"So, tell me about yourself."

I looked down, my hand holding a warm cup of cappuccino, the heat spreading to my fingers through the cardboard. "I'm always the one talking. What about you share something for a change?" I suggested, momentarily putting the cup down on the bench to braid my hair, that was being blown in my face by the wind.

"Seems fine" Aiden replied. "I have two brothers. One is older and moved out a year ago, the other is younger. I really like to draw. That's it."

"What do you like to draw?" I asked him and took a sip from the cup, wrapping my fingers around it to keep them warm. The weather was slowly starting to become colder and colder as winter approached.

He shrugged. "Don't really have a favourite subject. Birds are fun though. You?"

"People, mostly" I replied. "I don't know why. I just like it. I like to see them kind of 'come alive' on the page, if you get what I mean."

He smiled. "Sure. Hey, mind if I ask something?"

I looked at him. "Not at all."

"Why did you choose those colours? For the second drawing you made."

I shrugged. "That's an odd question to ask. I just thought they fit the drawing."

"The drawing... or him?"

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You like him, don't you?" He asked out of nowhere. "I bet you find him interesting, I bet he fascinates you." He sighed, looking down. "It truly is the downside of being an artist. We like beautiful things. It doesn't matter what they are, or who they are, we're attracted to them, and can't stay away. I know that feeling. But a true artist can see the difference between what we want to spend our time on, and what's worth our time."

"Why do you care so much about him?" I asked him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. He's no good for you" Aiden said.

I sighed, looking down at his words. "You don't even know him. Why are you so sure he isn't good?"

"Because he doesn't know how to be."

"I wish you'd stop trying to talk me out of spending time with him. He is my model, we're bound to spend time together. Nothing else." I stood up and went to throw the empty cup in the bin before sitting down next to Aiden again, annoyance in my actions.

He shrugged. "Sometimes you act weird about him."

I took my phone out of my pocket, pretending to check a text. "Oh, my mother wants me at home" I lied, "Sorry, but I really have to go."

"Aren't you old enough to make your own decisions?" He said confusedly.

"I am, but I still try not to argue with my parents every day. Personal choice. I need to go. It was fun though."

He smiled. "Sure, see you tomorrow!"

I nodded and said goobye, before leaving. Maybe I'd done a mistake in going out with him. I could've just hoped everything would've gone smoothly with Harry on the next day.

• • •

My foot tapped impatiently on the floor as the clock showed it was half past four. Harry was never late. I knew what that meant.

I stood up and got my phone from the tea table, unlocking it fast and dialling Niall's number.

He didn't take too long to pick up the call. "What's up?" He said cheerfully, as if he had no idea of what was going on.

"Where's Harry?" I replied.

"Oh." I could hear him frown from the other side of the call. "He isn't coming. Sorry."

"Please, I need him to. It's important." I heard some muffled voices, and then the reply came.

"Still isn't coming."

I rolled my eyes as I recognised the same pattern of the previous time. "He's with you, isn't he?" The silence on the other line proved me that I was right. "Can I talk to him?"

"Sure" Niall said, and then I heard a shuffling sound, before the other end went silent again.

"Harry" I said, but there was no reply from the other side. "I have no idea of what is going on. I'm sorry if I offended you in some way and that's why you don't want to come here. If I did something wrong, then what about you come here so that we can talk about it?" Still silent. "I have no idea of what you want from me, Harry." I heard a sound as the phone was passed from hand to hand again.

"Sorry Sierra, he won't budge clearly" Niall said apologetically.

"Listen" I replied, "it's half past four, and tomorrow I have to give a drawing that I haven't even managed to start because Harry walked out on me a few days ago. I need him to come here, okay? If I don't give it tomorrow it'll be a disaster. Convince him."

Niall sighed. "I'll try. But I can't promise you anything, you know how he is." He closed the call right away. But I didn't expect anything different anyway, we weren't friends.

I waited around in the living room for a while longer, hoping that Harry would've shown up, but he didn't. It was a disaster. I sighed and went upstairs before my mother could come home and find me sitting on the couch. I sat down on the bed and crossed my legs, my back against the wall, finding a piece of paper and trying to sketch Harry on it, only to tear it apart and throw it away not too long after. There was no use, I couldn't draw by memory.

I tied my hair up in a bun and angrily stared at the floor. I should've never trusted him to come. I should've never gone out with Aiden. What would I have done, without a drawing, the day after? Aiden was absolutely right. I'd known it for days, but for some reason I'd still thought Harry wouldn't have put me in the situation of not being able to complete my assignment. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. Harry cared about no one but himself.

