Mabel

7

"I have no topic, Kang is ready to destroy my ass and I'm going to bathe with our toaster if I don—"

My slightly dramatic exclamation catches in my throat when I swing the door of the dorm open to Luca, Tal and I's dorm (commonly referred to as the Only Lucas House since it's because of him that the once-trashy, rusty and slightly mould-filled apartment now looks like something out of an IKEA magazine, if you look past the mess, that is) and expect to see the faces of my lovely roommates looking at me with poorly hidden disdain.

"Oh..." I say when I actually see Kai Adkins, sitting on my precious blue couch (the only addition Luca let me add to the dorm) and looking at me like I just admitted to robbing a bank.

"I know you're being dramatic Mabel, but I paid for that toaster and if you even dare to take a bath with an appliance that I spent my fucking money on I will burn your fish plushes and post that video of you crying over finding Nemo you absolute mena—"

"Hi, Kai!" I almost shout in hopes of blocking off an angry Luca in the kitchen.

This is payback from the art gods for all the times I've disrespected them, isn't it? Now Kai's gonna think I'm some sort of freak (yet to be proven by a scientific professional) and never come near me again—

"You... don't have a topic?"

Huh. So we're really just going to ignore the bathing with a toaster and crying over Nemo?

Fine by me.

Kai hasn't got up and left yet. He just looks... alarmed. But still there.

I can work with this.

"No, I do..." I say in a normal tone of voice, not yelling to the art heavens, in an attempt to seem composed.

"Just not a subject. I told my professor I'd do portraiture–but I don't wanna draw any of my friends."

I really don't. If portraiture is going to be a thing I'm doing for a while (and probably evermore if Kang gets his way) then I'd like it at least fifty feet away from my obnoxious friends, thank you very much.

I want pretty–but not pretty, it's hard to explain.

"Oh," Kai says simply, lips closing together again just as quickly as they'd opened and the startled roundness of his eyes being blinked away until his neutral face makes a re-appearance. 

Ah, so pretty.

... hm.

I'm glad the room's already well-lit because I'm pretty sure the metaphorical lightbulb that shines over my head all of a sudden would draw some attention.

I go over and plant myself down on the sofa opposite Kai, the beige Kanken art bag drooping off of my shoulder at my feet.

I attempt to unzip it as inconspicuously as I can.

"So, are you waiting for Talia?"

Kai nods, and only now do I notice the textbook in his lap as he says, "Yeah. We're supposed to study, but she's running late."

Talia majors in a branch of dance choreography (I can never remember the actual name, I usually just call her Leonardo Dance-Vinci which Talia says isn't as clever as I think it is).

But yet, because she's so incredibly excessive in everything she does–a trait that makes us self-proclaimed soulmates–she also minors in physics, and takes a few of the same classes as Kai does (I just found this out recently, after grilling Talia for all she knows about The New Crush in the least creepy way possible, you know).

I don't really have to wonder where Talia is, though.

Morin Valdez: a viable reason for many of her latenesses–but, for once, it comes in handy.

I pull my black leather sketchbook (decorated with various fish stickers, obviously) out of my backpack before leaning back into the soft couch and beginning to draw.

And if I draw the person opposite of me a few times (most of the time) then, it can't be helped. He is right there, after all.

He's pretty and not linked to any traumatic incidents (Lucas is pretty but also the reason my lucky pencil snapped in half since he was "bored of modelling" for me and "didn't think it would break, Mabel").

Not to mention Kai's right there, so sketching him is pretty convenient.

I'm halfway done a sketch that I actually think could turn out pretty good—like, usable even— when there's a loud ding that goes off across the room, and Kai looks up from his textbook to the flashing device beside him.

"Oh, it's Talia," he says, sounding vaguely hopeful before he suddenly looks as if someone insulted his grandmother and he lets out a long groan.

"She said she can't make it—her dance teacher's kept her to help out with a class."

I'm busy admiring (and sketching) the pout of his lips when Kai seems to snap back into reality and out of Talia getting caught up with dance.

"Yeah, sure, enjoy Morin's dick, Talia," I mutter with a roll of my eyes, still sketching.

Kai snorts at the comment, making me tear my eyes off the sketchbook and onto Kai who suddenly looks largely apologetic.

"I'll just... go then. Sorry for intrud—"

But I think having someone around who has felt the woes of Moria (Luca and I proudly take credit for producing the ship name) could make for a satisfying evening.

And if that person just happens to be the attractive guy I'm definitely not crushing on at face value and a little bit of aw-he's-cute-and-shy sometimes then it is totally out of my hands.

Even if those hands are currently making little grabby motions to convey something along the lines of 'mine! mine!'

"Hey, wait no. You wanna get food? I'm starving, we can get food."

I mean, I ate an entire double-layer cheeseburger on my way home from the studio out of stress. I'm really not hungry.

But Kai doesn't need to know that.

"Can you help me with physics, too?" Kai asks, a teasing tone having seeped into his voice and I can't help but cringe at what comes out of my mouth in response.

"I... yes. I... know about...physics."

Damn it, Talia.

"Really?" He sounds surprised and honestly, I'm a little surprised, too, because what the fuck, I don't know anything about physics. "Okay, then. Let's go."

I quickly stand up, grabbing my bag and sketchbook, naturally—I need to finish those sketches even if that isn't the top priority in going out with the boy across from me.

"Where to?"

If I'm gonna eat, it has to be grilled meat. If Kai agrees then I'm willing to declare that he is the man of my dreams, no shit.

"BBQ, obviously."

I beam.

"Obviously!" I respond while sliding into a pair of Talia's shoes.

And it's as we're laughing about it together, heading out the door, that I start to think that maybe my volatile heart actually did me a solid this time.