.G l a s s P r i s o n. [Exposed & Snow]

Shit...this is shit...horrible...not my best...

Nathaniel murmurs softly as he scribbles lines across white paper. Nothing was going according to any of his plans. He'd done numerous drawing exercises, took tons of pictures, and even drew things that didn't even interest him, and still he was in his horrid slump.

No...the curves are all wrong...these lines are too dark...the tree is displaced~

Nathan continues to murmur softly to himself as he spins his pencil between his slender fingers. Placing the eraser down onto the paper he begins to swivel it along the paper, the imperfect lines disappearing slowly. Even as they went however, he didn't see the picture getting any better. His hands began to shake softly, and then-- swoop~ he accidentally erased part of the woman's eye.

Shit~

They were pure perfection...her lovely emerald jewels. He had captured them so perfectly upon the paper but...his frustration had destroyed them. He spent hours drawing and adding color to them...and he'd destroyed them. He tore the paper from his drawing pad and began to rip it to shreds, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as his eyes ventured passed his paper and to his subject.

No...she's leaving...

He thinks to himself as the woman he was drawing rises from her spot under the oak and walks off. Nathaniel sighs in defeat. Standing from his spot on the bench he, gathers his bag and stuffs his things into it. Pencils, brushes, paints, and other artist tools slam into each other as he grasps the straps of the back pack slinging it onto his back. With a sigh he begins on his way to a small cafe down the street from the park. He went there every day to refuel on energy. He was a regular. Once at the small cafe, he took a seat in the front with the large window that had a great view of the city park. There was a pond there, and he would watch the people feed the birds and the kids play, gathering inspiration from their emotions. He hoped today, he could do the same he had always been able to do, up until a couple of months ago or so.


Nathan pulled out his drawing pad, and a dull number two pencil and started gazing out the window, looking for something to spark his creativity.

Laughter spilled from her ajar lips, slowly disappearing as she began to walk. The handsome man next to her, letting his arm slide against her smooth shoulders. She tilted her head, long locks of raven hair cascading against her back, lovingly. The day had almost been perfect. The sun that rose above them, sprinkled brightly. The clouds white and fluffy, and the sky, the lightest of blues.

He had whispered something in her ear which had then composed a light crimson shade against her bubbly cheeks. She licked her lips daintly, and nodded her head, hugging her intimate good-bye. She continued down the path, messenger bag swaying on her hip, the small yellow sundress twirling around her as the air passed around her.

It was days like these she woke up for. Days where there were no clouds in the sky, and the small ducklings spread their wings and got close to them. She watched the pond, smirking mostly to herself. It was mainly the beating of her heart that she was concentrated on.

Lilian hummed to herself, softly at first and then a bit louder. A small bag containing two pieces of bread sat next to her. She would reach in, grab just a tiny bit, and slowly began to roll it in her palms. Once it was ready, she would throw it down on the ground by the ducks that made their way towards her.

She was not an artist, nothing beautiful or creative had ever escaped her, instead she was thin and small and even, to her own belief, slightly pathetic. She tilted her head, leaning forward.

Perfection.

Yet she failed to notice the smallest cloud in the sky, gray and ready to whimper, ready to tear.

Scribbling scratchy line across plain paper, the male sighed heavily... God he felt like complete shit. What the hell was the matter with him? Nathaniel continued to work at the pad...scribbling...and scribbling... While ripping, and tearing out sheets of useless doodles most would have complimented and or awed at. Suddenly...she came into his view. A sudden vision of beauty... A vision of all that was pure in his eyes....a vision...a sweet vision that sparked something deep inside of the male.

His slender hand worked upon his paper vigorously now...with purpose. Tired maroon eyes quickly darted from the paper and to the perfect scene before him. A small smile touched his pale lips as he continued to draw lines upon his paper, watching as her petite hands crumbled the bread between her delicate fingers to perfection before she tossed it out to the wild ducks around her. Simply beautiful. Before Nathaniel knew it, he had done three quick sketches of the girl by the pond, until the sky had gotten slightly darker. The cloud the girl had missed, loomed eerily in the sky now, blocking out the sun. Just then when he noticed the sky darkening, more clouds had gathered, and then he remembered the forecast.

It's going to rain....

Nathan murmured to himself. The dark haired male shuffled together all his things, up into his bag quickly. He left just as fast, all the while pulling a black umbrella from his bag of supplies. Putting it up he wandered casually over to his secret model holding the object over her head. "..." he stood silently, his heart pounding in his chest...he could hear it clearly and for a moment he was sure she could as well. A deep blush formed upon his pale cheeks, maroon eyes gazing down at the ground now instead of her. Suddenly lightning lit up the sky, and thunder struck calming his beating heart. Rain droplets began pouring down upon the umbrella snapping him back into reality. "I'm not too far from home..Take this to keep you dry." he proposed to the young woman. Dressed in nothing but a white v-neck t-shirt, blue jeans, and open toe sandals, with a bag of art supplies over his shoulder, he didn't belong under the sudden pour of rain. However, she didn't seem like she lived in the area, he'd never seen her before. He lived up the street in a large apartment building..which wasn't but five minutes away if he ran.

