Everything Better Plan

Although two hours had originally seemed like far too long to stand completely still, Olivia hadn't even realised the time until she heard Susan's booming voice announcing that the two hours were up and that people should begin putting down their supplies. Olivia exhaled a sigh of relief she hadn't noticed building up in her throat, whilst James reached over and handed her back her robe; she snatched it almost aggressively and quickly flung it around her suddenly cold body, making sure to thank James who just chuckled at the blonde's clear urgency to leave. Olivia stood tapping her foot, impatiently waiting as Susan helped the young brunette usher people out of the room. If Olivia had any inkling of an idea which door she'd even entered through, never mind where her dressing room was, she would've already bolted it. She hadn't made eye contact with Alex the entire time and she'd almost forgotten he was in the room until Susan stopped in front of his station and gasped dramatically, her eyes fixated on whatever Alex had created.


“Incredible,” Susan breathed, gesturing for people to join her in her awe. The young brunette quickly made her way over, along with a man to the edge of the room with glasses and curly hair and also James, which for some reason made Olivia feel betrayed, “Olivia, come look at this,” Susan exclaimed, her eyes remained focused on the painting whilst her hand frantically gestured for Olivia to come over. Olivia sighed again. Great. Now she had to acknowledge the fact Alex had just been staring at her naked body for the past 2 hours. Olivia complied and slowly, begrudged, walked over to join what was now a circle of people, including other class members.


“No, no, no, honestly,” Alex objected, his face turning an adorable shade of pink, “you don't have to,” he added; seeming to be speaking to the whole group, but his eyes locked with Olivia's, they were soft and almost apologetic.


Although Olivia felt slightly uncomfortable, she was intrigued, she wanted to see how she had been interpreted and expressed. However, when she managed to catch a glimpse at what Alex had produced, she was speechless. She was shocked at how much it looked like her, she expected it to look just like any other naked woman from a slight distance; just boobs and hair and legs, but Alex's painting was so clearly her. Her face looked so recognisable and detailed and he had done that with just a pencil. He had opted to create his own backdrop and surrounding her was a jungle of vibrant flowers and gorgeous greenery and yet she still stood out. There was so much colour and yet it was so subtle; there was so much attention to detail and yet it seemed effortless; it was so in-your-face and yet so classic – it was just so breathtaking and not at all what she had expected.


She had no idea what to say but she could feel Alex's eyes on her, waiting for her response, she just continued to stare until eventually Susan said something about closing and she was pulled away and dragged back to her dressing room. All she could think about was the painting and how it was so beautiful and how a boy she had seen go through puberty had done it, had recreated her in such a beautiful light. She felt flattered, as if he had chosen for her to be his model, but that was how the painting made her feel, like it had came out the way it had because it had been her stood up there and no one else. It sounded incredibly self-involved, but she had felt personally moved when she saw it.


“Thank you so much for helping us out,” Susan gushed, Olivia was now stood at the front desk signing some forms which she presumed were for Susan to fax to her agency, confirming that Olivia had indeed gotten naked in front of strangers, “We'd love to have you again some time,” that caused Olivia to chuckle in her head. Yeah right.


“Thank you,” Olivia grinned, giving a little wave as she strutted out through the big glass doors, instantly confronted with a familiar black BMW and a familiar slim figure leant up against it. “Oh,” she stopped, her eyes meeting his. Yep, still awkward, “Hi,” she continued, meekly.


“I figured you might want a ride home- uh, to your hotel,” he stuttered, instantly justifying his being there.


“Oh, er,” Olivia mentally cursed herself and her inability to form a coherent sentence when she was nervous, “Yeah, uh, yeah, thank you, that would be, er, really nice,” she gave him a small smile and he grinned in response; standing straight and opening the car door for her. Suddenly, he had a bout of confidence. Olivia stepped forward, almost reluctantly, and slipped into the passenger seat before Alex closed the door behind her – very gentleman like. He made his way round to his side and slid in beside her, his mind completely blank and his heart beating fast. After a couple minutes of just silence, Alex finally plucked up the courage to speak.
“We can just forget any of that ever happened,” he assured, hoping acknowledging it wouldn't make it more uncomfortable.


“Oh, thank God,” Olivia breathed, her voice laced with relief, as though she'd been holding her breath waiting for him to say something. He chortled at her response, “Although it is rather hard to do that whilst naked me is sat in your back seat,” she giggled a little, referring to the painting which was laid down flat on the seat behind her. Alex's face twisted as if he were about to say something apologetic but Olivia cut him off, “Don't worry, it's honestly a very beautiful painting,” she praised, her voice quiet and genuine.


He turned slightly to flash her a small, appreciative smile, “Thank you,” his voice barely audible. Alex hated being complimented on his work, simply because it made him feel so uncomfortable and it was so hard to tell if people really meant it or were just being kind. He didn't have much self confidence when it came to his art, mainly because he didn't like to indulge himself in his own work. His job was to teach and he just never really had the time to actually do.


“So, what are you going to do with it?” Olivia asked, mostly to make conversation, but part of her wondered if he would be keeping this nude drawing of her, “I'm surprised they let you take it home,” she giggled a little, jokingly, although she wouldn't be surprised if she saw Alex's work in a gallery.


