Art in Winter

“Hey Troy, it's Winter. I'm…in your Bio Lab. Sorry to bother you but I missed Lab yesterday, do you have the notes?”

“Yeah, but you'll have to come get them. You know I prefer analog over digital. That means you'll have to spend time typing them up. Need company?”

Winter Caldwell stared at her phone. No way. Thirty minutes later there was a knock on his dorm door.

Troy Evans looked in the mirror as he heard the knock. That would be Winter. She had a crush on him. He could tell. Play it up. Boxers, jeans, belt. Nothing else. Barefoot, bare chested.

“Come in.” He opened the door. “Hope you brought a laptop.”

Winter shook her head as if to clear it, then looked at him. “Jesus Christ….” She breathed, then looked away. “I brought it, yes.” She replied, then looked at him. “Did you know, whenever I undress in my bathroom, my shower gets turned on?”

Fucking hell, Winter.

“Heh.” She looked away again, tugging at her earlobe. “Alright. Where do you want me to sit?”

Troy chuckled and shook his head, licking his lips. He stood back and gestured to the desk he'd made space on. There were drawings everywhere, but he'd shoved them to the sides.

“I made space.” He gestured to the desk, the spinning office-style chair pulled out, waiting for her.

He noticed one of the drawings, sitting on the surface of the piles. The one he'd been doodling in the quad earlier. The one of her.

Pleasedon'tnotice.

Winter found an empty space and set her laptop down. “Oh wow. These…are really good.” Okay, Captain Obvious. He's at Columbia. Of course they're fucking good. She looked at the doodle of the girl and smiled, even as her heart sank. The woman was really, really pretty. Probably his girlfriend.

“You're really good. I can…see the way you feel about what you draw, she's really pretty.” She said softly. Note. Notes. Laptop. Open. Yes, Winter was oblivious. She didn't see herself the way others did. “I'm sorry to take up your time, I really appreciate it. I was just….sick….” She said as she got ready to take down notes. She didn't mention she was sick because she'd done a two-hour cardio session. The Gala was coming and she wanted to make sure she looked good enough to appear among the likes of Summer and Kaine.

Troy watched her get set up, even notice his drawing of her. She even complimented him on the drawings, even the one of her. Was she that oblivious? She even complimented the subject of his drawing. She complimented herself and she doesn't even realize it. How can she be so oblivious?

He reached over his shoulder and curled his fingers around his neck. “Yeah, yo-she is.” He nearly said 'you'. “It's OK. I'm sorry I'm old school, it's going to take you a while. I just feel better with a pen or pencil between my fingers than typing on a keyboard.” He was fine when it was graphics work, but typing? He was slow. He could write faster.

Winter actually was pretty oblivious. There was one single person to blame for the cataclysmic shift in her self-esteem. A boy she'd liked back in high school, who publicly humiliated her and said there was no way in hell he'd date a cow. She watched him with sparkling blue eyes and her signature warm, friendly grin on her lips.

“I'm that way about books honestly. All the online work throws me off.” She tugged her earlobe. “But if it's going to take me a while…I'm sorry.” She said cheerfully. “I'll try to be quick. You've probably got way better things to do.” She laughed, then scanned her screen to where the last lab she'd been at left off.

Troy knew it was going to take time to transcribe the notes. He might not be the fastest typist, but even someone quick would take a while to go through the lot. An hour lecture would at least provide 15-30 minutes of notes to transcribe. Maybe even 45 if it was dense.

That was… Three times? She'd tugged her earlobe. He'd noticed but didn't think anything of it. Nerves? “Don't be sorry. I haven't got anything better to do, I don't mind spending the time with you.” He pulled out his sketchbook and sat down to one side, slightly behind her, grabbed a pencil, and looked like he was thinking about something to draw. He had the perfect subject but wanted her to be concentrating on the notes she was supposed to be transcribing.