The soft bread would be quickly eaten, and swallowed. She had done this slowly, hoping that the ducks would stay as long as she had time. She had slowly closed her eyes when the wind began to hit her body softly, and then a tad bit harshly. She had merely shifted away from it.

Until.

The drops began to fall. They fall all around her but not on her. She looked up, tilting her head watching him, observing the clothing that he wore, the odd blush that repelled his light skin. She was confused. Who was he? What did he do? Why was he here? Why was he more importantly attempting to protect her?

She shifted away from him, feeling the rain drops on her skin now. They feel faster now with speed, and determination. They seeped through her clothing as she stood in front of him slightly in awe. She had been told many of times before never to speak to strangers. To move away from all of that nonsense.

And yet, in these circumstances someone had reached out for no gain of their own. She let her fingers slowly glide against the handle of the umbrella, their hands for one lenghty second intertwined as she took it from him,"Thank you..." she whispered, words echoing slowly.

She stepped aside from him, and then began to walk to her apartment. She didn't really know why he had been so nice to her, yet she pushed it away from her mind. Sometimes people were just nice. They did things expecting nothing in return. Rare people but they did exist, right? Each step she took was slow, inconsistent, and calming.

She looked back once, a tinge of hope inside her. The further the steps, the further the image of the man slipped her.

Nathaniel smiled as she took the umbrella. He watched her as she walked away, the umbrella leaving him unprotected to the pouring rain. He jogged off then, in the opposite direction. He had to get his art supplies somewhere dry before they were completely ruing by the down pour. He made it home quickly and emptied his bag out onto his apartment floor. He shuffled through his things putting books and papers by the heater. He then undresed down to his boxers, seating himself by his easle with the couple of pictures he drew of his sudden muse. Just looking at the pages made him want to do more....He could feel his artistic ability flowing back to him... He took a deep breath, allowing the feeling to calm his shivering frame.

He began to sketch her over, as the other paper was nearly soaked. Once he was finished sketching he started to paint...remembering the angelic scene before him as he watched out of the coffee shop window. Nathaniel spent all night, watching as the art flowed through his hands. He stayed awake all night and into the next day. He was finished the picture late in the morning about, eleven or so. He took the dried picture down to the coffee shop and asked for it to be hung up.

The boss loved the painting, he actually adored Nathaniel's art, and had some landscape paintings hanging up in the back. "Thanks so much...I hope she likes it..." he says aloud, more so to himself than anyone else as he leaves the shop to return home. All adrenaline had escaped from his body, and he collapsed on his living room couch, his body completely shutting down. The owner of the little cafe, hung the picture of in the back. So, as soon as a person walked in the picture was right there, out in the open. It made the little shop look so complete... She looked so beautiful. Nathaniel felt satisfied for once in too many months to count. He felt good....really good. He had to draw the girl more... He had to. He needed her. He had to find some way of talking to her, and getting her to be his model.

The rain had fallen hard against her windows, and she had stayed up to watch them slowly frolic down until they would lovingly hit the cement below her apartment complex.

The apartment she had was small, obviously only one person lived here, there was no luxuries and no extravagant decorations. Piles upon piles upon piles of books decorated the living room, the bedroom and even the corners of the small hallway. Most had never been invited into her home, and the few who had would form an automatic jugdement of her lifestyle, assuming they knew who she was because they knew the layout of her home.

The man she had strolled down the street with had visited the day after the rain so she had done nothing but been with him in the cave of her own home. When he left, he left her confused and slightly shaken up. The long walks had always made her mind run smoothly and so slowly she had driven herself from her home, wondering still about him. She was quiet, and the shine in her eyes became rather dull.

"I love you, but I'm not in love with you..." and she replayed the scene, continously. She didn't know what to do, didn't know how to understand it or wether or not she wanted to. What did that mean? What the fuck did it mean?

The third day came by, and it was then that her fragile fingers were placed on the knob, opening the door with small hesistation in the coffee shop. There was various groups of people admiring art in the wall. She noticed them, how hush they were, the blushes on their cheeks as they did so. Who was he? This artist that all spoke of,, what he said in the art was so beautiful even those who would never speak to one another, spoke now.

On the other hand, she sat in the corner of the coffee shop for her regular cup of joe, sipping the steam before the liquid.