I brought my knees up to my chest, resisting the urge to scream at how stupid I had been. Why was it that I always managed to put myself in the most unfortunate situations?

I heard the doorbell ring and turned on my phone to look at the time. It was six in the afternoon, and my mum was home. I sighed and stood up, walking down the stairs, wondering what I should've done the day after. I should've probably stayed at home, this way I wouldn't have disappointed anyone.

The doorbell rang again, and I rolled my eyes at the insisting sound. "Coming!" I glanced out of the window as I made my way towards the door. My mother's car wasn't in the driveway. Weird. Had it broken down?

I swung the door open, just to realise that the person standing in front of me wasn't my mum at all.

"Harry?" I stammered, instantly stepping to the side to let him walk inside. I closed the door as soon as he did and leaned against it. "I... didn't think..." I silenced myself, realising that I had nothing to say.

He was wearing a black shirt, the first few buttons were undone, showing the wing on the swallows under his collarbones, the sleeves rolled halfway through his forearms.

"Upstairs" I muttered, surpassing him and walking up the stairs. I entered the studio and turned on all the lights. I stood in the middle of the room, looking around. My idea for that drawing was to draw him lying down on the grass, but it was too dark to go outside. I had to work with what I had.

I pushed my desk to the side, so that there was enough space for him to sit against the wall without the piece of furniture entering my vision.

Harry must've understood what I was getting at, because he sat on the floor, his back against the wall, without needing to be told to. He put his knees up against his chest, leaning his forearms on them.

I looked at him, frowning. The position didn't quite convince me. There was something that was missing. All of sudden I got an idea. I'd wanted to draw him in a garden, so maybe I didn't have to completely abandon that concept because of the lack of time to pull it off.

I exited the room without saying a word and went downstairs. My dad had gifted my mother a rose just the day before. The flower was in a vase in the living room, still pretty, but slowly wilting away. I took the vase and brought it into the studio, careful not to spill water on the floor. I put it to the side and took the rose, giving it to Harry.

He took it carefully not to get pinched by the thorns and resumed his position.

I sat down in front of him again, everything I needed on the floor next to me, looking at him.

He held the flower carelessly, his fingers around the final part of the stem so that the petals were facing downwards. His grip around it was loose, I could almost expect a whiff of wind to blow it out of his hand.

"Why haven't you started yet?" Harry asked lowly. Something was off about him, even though I couldn't really understand what it was. It was as if he found it somewhat difficult to hold up the complicated facade he'd meticulously built for himself.

"Sorry, just..." I replied, hesitating a bit before continuing. "I just think you're... beautiful, just... that's it. I hope it's not weird or anything" I rushed to say.

He looked down at the floor, moving the flower between his fingers. "I don't like that word. Beautiful" he whispered in the end.

"Why?" I asked him furrowing my eyebrows, but he didn't reply. I sighed, and started my drawing.

Thankfully it didn't take too long to draw him, and in about two hours I was done. Wanting to end it faster, I'd decided to only use charcoal. The less colours, the less complicated it would've been.

I stood up and put the drawing on my desk. "I'm done. I'm glad Niall managed to convince you." I turned around, discovering that Harry had silently stood up as I spoke, and had put the rose back in the vase. "Harry" I said, noticing that he was putting his jacket on, and he looked at me. "I really don't know if I did something wrong. I'm sorry if I offended you or something."

"You can talk to your teacher about changing your model" he replied, making me frown.

"Why would I do that? I like to work with you."

"This isn't working" he said lowly, leaving the room.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, rushing down the stairs after him. I stopped in my tracks when I saw my mother exit the kitchen.

"Oh!" She said looking at us, completely unaware of the conversation we were having. "Are you a friend of Sierra's? Do you want to stay over for dinner?"

I widened my eyes at her words. There was no way she'd just asked something like that. I was about to interfere, but Harry replied before I could get the chance.

"I'm sorry Mrs Regan, but I have to go" he said politely, surprising me.

She nodded, understandingly. "I suppose your family wants you at home."

He gave her a weird look. "Something like that." He opened the front door and left before any of us could say anything else.

My mother stared at the door for a few seconds, confused. "Friend of yours?" She said.

I shrugged. "Got paired up for a project."

"Okay" she replied, before going into the living room, leaving me alone in front of the door.