When you look at me I just can't lie

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Zander felt the impact of the fight hours later as he was forced to walk hunched over. There was a nice bruise across his jaw and damn it his ribs ached. He decided that working would help him forget about he aches so he started welding the arches of the angel wings.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, engrossed in the work he hadn’t heard the arrival of company until he looked up and saw her standing at the doorway of his in home art studio. Well, he thought, this is awkward. He set his supplies down and pulled off his work gloves. “How can I help you?” he tried to appear aloof as always, like it was no big deal Lena Lowell was standing across from him without being forced to.

“I wanted to ask you about the fight.”

Zander stood and hobbled over to where his shirt was laid out. It didn’t have to be more awkward with him shirtless. “What about it?”

Her eyes dropped to the large bruise on his ribs. “Does it hurt?”

He chuckled weakly. “Yeah. Look if you want to cheer on your boyfriend’s handy work I’m really not in the mood.”

Lena stepped into the room and without any limps she was much quicker than he right now. She snatched his shirt. “I’m not that much of a bitch.” She helped him put the t-shirt on then huffed a few steps back toward the doorway. “I want to know what started the fight.”

“You don’t know this about me but I’m very passionate about the teenage ninja turtles.”

Lena’s hard stare almost cracked but not quite. “I’m being serious here and I’d like just for once if you could be too.”

“Can’t help you, princess.” He moved back to the chair and sat. “Your boyfriend’s a huge asshole and I think you know that. He pissed me off and I threw a punch, not really a big deal.”

“You’re the asshole.”

Hmm, her friendly streak sure ended quickly. “Why thank you.”  

“I saw the girl he was with.”

“That’s none of my business.” He needed to remember that the next time he wanted to play hero. He didn’t regret hurting Andy, it felt good, but he did however regret his own aches and pains and the curious questions coming from both Lena and Mel. “I have a lot of work to do so you can see yourself out.” He reached for his work gloves again.

“What are you doing?” Lena’s arms were crossed as she leaned into the doorframe, it didn’t seem like she was going anywhere soon.

Zander fought back a sigh, he didn’t have the energy to keep playing the defensive oddball with amazing jokes. “The arches for the next series of photos.” He grabbed a piece of sandpaper to take the shine off the plastic pipes so they’d be ready for painting.

A minute passed between them before she asked, “Do you need any help?”

This time he did sigh, he looked up and met her eyes. He couldn’t keep playing this game over and over, not tonight. “What do you want Lena?”

Her eyes were that lovely shade of sadness he wanted to forever capture in his work. She sank farther into the frame of the door. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” She whispered the words tearfully.

Damn it, he mentally cursed. He didn’t want to keep feeling something for this girl, he didn’t want to save her no matter how badly his arms ached to get up and pull her to him and promise it’d get better. “It’s pretty sad if I’m the best you got.”

“I know. Mel’s with Anthony and all my friends are close with Andy too. I can’t deal with their questions.”

“You know it’s not bad to be alone sometimes. I know it sounds cheesy but you have to love yourself if you ever expect to have someone love you the right way.” That was solid advice if he did say so himself. It was something his mother used to say a lot.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re right that is cheesy. Do you love yourself?”

“Hell yeah, I know what a catch I am.” His over exaggeration made her smile and he was glad to see it. “If you must stick around then yeah I could use some help.” He held out the pipe and sandpaper. “You can work on this and I’ll work on the second arch.” The back and forth motion was killing his arm.

She stepped back into the room and took the supplies from his hands. “What’s the plan?” she looked truly interested again in his art and not just asking questions to fill the air. With only one chair there was no other option but to sit on the floor or keep standing, he opted to sit on the floor to file the shine off the piping.

“That’s the first wing and I have to build the second one. After they’re both done I’ll paint them black and wield them together.” It was easy to talk about the process, it was nice and clean cut unlike trying to sort through confusing emotions and trying to explain she could do better than her idiot boyfriend. It was nice not to feel.

“Are you going to leave them hollow or fill in this place?” Lena poked her hand through the angel wing frame.  

“Fill it how?” His eyes followed her hands as they moved back and forth over the piping as she contemplated whatever thought was in her head. It was weird how a girl stroking a piece of piping drew your eyes right in, he mused.

“Instead of painting it you can apply some material or that stuff on the canvass frames and paint it all dark and bloody like the background.”

He thought that over and dragged his eyes away from her hands and over to the empty canvasses on the floor. “That might work. Actually if you’re up for it I have another idea I’ve been playing with.” With a groan he reached over the table and grabbed his sketchpad.

“I don’t think it’s me that isn’t up for it. I know you won’t admit it but you should be resting macho man.”

“Ha-ha now look who’s loaded with jokes. I’ll sleep when I’m dead. If you want to stay in my awesome company we might as well get work done.” Zander was mindful not to make a sound as he got up from his chair. He went to his supply closet and grabbed some paints.

“What’s this new idea?”

“It’s not connected to the fallen angel series. I need to enter something else in for my homework for art class and keep this private.” He waved a hand toward the background and arches.

“Private? That sounds a little perverted. Did you develop any of those pictures yet?”

“Yeah, why?”

She rolled her eyes and looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. It was nice for things to go back to normal, Zander realized he preferred it that way. “I want to see them.” Lena clarified.

“Uh, ok. But any criticisms you have to keep them to yourself.”

She followed him out of the studio and over to his dark room “What? You Mr. Confidence man is scared of a critique? Why would my opinion even matter?”

“You’re right, it doesn’t.”  He sat in the office chair and passed her the small stack of developed photos.

She made quick time sorting through them. “Wow, it doesn’t even look like me.” She looked over the photos again, this time going slower to admire the detail. When she saw something she liked her eyes went wide and her mouth slightly opened.

Zander found himself smirking as he watched her. He knew the pictures were amazing but he thought maybe she wouldn’t see it the same way. Lena wasn’t artistic in the least. “Are you happy with them?” he asked as the minutes ticked on by.

Lena shrugged. “They’re ok.”

“Right.” He dragged the word out with sarcasm. “Don’t worry princess I know how awesome they are.”

“If they look anything like awesome that’s because of me.”

Zander enjoyed the fact that she was smiling that he didn’t push the situation into a bantering match like they would normally do. “Yeah, yeah, you’re so pretty. Let’s get back to work.”

It was the strangest thing and they were both barely realizing it but they were becoming friends.