Page 36 of Quiet
Something about it didn’t sit right with him, but before Isa had a chance to explore it, Briar finished and came over. Without a word, he began to move Isa into the position he wanted him.
It didn’t escape Isa’s attention that he didn’t look at Isa’s face once during the process.
Had Briar gotten over Isa?
Was that something Briar did? Did he move from subject to subject, absorbing everything he could about them until he was done? Isa snatched his hand away from where Briar was trying to position it.
Finally, Briar lifted his eyes to meet Isa’s. “What’s wrong?” he signed.
“Ah, n-nothing. I had a cramp.” Isa lied.
He spent several minutes chewing a hole inside his cheek as he let Briar have free rein over his body until he was finally satisfied. It was pure torture.
For the next two hours, the three artists took turns sketching, taking pictures, and adjusting arms, chins, and other various body parts until Alex finally said, “Okay everyone. I think we have what we need.”
“That wasn’t so bad,” Kit said, stretching and arching her body until her back made a popping sound. “I’ve been in sessions like this where my arms were screaming from holding them in some ridiculous pose forever.”
Isa nodded vaguely, not really paying attention. Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off Briar, who’d spent most of the session laser-focused on the girl he’d been posing before he’d come over to pose Isa. He hadn’t looked at Isa once the entire time. Wasn’t he supposed to be the focal point of the entire piece?
Bea bounced over, brimming with energy. “Nice job, Isa. I got a million pictures of you tonight. One more session and I think you’ll be free.”
Isa’s stomach sank.
That was right. Soon he wouldn’t need to come here anymore. That should be a good thing, shouldn’t it? Why didn’t it feel that way? No, itwasa good thing. The sooner he was finished fulfilling his side of the bargain, the sooner he could get over his crush on Briar. It would be better for everyone involved if they went their separate ways.
“Should I get changed, then?”
“Yes, please! I need to give Kit back her outfit.” Bea put her arms around the smaller woman fondly.
“This is yours, Kit?” Isa ran a hand over the soft material of the sweater. “It’s amazing.”
“It was my final project for a clothing design class I took.”
“Your talents are wasted on sculpting, Kit. I keep saying you should be in fashion,” Bea said.
Kit laughed shyly. “It’s really just a hobby. It won’t be fun if I have to do it every day. Sculpting is where my passion is.”
Isa winced at the wordpassionand unconsciously glanced over to Briar, who was still working like he was possessed. He was still looking at the same model he’d been focused on all night.
Fine. If that was how Briar operated, it was better for Isa to know about it now.
Not that he gave a crap. Isa was relieved he didn’t need to think about the issue anymore. Really. If he ignored the churning in his stomach and concentrated hard enough, relief would be the only thing he felt. He was sure of it.
“Actually, Isa, I think you should keep the outfit. It looks better on you than it ever looked on my model.”
“Huh?” Isa realized he’d tuned out of the conversation and had to mentally rewind to catch up. “Oh no, that’s okay. I don’t even know where I would wear it.” He touched the sleeve of the shirt. It really was incredibly soft.
“You can wear it to the party next week!” Bea said.
“Party?”
“At the end of the spring semester we always have a party to celebrate finishing our final projects, and you are absolutely invited. You can invite your theater friends, too.”
Isa had gotten attached to Bea and Alex and their easy comradery, but if Briar was going to be there, it might not be the best idea. A clean break would be for the best.
“We might not be done with our play.” Isa hedged. “But if we are, I’ll ask everyone.” That was a safe enough answer.
Out of the corner of his eye, Isa saw the model come over to Briar and lean down to check out his work. Isa clenched his fists but was determined to ignore the man who took his first kiss. He didn’t care.
