Alone by Tiffany Lovering Read Free Book Online Page A

remember her at all.
    “ I wish I could remember you. It's kind of frustrating.”
    “ Don't worry about it. I was pretty quiet in school, and I left before graduation.”
    “ Where did you go?”
    “ I was sort of pushed away from here for a long time. I just recently returned.”
    “ I see.”
    “ Do you wish you had gone to college instead of staying here?” she asked.
    “ I have never seen New Jollie as a bad place to live. It's small but that makes it so much more attractive to me I think. Kind of private in a way you know what I mean?”
    “ Yeah. I guess so.”
    “ Besides you can't think New Jollie is all that bad, you came back right?”
    “ I just thought it was time.”
    I wasn't sure what she really meant by that, but I didn't want to bombard her with prying questions. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable in any way. When we finished off our snack I took the tray and our mugs back to the kitchen. I got us some more coffee and she put the cream and sugar into her cup and stirred it slowly. I wasn't sure why she was so captivating to me. It was like her ordinary movements were something I had never witnessed before. She must have thought I was insane the way I was watching her.
    We returned to the couch and she sat in her protective position as I thought of it. Her knees to her chest again, but a little more relaxed now as her back was leaning on the arm of the couch so she could face me while we talked. She shivered once and pulled the hood up over her head which cast a shadow on her face.
    “ Can I paint you?” the question was out before I even knew I was going to ask it.
    “ Really?”
    “ Do you mind?” I asked more confidently now.
    “ Sure you can,” she said enthusiastically. “How do you want me to pose?”
    “ Just the way you are is fine. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to turn on the overhead lights after everything is set up.”
    “ That's alright. How long will it take do you think?”
    “ I'm not sure. An hour, maybe two. Is that okay or do you have to leave?”
    “ No, I don't have any plans for tonight,” she said laughing a little.
    I set up the easel and paint and thought about how I was going to put her beauty on the canvas. I turned on the overhead lights and went over and sat on the edge of the couch staring at her. I didn't feel awkward doing this, although maybe I should have. I had asked to paint her but instead I was just staring. I never had to think about my actions from someone else's point of view. If I kept acting like this, surely she would never come back.
    “ I am trying to figure out what would be the best way to paint you,” I said trying to explain my peculiar stares.
    “ I kind of figured. It's okay, I kind of like that you find me interesting enough to paint.”
    “ You have no idea,” I said under my breath. She blushed again bringing the same innocence it had before. I got up and went to the canvas and decided I would try a black and white interpretation. It would gloss over the bruises and show the gentleness I was looking for.
    “ Do you do anything other than paint?” she asked as I was making the first stroke. Her voice startled me. I was used to the room being dead silent when I worked, but of course now that I had a live subject I would be talking.
    “ I draw and sculpt as well, but painting has always been my favorite form of expression.”
    “ Do you take pictures of your work? For like a portfolio or something?”
    “ Yes, I have pictures of everything I've done. It was a portfolio of sorts, but now it's more like a record. It allows me to easily keep track of what's still in storage, what's been sold and what's in the gallery.”
    “ Why don't you have anything hung up here in your apartment?”
    “ I think it would be a bit of a distraction for me. I like to work with blank walls around me and little noise so I can completely focus on what I'm working on.”
    “ I'm sorry. Should I be quiet?”
    “ Oh, no. That's okay. Actually,