“Okay.” She relented, then put her headphones in her laptop and looked down at the notebook. Her head moved slightly with the music, her fingers beginning to type. Most people thought Winter Caldwell was a goofball who fucked around with her academic life, but what Troy would see was the opposite. The woman went into a zone, not just transcribing but absorbing, the music in one ear helped calm her active mind and every so often little snippets came out in a rather soulful alto. _{“Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces…”}

“So yeah, we're go….n…down…” Her voice kept cutting out, self-conscious. But soon, she forgot that there was a ridiculously gorgeous man in the room with her and she hit her groove, both with typing, reading and humming to herself. Her name was Winter but she was warmth, comfort, and radiance. The Caldwell sisters were nothing alike, but everyone knew Summer was devoted to her sister, and that Winter looked up to her big sister.

Troy started to draw as she drifted off into her own little world, fingers tapping at the keyboard and eyes on his notes, typing without looking. Not what he would be able to do. He was bad enough when he looked at the keyboard. Art was his passion. He could draw fine. Even design graphics on a computer, it was a different skill. But words? The thought made him stick out his tongue as he continued to draw. Bleh!

He kept looking up at her, even when she sang, making it look like her singing was catching his attention. What she didn't know was he was drawing her. Again. She'd been oblivious to the fact he'd left a drawing on the desk of her. She'd been oblivious of the fact he almost complimented her. She was oblivious while he was busy drawing.

Captain Oblivious.

He had a soft smile as he worked. She was gorgeous, why couldn't she tell?

Winter had a little smile on her lips, as she turned the page. She stopped for a moment and rested her brain, flicking her gaze to the doodle on the desk. Something pulled at her but she shrugged and cracked her knuckles, getting back to work. She paused at a paragraph, then picked up his notebook, reading. She reached for her textbook and pulled it out, flipping to a page and then sticking a post it on a certain paragraph. She tucked her book back in her bag and typed a notation into her notes.

Her stomach growled lightly and she tensed. Oh no.

Troy was about two-thirds done, taking a little artistic license based on his memory, he still had her back leg to go. More detail to go into it. He paused as she shifted differently, taking out her textbook. Trying to look like he was thinking about what he was drawing. He was a better artist than he was an actor.

Grumble “Hungry? When did you last eat?”

Winter took a moment. She had to compose herself. Go away mortification. She turned to him, laughing lightly. “Ah. I've been busy trying to catch up on the stuff I missed. I had dinner last night. The day's gotten away from me, I think.” She wasn't going to lie, it wasn't something she believed in, but she would downplay the truth as much as she could.

“I'll have something when I get back to my dorm.” She added. “Scout's honor.”

Troy shook his head a little, breathing deeply, making his chest rise and fall more than usual, his shoulders lifting at the same time. “That's… Twenty four hours. How about something to drink, at least?”

He moved over to his fridge, pulling it open and lifting one of the Gatorade G2 bottles out of the door. _{“I definitely need to get a good meal into that girl.”} He turned back and placing the chilled drink on the desk next to her. “Here, drink this, it should help with the pangs. At the very least, it'll keep you hydrated.”

Winter was holding her breath. She didn't even realize it. “Um…sure. If it's not any trouble….” She said quietly. She watched him as he moved to his fridge, catching part of his mumbled words. She was bright red when he turned back, suddenly wishing she'd gotten…dressed….before heading over, not just wearing the stuff she'd worn at the gym earlier.

“Thank you.” She murmured, opening it and taking a gulp before setting it back down, relieved it was Gatorade and not a soda. She pulled out her phone and noted it, then placed the phone back in her bag. “Thanks again for letting me transcribe these.” She smiled.

Troy threw the mostly finished sketch on the bed, leaving it where she could see. “No trouble. You're welcome.” He smiled, noting her red cheeks. He didn't think anything of it at first, then grinned slightly more, figuring she'd been eyeing him up as he grabbed the drink for her.

“Again, you're welcome.” She must be trying to distract herself, she keeps trying to do something so she doesn't have to look at him. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed. Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I've got some pizza from Sal and Carmine's. Quattro formaggi, nothing on it. It would do you good to eat something.”

