Work Text:
Mia put the finishing touches on her painting, the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset, and sighed.
It wasn’t the most advanced thing she’d ever painted, and she was sure Clarisse, her grandmother and one of Genovia’s most esteemed painters, would tell her it was too basic when she critiqued it during their class presentations. (Although she’d likely let Mia know in private that she was proud of her and her work was beautiful even if she did have to give unbiased critique at school.)
The painting had been inspired by her homesickness. At first, studying abroad for a year in Genovia sounded like an incredible opportunity, not to mention it would give her some more time to bond with her grandmother, who was a visiting lecturer at the school Mia was attending. But it felt hard to have fun with art like she did at home, when she could take a break from her classwork to throw darts at a board adorned with paint-filled balloons and find beauty in the multi-colored splatters. She and her mom Helen did that together before she left, only because they knew Clarisse would never approve of such “artwork” and Mia wanted to rebel one more time.
Now that she had been abroad for three months, art felt more like a job, one she could never quit, and she was second-guessing whether she wanted to follow in Helen’s footsteps and always be on the hunt for the next gig. Especially in an expensive city like San Francisco. Maybe she could be OK with being a graphic designer because while it didn’t pay that well starting out, at least it would give her a steady income.
There were also two hurdles she wanted to jump over: her classmates, Andrew and Nicholas, vying for her attention. She definitely never expected to find one love in Genovia, much less two!
Andrew was another study abroad student, having come to Genovia from London. He was interested in pursuing photography and didn’t share many classes or studio time slots with Mia, but when she saw him exhibiting his work, they struck up a conversation and fell in love after he introduced her to two classic English sports, badminton and archery. Instead of laughing at her when she couldn’t discover her athletic side, he laughed with her and brought her ice for her injured ankle after she slipped on the badminton court.
Nicholas was a native Genovian, eager to learn under Clarisse and trying to blaze his trail away from his uncle, a sculptor who never seemed to appreciate a good painting and didn’t get along with Clarisse. He and Mia had bumped into each other on their first day of classes, and while she wanted to snap at him to watch where he was going, she had learned quickly that Genovians weren’t as abrasive as her fellow San Franciscans. She was pleasantly surprised when he was apologetic and gracious about the encounter, but it didn’t last, as they promptly became rivals in the classroom.
Still, he was so cute…and lately, he’d taken a softer approach, complimenting her work and even encouraging her to branch out into some new painting techniques. He tended to stay up at all hours, constantly improving and applying for exhibitions outside of the school while preparing for the year-end showcase where all of Clarisse’s students would show off their hard work. She found herself slowly falling in love with him, but Andrew had recently mentioned wanting to get engaged. Even though he was still committed to his photography, he also had a traditional side and wanted a wife and children eventually. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready for that right after college, but Andrew was eager to join the “real world” and settle into a new life and career.
“What season is that sunset supposed to be in?” Nicholas’ voice startled Mia out of her admiration of her painting, but also her worries.
“Oh…um, I never thought about it.” Mia stammered. “I guess it’s up to your imagination.”
“Well, it looks very autumn-like to me. You really leaned into the orange and put it in the forefront; not so much the pink. And the water is a bit choppy, maybe from some rain earlier in the day and the sun came out briefly, only for it to go down a short time later.”
“Interesting interpretation,” Mia said. “San Francisco doesn’t have much of a fall, but I’ll take it. After all, Grandma always says art is subjective, and even if you can present your piece and its meaning effectively, someone will see something entirely different. If they tell you that, you just smile and engage in discussion if the person seems interested in doing so. She says it’s an important part of taking critique and being gracious.”
“Your grandmother is the total opposite of my uncle. Egotistical and resistant to outside opinions. That said, I could tell you seemed a bit down lately. This must give you some thoughts of home, right?”
“How did you know? I didn’t even have to tell you.”
“Well, not only are you painting a picture of your home city, you’ve also been carrying around and wearing more apparel and accessories from your hometown, like that mug with the sports logo?” Nicholas pointed out.
“Yeah, the 49ers. I’m surprised you know so much about American football and don’t just think they’re a soccer…oh sorry, I mean football team. As in, your definition of football.”
“I’ve decided that I should become more cultured if I’m going to be the best artist possible. I’ve lived in Genovia my whole life and I love the country and the people, but after meeting you and Andrew, I really feel like I should see more of the world. Maybe next year I can be an exchange student myself…perhaps come to the United States for a little while.”
