Chapter Seven
Natalie
I sat at our small dining room table, swirling the last remaining wine still in my glass. I was thinking at that particular moment that maybe I had made a mistake in letting Jet into my life. Sure, I was desperate to get a good grade on my project, but couldn't I have asked anyone to model for me, male or female? Why did it have to be Jet?
I couldn't let this guy get close to me.
Thankfully, Julie decided to make herself scarce before Jet arrived. There was no need for unnecessary giggling and awkwardness. Julie didn't believe me for a minute when I insisted that my meeting with Jet wasn't a date. I had no intention of being part of a romance with Jet. To me the idea was preposterous. The guy was certainly handsome, but his reputation was appalling, and I didn't want to end up being another notch on his belt. Not only was he not my type, but I was still living with the scars of my last relationship, scars that I imagined would be there for quite some time. Jet was hardly the kind of guy to heal old wounds. No, Jet was the kind of guy to make new wounds. I definitely had no intention of being a victim to another wound. I would have to be crazy to put myself in another situation like that. I couldn’t stop those thoughts from running through my head over and over.
I poured another glass of wine despite my better judgement. I could not deny the fact that I was terribly nervous about Jet's arrival. Being alone with him in my apartment made my body shake. I wasn't afraid that he would seduce me; the likelihood of that happening was laughable, at best.
I checked my appearance in the bathroom one last time before I settled back down on the couch. I sipped at my wine, swirling it in my mouth as I considered how I wanted to handle my project. How exactly was I going to draw Jet in order to show a changing subject? It was an interesting idea using a human to show change, but I wanted to do it in a way that was not only creative, but would spark interest in the minds of the viewer. Suddenly, an idea came to me that brought a smile to my face. I knew just what I was going to do with Jet to have the best project my professor has seen all year. I would get an A+ for sure. I was still smiling when there was a knock at my door.
I stood up, my nerves jangling in my bones. I put my wine glass down and headed to the door, swinging it open, and there stood Jet in all his glory.
“Hi Natalie, you look fantastic.”
“Thank you. How are you?”
“Better now.”
I laughed. “Cut the crap, Jet, you don't need to impress me, it's just a school project.
“I like impressing you.”
I rolled my eyes and asked, “So what did you end up doing with my drawing?”
He walked past me into the apartment and took a look around. “Well, first I showed it to my roommate, and then I hung it up in our living room. It's the best-looking thing in the whole apartment.”
“Oh, you have a roommate?” I watched him as he walked around my apartment, seemingly taking it all in. He started walking down the hallway toward the bedrooms when I stopped him.
“Not so fast, Jet. There's no way you are checking out my bedroom. The living room is as far as you get here.”
He laughed as he came back down the hall, and sat himself down on the couch. “Can't blame a guy for trying. But to answer your question, yes, I do have a roommate, one of my teammates. He's an all right guy.” Teammates? He noticed my wine glass before I could question him about it and he said, “Oh, we're having wine? I'd love a glass.”
“No, I'm having wine. You are only here to work, remember?”
“Oh, lighten up. God only knows what you plan on doing to me. Let me relax a little bit.”
I smiled, and the nervousness seemed to dissipate a little bit.
“Okay, but don't think you're getting drunk here.”
“Oh, I wouldn't hear of it; you would probably take advantage of me anyway.”
I laughed out loud as I walked to the kitchen and grabbed another wine glass. I poured him a glass, and opened up another bottle to top off my own. I was going to need it. “You certainly have my number, don't you?”
He smiled that handsome smile of his, and I actually enjoyed the sight of it, though it was probably only the wine talking. I sat across from Jet and handed him his glass.
“Maybe we should say cheers to something,” Jet said.
I smirked. “Like what? Cheers to our health?”
“No, that's too lame, besides, we are too young to worry about our health.”
“Oh, is that right?”
“Let's toast to a great working relationship, and an amazing grade on your project.”
“I'm impressed, that sounds fantastic.”
We held up our glasses and said, “To the project,” while clinking the glasses, both with smiles on our faces.
“So Jet, aside from your jock status, what educational aspirations do you have at school?”
“I'm not going to lie to you. I have none, I truly hope to ride this MMA career all the way to the top and never look back. I'm not interested in a regular job, I love what I do. I know you don't think much of us jocks, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I think that's probably how you feel about your art.”
I hadn't really thought of it that way. Many men have made great careers out of sports, becoming rich and famous. However, there were also many who never went anywhere, their dreams of heading to the top dying quickly. In that regard, it was very much like the art industry. There were many artists who made it to the big time, but there was just as many who never went anywhere. Their names disappeared, and their art ended up in garage sales. Jet didn't want that future, and neither did I. So maybe we did have something in common, after all.
“Maybe we should get started, then.”