Ohgodyespizzagimme. “Oh no, no no, it's okay. I'm…” Think. Think Winter. What are you trying to do? “I'm trying to lose a little before the Met Gala….” Oh god when she said it, it sounded like the weakest thing she'd ever heard. “I've been…working out…” A lot, Winter. A lot. You missed Bio because you did cardio longer than normal. “Been…watching what I eat…” Like a hawk. You've been noting every last thing in your food app. I want pizza. I want to have pizza with this ridiculously hot guy who also happens to apparently be a total sweetheart and dream of a day where I'll be pretty enough to maybe ask him out.

She looked sheepish at this point. He was offering her favorite pizza.

Troy could tell. Eyes said yes. Lips said no. Body said yes. Mind said no. The struggle within. “What do you need to lose? You look… Fine.” Gorgeous. Beautiful. Sexy. Hot. Why couldn't he have said one of those instead of the non-committal 'fine'?

“Gimme a moment.” He walked back to the fridge, grabbing the paper plate with three slices of pizza on it, bringing it back to her. “Sorry, it's cold. I don't have anything to heat it with. You know how it is.” He dropped down, squatting next to her, offering her the plate. “Here.” Eat. Get something inside you. Stop the grumbling stomach. He couldn't say that much to her.

Winter looked at him, her face falling slightly before she put on her usual sunny expression. You have to eat, Winter. It's rude to turn it down. You can hit the gym again when you head back to your dorm. “Okay.” She replied, taking the smallest piece and taking a bite. Her eyes fluttered slightly. Sal and Carmine's had the best quattro formaggi. She almost spoke but remembered to swallow. “Thank you.” She said in a hushed voice.

Troy set the plate on the desk in the space he'd made, next to her laptop and the drink he'd already given her. “All of it. You sound hungry and you haven't had anything since this time last night.” She needed to eat, to be looked after. She didn't need to watch what she ate, she was gorgeous.

He stood up, picking up his sketchbook, looking at the drawing. I left it where she could see it and she didn't pay any attention. He looked between the drawing and her. It was good if he did say so himself. Just show her. Maybe she'll understand. Take a chance. You never take chances. He reached for his neck, then brought his hand down self-consciously.

“Want to see what I've been drawing?”

Winter felt herself mentally panicking as she tried to calculate how long she'd have to stay at the gym to work it off. Three pieces? She opened her mouth to protest but something said he would just insist anyways. She picked up her phone and tapped out a text to her sister, then put it down as he moved to get his sketchbook.

When he asked, she brightened. “Of course! I was trying not to look, my roomie's an art major and she's super picky about me not looking at things until she's done working on them. I was wondering what you were drawing.” She said earnestly, eating some more.

Troy heard her tapping out a message on her phone after looking gobsmacked at his assertion. At least she didn't argue.

“Promise not to laugh. It's not finished, it's rough, but the subject is… I'll show you.” He turned his sketchbook around, showing her the drawing he'd been working on while she transcribed his notes.

Please don't laugh. You're gorgeous and you don't even know it. Please notice. “I'm not quite so picky, but I've drawn a hundred and one things. Never one so… _Pretty.”

Winter looked at the drawing, her fingers lightly closing over his as she stared at it. Meanwhile, her phone screen lit up on the desk. Thank god you're listening to someone. Marry him and tell him I said thank you.

“Why. Why would I ever laugh at this? She's so beautif–wait.” She looked up. “Wait.” She looked over to the doodle on the desk. “It's…” She couldn't breathe, was this what he saw when he looked….at her? “Is this…” Never one so pretty. I've drawn a hundred and one things. Never one so pretty. Pretty. “This is me? This…is how you see me?” She asked quietly.

_{“You think I'm…more than just….fine?”}

Troy watched her eyes as she touched his hand, then her phone distracted her. She hates it. It's not good enough. It'll ne-oh.

He could see the conflict as she decided it was beautiful. She was beautiful. The slow burning realization that he saw her as that beautiful woman. “Yes. I do better drawing things I like. Things that inspire me.” He lifted his foot and twisted it on the balls and toes. “Like you.”

How can she be so oblivious? She's fucking gorgeous!

“Yes, I do.”

Next: Captain Oblivious