Nathaniel sighed heavily. He couldn't sleep. For--however long...he laid awake in his bed wondering how long he would have to wait to see his muse. Or if he would ever see her again. He wondered if she lived in the neighborhood. Tired eyes, blinked slowly as he slowly removed himself from his bed. Three minutes of sleep wasn't too bad...he felt a little better already. Awake...even. With a sigh he wandered into the front room shuffling together some paint and small blank canvases. Before he left, he took a quick shower, and threw on a black tank top, and blue jean shorts, along with his sandals.

Casually he walked to the cafe, in the mood for a nice cup of coffee to further wake him up. Once he had that, he would be off to draw...or find something worth drawing. Hopefully he would catch a glimpse of his beautiful model. Nathaniel sighed as he stepped into the place. It was packed with people. "Gabe...must've really hung it up..." he murmured to himself softly. He was surprised everyone liked it as much as they did. He wondered....for a second if she saw it. He wondered what her facial expression would be when she saw it. "Nathaniel..." the brunette wandered over to the counter sitting at one of the stools sighing softly. "Your painting is bringing more business than your usual." the man said as he poured a steamy cup of joe, putting two tablespoons of sugar into the steamy cup. "The girl you painted..." he said nodding his head toward the table his model was sitting at.

She was sipping steam... Beautiful. Quickly he pulled out his little sketchbook. He began to draw her quickly before something ruined his perfect view. "Why don't you just ask her to be your model?" Gabe asked placing a warm hand upon the male's shoulder. "I--I can't..." he replied softly as he continued to sketch the woman. "Have some courage kid. After the painting, I'm sure she'd be happy to have you bring out her beauty all the time. Kid you are better than photoshop..." Nathan smiled sheepishly. But shook his head in refusal. "I dunno--maybe later..." he smiled a little to himself, the people providing perfect cover for his drawing her.

She hadn't seen the drawings, had never ever actually even seen most of the drawings that would cover these four walls. She, for the most part, would just come in, buy a cup and leave as soon as possible. These people weren't her scene and had never been. They all seem to see things in the paintings she didn't understand. She leaned forward, letting the warm cup hit her throat and slide down slowly. She let it linger before swallowing it.

For the first time since she had entered the store, she glanced around her. She smile as she stood up, watching the walls. Each artist had a walll of entitlement except for the paintings of the month that had their place behind the counter and where the people gawked it.

Unknowingly so, she stopped at Nathaniel's section. She watched and brought her hand forward to where one painting portrayed the gentle dance of a moon and a sun, each struggled to keep their section of the world to themselves. Her hand frolicked on the moon, slowly encircling it. For some reason this spoke to her, screamed for her. She tilted her head, just staring, just enjoying.

It was then that a stranger stood next to her. He raised a brow,"You enjoyed it?" he questioned. She nodded slowly, and licked her lips before moving just slightly away,"I do. Do you know the artist by any chance?" the man smiled but he didn't say anything. She began to step away, hoping to head back to her seat, but that moon; each stroke was so tentalizing she couldn't keep away.

Gabe smiled at the young girl. "Sure I know him just a little." he said with a nod of his head. "But I can't tell you who he is...no matter how much I crave to. He's such a shy little thing..." Gabe said with a shrug of his shoulders as he began walking away from the girl. "Perhaps, he'll show himself to you..." he said before heading back over to the counter. "She's just as pretty as the painting. How do you do that??" the manager asked with awe in his voice. "I dunno... I can just do it..." he replied softly as he moved across the cafe to examine her more as she watched his painting. Midnight Sun... was what he called the painting. It was actually midnight when he finished the picture... and he thought the moon was as bright as the sun that night lighting up the park like the great ball of fire. Which would explain the contrast between the two as the battled to out shine one another.

Nathaniel couldn't help but draw the girl as she examined the painting. She was intrigued. He was even more intrigued by the girl now than he was before. His hand moved across the pad speedily, quickly trying to catch every emotion she contained in her face for the picture in a moment before she could catch him. Most people didn't like being sneakily drawn. It was like...they thought as if they were being stalked or something. Nathaniel believed that any art based of people was best done when the model didn't know. Everything flowed naturally that way...so much more smoothly.

He smiled a bit. There was something special about the girl indeed. There was no one he wanted to draw more in depth than her. If only he could find the courage to speak to here. Perhaps by getting close he could draw her in different ways.... He blushed at the thought. No...impossible... she probably already had someone or something and keeping his distance was best. He held the sketch pad close to his body, in a way that if someone were to walk up on him he would be able to press it into his chest to hide what he was drawing.