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, what do you need me to do?”
I got up and pointed to the wall. “I would like you to stand against the wall, using it as a backdrop.”
“Should I take my clothes off?”
I laughed, “Easy there, cowboy. I need your clothes on right now. So let's not get ahead of ourselves.”
“Poor sport.”
“Don't play too much into your reputation there, Jet, you don't want to disappoint me.”
“You're right about that.”
“So shut up, and get over there,” I said, pointing at the wall.
He got up off the couch, laughing. “Whatever you say, beautiful,” he said, and walked over to the wall. I had cleared the area to make sure there was enough room. I had considered having him sit or lay down but in order to show the changes I wanted, I needed to be able to show him full length, so standing was the best way to do that. He stood against the wall, his body tall and firm. He was actually the perfect subject for the idea I had for the project, so my excitement was building as we were getting started.
I set up my easel and got out my pencils. I chose the appropriate HB size, and placed my sketch paper onto the easel. I settled myself comfortably and looked over at my subject, considering how I was going to begin.
“I hope you have strong legs because you're going to be standing there for a while.”
He shrugged. “I'll survive.”
“Don't worry, I will give you an intermission.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Now stay still. You can readjust yourself, but very briefly, and you can't change your position.”
“Gotcha.”
I began by sketching a broad outline of Jet, putting down on paper a base idea of his shape and stature. I had done this a million times, and the process came very naturally to me at that point. I used long strokes with the pencil. Once I had the base outline in, I could then start to add details slowly, one area at a time. I always started with the head when it came to drawing people. I liked to make a person shine through, to see life come out immediately. You couldn't do that with a torso or clothing, and I wanted to see the person represented right away. Then I would have something to gaze at while I filled in the rest of him. He stood there for a long time while I sketched out the basics. He was patient, and never complained when I took my time, sometimes correcting a mistake or two.
When I got the main points down that I wanted, I allowed him a break. He went to the bathroom and then he sat back down on the couch and took a gulp from his glass, and I refilled it for him.
“You're not trying to get me drunk, are you? Cause I can assure you I'm a sure thing.”
I giggled. “That I don't doubt. So, were you okay with everything so far?”
“Yeah, it's pretty simple. Just stand there and look pretty. I'm not sure where you're going though, with the whole changing part of it.”
“Well, that I'm afraid is something you will have to wait and see. But I promise you I have a plan, and it's fairly brilliant.”
“That I don't doubt,” he said, copying my prior statement. I smiled.
“Shall we finish? I don't want to keep you past your bedtime.”
“Really funny.”
He downed the rest of his wine, and headed back to the wall to stand once again. At this point, with the entire base covered on the drawing, I could start to add minor details to various areas. This was also a time to add shading. Put shadows where they were supposed to go, and shade areas like under the eyes, or ripples in the clothing. Once shading was complete, I finished up details, such as eyebrows, the spark you add to eyes to make them appear alive, and the details in his clothing that show the viewer the difference between looking at the jeans he wore as opposed to khakis. Next I added his hair, and provided the type of details that made you think you could see every strand of hair on his head.
“What are you smiling at?”
I looked up, surprised, unaware that I had been smiling at all. Maybe I was letting Jet get just a little too close.
“I didn't realize I was smiling, actually.”
“Well you were, and I have to say, it was stunning. You're a beautiful girl, Natalie. So tell me, why were you smiling?”
“Because I enjoy drawing, and everything was coming together the way it should.”
“Great answer.”
“Thank you, but you're still not getting in my pants.”
He laughed. “Fair enough.”
“Well, I'm all finished. Would you like to come and have a look?”
“Cool. Yeah, I would.” He moved from the wall and met me on my side of the easel. He looked at the drawing of himself and studied it. I was impressed by how observant he was; he didn't just glance at it, he got up close and personal with himself, and studied the details in the drawing.
“This is amazing, Natalie. If I haven't said it before, you are quite good. A true artist.”
I just smiled. I knew I was a true talent, but it embarrassed me to hear it.
“Well, I will need you again next month, and we will change things a bit.”
“Still no clues?”
“Nope, I'm afraid not.”
“Fair enough.”
“It's getting late though, Jet. I should really be going to bed since I have an early class tomorrow.”
“Is that an invitation?”
I laughed, “No. And my roommate should be home anytime, so it's a good time for you to leave as well.”
“Well, I hope I can see you again outside of our little project.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Goodnight, Jet.”
He winked at me as I nudged him towards the door. He opened the door and headed outside, slowly closing the door behind him.
I sat back down in front of the easel, and admired my handiwork. I thought carefully about the future of the project. What Jet didn't know was that I intended on changing him every time he came, but not in the way he expected. I intended to have him remove a piece of clothing every time we met; that would be my changing subject.