The final bell rang, and the hallways instantly buzzed with students rushing out, talking and laughing.
In the middle of it all, three boys were looking for someone.
"Where'd he go?" One of the guys in the trio searched for Clemence in the crowd.
"Don't bother Jean" The guy with thin-eyes stopped him. "He definitely ditched us" he shrugged at them.
"...If you say so Louis" the guy rubbed the back of his neck a bit disappointed.
...
But Clemence hadn't gone far.
Just down the hall, past the noise and through the half-open door of the art room, he sat there quietly.
His eyes were fixed on the girl across from him.
He watched her closely, on how her turquoise eyes shifted between the canvas and the paint on her palette, how her expression stayed calm and focused, and how she occasionally glanced his way for reference.
Clemence tightened his grip on the camera, waiting for the right moment.
Eloise could feel his stare. Though she tried to stay focused on the painting, she couldn't ignore it.
"Are you going to keep staring at me all day?" she asked, eyes still on the canvas, her brush moving with quiet precision.
"Does it bother you?" Clemence rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating for a moment as he searched for the right words, but his amber eyes stayed fixed on her.
When he asked, her brush paused, resting on the spot where he had painted his lips.
"I don't really mind," she said softly. Her eyelashes fluttered, and when she opened her eyes again, her gaze shifted from the canvas to him. This time, she stared at him intently.
But a few seconds after their eyes met, Clemence's fingertips clicked the camera shutter, capturing a photo of Eloise as she stared right at him.
Eloise blinked at the sudden snap, tilting her head as she tried to make sense of what just happened.
Then she raised her eyebrows. "Is that for your reference?" she asked.
However, Clemence fumbled with his camera, looking just as surprised as she was.
*Why did I do that? What were my fingers thinking!?* His mind spiraled as he stared down at the screen like it had betrayed him.
"Sorry about that—" Since explaining would only make things more awkward, he decided to just apologize and step back. "I'll delete it immediately" He forced a smile, hoping to play it cool, but Eloise's gaze was sharp. Not so easy to fool.
"Why would you?" Eloise raised her chin, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Huh?" Clemence blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"Was the picture not good enough?" She leaned back in her seat, a teasing edge in her voice. "I can pose again if you want," she added with a shrug.
But instead of getting flustered, Clemence's eyes lit up, like he'd just been handed an opportunity.
"Then can you do it again?" he asked, lifting his camera to chest level.
This time, it was Eloise who blinked, caught off guard. "Pardon?" she tilted her head slightly.
Realizing how bold he sounded, he hurried to explain, "I mean… what you did yesterday—" He looked at her sheepishly. "That smile you had. It kinda stuck with me." He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly self-conscious.
"Yesterday, huh? Did I really smile?" Eloise raised an eyebrow, trying to remember.
"You did—right after we talked about your passion and stuff," Clemence nodded.
She paused for a bit, thinking it over.
"Hm, like this…" Eloise leaned back to pose for the camera.
Clemence quickly lifted his camera, bringing it up to his eye with his finger ready on the shutter.
For a moment, Eloise gave him a smile—a perfect, practiced one. It was beautiful as always, but hollow. It was clear that it was forced, more performance than feeling.
Her smile immediately faded when Clemence didn't take the picture. Instead, he just stared at her, disappointment clear in his eyes.
Eloise covered her lips, studying her pose. "Was it really that bad?" Her eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"No, no, that's not it! You're as pretty as always," Clemence hurriedly explained, lowering his camera.
"It's just… different. Really different."
*How do I explain this?* He struggled to put into words what he'd just witnessed yesterday.
(Recalling: Her eyes were half-lidded, soft with something he couldn't quite name, and a genuine smile crept across her lips.)
*Smiling like—*
"Smiling like a fool…" he muttered, almost to himself.
*No, that's not quite right,* he quickly shook his head.
"What?" Eloise's eyes widened, unsure if she'd heard him right.
"Yeah?" Clemence looked back at her, just as confused.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The room felt suddenly heavier, as if the air itself was waiting for his next move.
Then, flushing with embarrassment, Clemence quickly leaned back in his seat and covered half his face with his hand.
"Did I say that… out loud?" he stammered nervously.
"So that's how I always look to you… I see." Eloise lowered her gaze, bracing herself as she quietly questioned her whole existence.
"No, no, it was just a slip of the tongue," Clemence tried to explain, but it only made things worse.
"So you do actually mean it?!" Eloise's pride was slowly breaking apart.
"I meant it was a mistake! I'm sorry!" Clemence didn't know how to handle the situation and just blurted out whatever came to mind, hoping to get out of it.
For a moment, silence hung between them. Eloise's eyes flicked away as she processed what he'd said. Then, almost as if she decided she'd had enough, she slowly let out a breath, her tension easing just a bit.
She reached up and pulled her hair back, fingers combing through the strands as she seemed to settle herself.
"Of course it was a mistake," she chuckled, a little too forcefully. "What you really meant was 'foolishly gorgeous' right?" Her smile turned sharp, almost intimidating. "Right?" The repeated question felt more like a threat.