Oh, please do! Mia almost blurted out before realizing she was in a committed relationship and didn’t want to give off the wrong vibe. Darn it. Instead, she gave him a supportive smile and nodded.
“You sure nothing else is on your mind?” Nicholas asked.
“Not exactly.” Although that was something of a lie. She felt safe to talk now, knowing Andrew was in the photo studio or the darkroom and would be meeting up with her for lunch. So, there was hopefully no chance of him overhearing the conversation.
“If I could ask…” she said slowly. “Have you ever had a girlfriend that you were really serious about, or maybe she was really into you, but for some reason, the love wasn’t mutual? Like even if you thought she was a nice person and you couldn’t find any major flaws with her, you just didn’t see it going far or figured you would end things soon?”
“You’re asking someone who has really never had any girlfriends; only dates.” Nicholas admitted, laughing nervously. “I don’t want to think about commitment while I’m still in college and discovering myself and my passions. But that said, if something is bothering you, I’ll listen.”
“And you won’t tell anyone?”
“I would never.”
“So, here’s the thing. Andrew is really serious about me. He cares a lot about his photography, but he also wants to settle down once he graduates. And he’s a great partner, don’t get me wrong; he’s everything I used to fantasize about finding. He’s attentive and he makes me a priority; he never interrupts when I’m talking. He’ll even ask if I want advice or if I just want to vent if I’m having a crappy day. He lets me plan our dates a lot and is willing to go with the flow; like if he suggested something and I wasn’t into it, he’d respect that. Even when we disagree, it doesn’t feel like we’re fighting or having any big drama.
“But I don’t love him, I don’t think. At least not enough to settle down with him and figure out if I’m going to go to London or if he’s interested in moving to the States or something like that. Part of me thinks this should just be a fun study abroad fling and that’s it. Although I will say, there’s family influence because Grandma loves Andrew. She wanted to meet him not long after we started dating. Then again, she’s very kind and approving to everyone, sometimes to a fault. She took time to warm up to her own husband after she was hesitant to marry him, but then they had a really amazing life together and she still misses him to this day.”
“It sounds like a great story,” Nicholas said. “Do you think that could happen with you and Andrew?”
“It’s hard to say. Sometimes I think it could, but other times I feel like I want more. I’m not sure leaving the life I know in the States behind is the best answer either. I know I should talk about it more with him. Having a spouse in an entirely different country isn’t exactly practical.”
She shook her head. “Maybe it was a bad idea to tell you all of this. I feel like I’m cheating by coming to you.”
“But have you really done anything wrong? I’m just your classmate and friend. No ulterior motives here.”
“Maybe it’s a sign that I’m not really meant to be with Andrew after all?”
“Or you’re overthinking it and trying to talk yourself out of a decision when your mind isn’t made up yet?”
Mia liked how Nicholas was countering her points. If it were anyone else, even her mother or grandmother, she’d feel annoyed. But he was already making her think differently.
“I kind of want to explore some more first, but it’s also not as easy to just break up with him now,” she replied. “I don’t hate him. I mean…maybe we could take a break. Actually, that makes a lot of sense now that I’m saying it out loud.” She smiled at Nicholas. “How did you do that? In only a few sentences and questions, you gave me a lot of clarity.”
“I’ve always been good at reading people, or so I’ve been told.”
“If I do decide to do this and talk to Andrew about what I need, and then we set rules that allow it, would you want to keep talking sometime? I don’t want to do anything serious right now, but I’m starting to think I’ve been wrong about you in some ways, and you’re showing me you deserve a second chance.”
“I’ve also had that effect on people.”
Mia laughed. She had some thought that Nicholas was being cocky, but in a way, his comebacks were endearing.
“Whatever you want to do,” he added. “Coffee, lunch, even just working on our art together. I’ve always struggled with how art is a solitary hobby, painting by yourself for hours on end. I’m more social and have always wished I could have the company of another painter, as long as they don’t break my focus on my work by talking too much. I think you could be that for me.”
“I’m more of an introvert in class and prefer painting alone, so maybe lunch would be better for now.”
“That sounds great. And if you do change your mind and decide to keep working on things with Andrew, let me know. I won’t take it personally if you’re not comfortable spending time with me.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Once Mia and Nicholas had gone their separate ways, she decided that she wasn’t ready to make any big decisions about her relationship or a date just yet.
But maybe the painting of her home city and his alternate interpretation of the setting was trying to tell her something. Could she be going into a different season of life than Andrew? Only time would tell if she just needed a breather to figure out what she wanted or if something better was just around the corner.