You’re interrupted by Laura’s hand squeezing yours, forcing you to take a breath.
“Now who’s rambling” Laura gives you a little wink.
“Shut up”
“Carm,”
“Yeah”
“I’d love to have lunch with you” With that she stands up, sketch book under one arm, pencil behind her ear, offering you her hand. You take it and stand up next to her. You both start to walk towards the truck and Laura starts to talk your ear off about how much she loves cookies. You look down at your joined hands, shake your head lightly and smile. The biggest, most idiotic smile ever, because you’ve never been happier.