“Well, they did offer to give it a home,” Alex begun, causing Olivia's head to snap to look at him, he glanced to and from her as he spoke, “but they couldn't just pay for it on the spot like that so it would've been just a free piece,” he explained, “but I like to keep a lot of my work,” he glanced at her once more, her eyes were so interested in what he was saying and so he continued, “I keep them in my spare room, I don't just hang them up around my apartment,” he laughed, defending himself.


“Why not?” Olivia responded, her eyes still on him despite his eyes being back on the road. Alex glanced once more to check if she was serious, an eyebrow raised. “If all your paintings are this stunning, I'd have my house filled with them,” she chirped, a smile on her face.


“Don't be dumb,” he chuckled, shaking his head at the ludicrous idea.
“Honestly,” she persisted, peeking at the remarkable painting in the back, “you're incredibly talented,” she complimented, “I'm not surprised they wanted to keep it.”


Alex let that hang in the air for a little while, taking it in, before continuing the conversation, “They did give me their card, said something about getting in touch and buying some of my work maybe sometime,” he chattered, his voice nonchalant, not wanting to seem as though he was bragging, however the thought of a real gallery wanting to buy some of his work did really excite him.


“Wow!” Olivia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up, “That's incredible,” she beamed, “I'd love to see some of your work in a gallery, that's so exciting,” she chattered, grinning.


“Would you like to see some of my work?” he asked, stealing glances at her again, “Like, at my house?”


“Oh, yeah!” she burst out, pure excitement in her eyes.


Alex's place was a lot smaller than Olivia had expected – which really meant nothing since Olivia was used to grand homes with far too many bathrooms – but it was so cosy and adorable, she instantly felt at home. It had a very open plan, a sleek kitchen which transitioned effortlessly into the living area, a dining table separating the two. The apartment came with an upstairs, which made the place feel much more like a house, however it was quite clear this was a bachelor pad. Lots of sleek glass and shiny black. The building he lived in way very modern, a lot of glass features and white concrete. There was an elevator, luckily for Olivia, who could avoid traipsing in her heals up the 4 floors.


They exchanged pleasantries for a little while, Olivia complimenting the place whilst Alex told her more about it, how long he'd had it, etc. He showed her around a little before taking her upstairs and into his spare bedroom. She was expecting the room to be like a minute art gallery; his work hung up, covering the walls head to toe. Maybe an easel or two set up, art supplies scattering the floor, along with dirty, paint covered clothes.


However, in reality, it was simply a spare bedroom, with a cluttered heap of canvases on the floor. It was just a regular bedroom with extra mess.
Olivia shot Alex a confused look and he led her inside and sat on he bed, plucking a pile from the floor. Olivia followed suit and sat beside him, confused. Surely the painting he'd done today couldn't have been a fluke, he had to have real talent and if so, why was his work discarded in piles like they were garbage waiting to be taken out.


She watched as he flipped through a few, gorgeous watercolour paintings of other naked figures; outstanding, vibrant landscape shots of places Olivia knew and also could never know the way Alex did; still life sketches very reminiscent of Van Gogh – all of it gave her chills and each told her a different tale.


“Why aren't these out on display?” she queried, confused, “they're phenomenal,” she gushed, fingering an especially gorgeous piece which perfectly captured a pair of synchronised ballet dancers mid-twirl.


Alex looked at the woman sat beside him, his eyes drinking her in the same way she drank in his art work. He couldn't believe Olivia Summers was sat in his home, admiring his art, still just as illuminating and radiant as she had always been. She showed his work up. She had a knack for steeling the show no matter where she was, it was effortless and she was so unaware of her captivating presence, which made it all the more incredible. The first girl he'd ever loved, and the only one since, was sat babbling away about him and how remarkable he was; unbeknownst to Olivia, his eyes hadn't left her. Alex's breath began to hitch in his throat, it had been such a long time since he'd allowed himself to think of her in that way; he'd practically spent their whole 4 years apart trying to keep his mind off of her and now she was within touching distance of him and it felt irrational to think of anything other than her.


Noticing his absence from the conversation, Olivia lifted her head and immediately their gazes met. His eyes were drowning in too many emotions for Olivia to decipher; she wondered what he had been thinking about and after a couple of seconds she felt maybe she should look away but she couldn't. Whatever he was feeling, she felt too, almost instantly. It was so strange, she couldn't read his emotions and yet she felt the exact same. For a couple more seconds they spoke primarily with their eyes and in that short time they seemed to discuss everything, all of the four years they had been apart; their past; their present; how they felt towards each other.


Before Olivia could even comprehend what was happening, Alex's hand was on side of her neck, pulling her in closer, his thumb grazing her cheek gently and he was leaning down and she was leaning up and their lips met in one quick, electric motion. Olivia's stomach seemed to fill with butterflies instantaneously, threatening to escape, forcing their way up her throat. Alex's other arm encircled her waist, pulling her even further into him, his lips moving slowly against hers. Her mind went completely blank, nothing besides this moment had ever existed. And her lips were moving in time with his, slowly and gently. He tasted sweet, like syrup. And her hands were in his hair, pulling him closer – if possible. This was a feeling she had not felt in a long time and had not allowed herself to think of since. It was so raw and exciting and yet so natural and comfortable. So many emotions coursed through her veins - her heart pumping overtime – and not one of them seemed to be guilt.

Notes

sorry for how long this chapter is, it didn't feel right to cut it at any other point
also, i wasn't planning on their first kiss being so soon but as i was writing it just sort of happened ahaha, let me know what you think :)