Colored 2

Told you I'd end up with a series again ;;-;;

Chapter 1

With a sleepless night, Linda trudged down the still empty street. The sun was yet to rise. Sadly she had an appointment with an aristocrat and she could not afford to be late. Nor could they they even afford her a carriage to pick her up from her residence but hopefully this gig would entail at the very least, meals until dinner. It would save quite enough of her earnings at least.

Another uneventful day on her part where she had to paint what she would call as pigs who had no other activity but to fatten themselves up. Weird. She was never even allowed to rest even when she was in the higher echelon of society. Her work load just doubled as compared to then but nonetheless she was still the busybody she had been raised to be.

The painting took most of the day and luckily this aristocrat was cooperative enough to not move that much, as well as to give her the meals she had hoped for. That's why her departure was after such a late dinner. It would take a while for her to get home.

As she walked, she was intently focused on just getting back to the apartment so she can hopefully rest yet her feet seemed to have carried her back to the pub. She snickered to herself "can't let a day pass without going here, aye"

Although she says it's out of habit, her eyes still kept gazing around the face of each and every person that walked, sat and even as much as just passed through the door. She was quite alert despite how tired she had already looked.

"So did you come to drink or where you looking for someone" the manager placed her hand on her hip and gestured to the man beside her "I never got to introduce you two last night. This is Jean, he's someone I owed a favor to" after introduction, the manager gave a teasing wink and left to cater the other customers. She already knew.

Linda let out a soft sigh then took a rather large swig of her drink "you were the guy playing last night?"

He answered with a nod and was then followed with quite the bright smile that even in a sober state, she would have thought she saw an angel on earth "And you must be the lady staring at me all night last night"

The slight chuckle in his voice seemed to come off as melodious to her ears yet she still had the mind not to.

"I-I was observing! I want to draw you" she said with a rather loud huff then took another swig of her drink. Hopefully the mug was large enough to cover half her face because she was definitely sure that her cheeks may have reddened deeper. He noticed.

"You sure your eyes are right? Might be blind if you think I'm worthy of being drawn"

"I insist! I'll pay you! What time are you free?" It might have been the alcohol in her system but she still k ew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to draw him and there was no way she would let this chance pass by.

He started with a scratch of his head, a faint flush was beginning to dust his cheeks. Or maybe it was the red lights, either way, red looked good on him. "Uh... I'm not sure. Maybe the afternoon? I sell the newspapers in the early morning. Then after, I work at a publishing house"

"That's good for me! I'll pay you as much as you earn from the publishing house"

His eyes widened and he shook his head "I appreciate it but really... I'm not worthy of being drawn"

"Just give it a try. I won't bite. My apartment is close to here so we can just meet up here" and with a flirtatious wink, she downed the rest of her drink. That night she drank until she could barely walk straight and luckily, Jean had been kind enough to walk her home.

It was high pass noon when Linda awoke from her slumber with no recollection of how she got home and in her bed. She wouldn't have minded waking up at the pub after the many times that it had occurred before. After having fixed her own food, a faint knocking resounded in the room. She was surprised when the pianist was at her doorstep

"Hey Linda! it's me Jean! We have an appointment"

She hesitantly opened the door, not having thought of getting dressed yet "um... we have an appointment?"

"You told me last night that you wanted to draw me. So... here I am"

It took a while for the hints to finally register in her head but upon remembering, she immediately left the room in a rush to get her pai ts, a canvas and her stilts which she set up in the middle of the room "I'm so sorry- I just woke up and I... may have forgotten" her tone was rather bashful and she was intent in not meeting his gaze so she looked around the room so as to find a spot that had the lighting she needed. "Can you stand over there, Jean?"

She pointed to the spot by the window

"Now maybe you could lean against it so that it isn't that tiring for you?" Linda was settling herself down behind the canvas, getting a charcoal stick to begin her initial draft. It was special, unlike those gigs she had. This one will be her key to making it big in Paris.

As if something had possessed her, her hand just moved, she drafted on canvas every little detail she wanted to capture. From the dirt on his cheeks to the way the sun would make his hazel eyes seem to glow. The light made him more radiant. More beautiful than she had first saw him

After hours of unending sketching she finally put her charcoal down and thanked Jean before putting the canvas away

"Can I see?" Jean had tried to take a peek of it but was automatically shoved away with filthy hands

"You'll see in time, Jean now how much do I need to pay you?"

"You said as much as the publishing house so... 10 francs" his gaze averted hers, he was getting bashful with getting paid just to stand for her

"Want to have dinner too? It's already dark" as she was counting the coins from her purse, her gaze shifted to the window where she took notice of the setting sun. "I'll cook so you don't need to worry about me spending more than i promised" she could tell that he was rather hesitant of her as she handed him the money and even with the offer for food. But he stayed nonetheless.

Chapter 3

WIP

I swear, the hands look so off but i lack so much practice in drawing hands ;;-;;