The man left and she stepped closer to the painting. God, it was beautiful, breath-taking. She had only seen that once in her lifetime, and for a few seconds her eyes closed, remembering her first kiss. She held her hand against the moon, and then slowly brought her other hand to her lips. She let both linger, feeling a shiver run down her body with ease. She shook her head then, bringing herself back into reality. The man who created this was shy? She nodded. Of course, he would be. It suited him, did it not? The world's best poet have yet to open their lips.

She slide away now from the painting and found herself at the seat she once held. She bite her lip softly. She should leave soon, after-all, she had spent a bit too much time here already. Loitering wasn't something she enjoyed doing. For a few moments, she sat there, eyes without their residue, cold and frozen staring at the white cap of her drink."I love you but I'm not in love with you..." and it ring in her eyes constantly. The night wouldn't leave her. His words haunted her and she would have to sit there without any control of her emotions and feel them sting.

She stood up, back arched slowly. She would never let it happen again. To fall for someone who didn't love them seem rather ridicilous to her and yet she had done exactly that. She left the cafe, wandering aimlessly around the small city. She would have to work tonight after a two week vacation. She was sort of excited, since her job was a rather simple job.

She carried still the umbrella of the young man just as a precaution as to what could occur. The small coincidences in the world always seem to be the most important.

Nathaniel continued to draw. His eyes stayed on the paper a little longer than usual and when he looked up to find the woman she was no longer there. Shit...where'd she go? he thought to himself as his dark crimson eyes scanned the room quickly with panic. He dropped his pencil suddenly and as he went to pick it up he caught a glimpse of her shoes crossing the room back to her original table. He continued to draw her for a bit before she decided she wanted to leave. I'm not done... he thought as he watched her get up from her chair to leave the cafe. No she can't go... he thought again as he placed his pad and pencil into his bag. He had to follow her. He waved to Gabe on his way out, quickly following the female into the outside.

As he walked slowly behind her, sort of in the shadows, he noticed the umbrella. She still had it. It made him smile warmly to himself...to know that she actually kept something from him. Even if it wasn't an official gift... just and act of kindness on his part. Even so...it warmed him. He continued to follow Lilian down the street. The idea was so out of whack. Why was he following her? The thought of how crazy he must've looked following behind the girl played through his mind. No matter how much his subconscious tried to force him to turn away, nothing worked. He was fueled, driven by his need to capture the very essence of such a delicate being on paper compelled him to stalk Lilian until he assuaged the urges deep within him.

He wondered where she was leading him to...or whether where he was stalking her to. Was she going home? To work? Her boyfriend's house? Or maybe a family member's. Where ever she was going, Nathaniel didn't care. He just needed a few more minutes. Just a bit longer to gaze upon her angelic face. To capture her beauty...to embrace it in his art. Make everyone see just how truly elegant she was. While Nathan followed the young woman, he made sure to always stay out of view. Last thing he needed was to get caught following her.

Time seemed so useless to her since then that night. She clicked her tounge softly as she waited on the corner for the bus. She did this every Wednesday through Monday, exercising her right for public transportation. She tilted her head slowly and then when the bus pulled up, she dropped the quarters into the small machine and sat down at the back.

This was her favorite place in all the places she had ever been there. She closed her eyes, letting her head rest carefully in the cold window. She smiled slowly. She didn't want anything to happen. She pulled her legs upwards and wrapped her arms around them. The library had never really cared what she did or wore. They had her just putting books back on the shelves, and sometimes reading them. Truth was, she didn't need anything. She really didn't even need to work. She was, well, a wealthy girl. Her father was a billionaire. Always had been since his grandfather.

Lilian licked her lips and then let her fingers begin to find within her pockets a small iPod. She grabbed it and then put her headphones on, slowly adjusting the volume. Daniel Powter "Bad Day" began to play in her ear drums, low enough where people couldn't hear it, and high enough where those people who were listening to her could hear it. She adjusted her body again, fingers going down and up the umbrella.

For a second, she pictured the boy who had given her the umbrella. She shook her head. It was just a random spotting, right? Nothing really important.

Nathaniel waited behind a large oak tree with the girl at the empty bus stop. There were so many things going through his mind at once. But not one thought was of leaving...or even about himself really. Every thought was about Lilian. His mind was clouded with her, completely consumed by her every being. He gazed at her from behind the tree watching her closely, taking her image and forcing it into his memory. He forgot his camera...which would have been considerably helpful in the situation. Not only that, he would be able to see her better through the lens of the camera than on his sketch pad...actually feel like she was there with him...just a bit more.

Random spotting... he wished to keep it that way as he sneakily slipped on to the bus--through the back door. "Err...sorry sir..." he whispered softly as he gently bumped a man as he squeezed by them and onto the bus. He smiled a bit as he watched the young woman take her seat. Nathaniel remained in the back...keeping an eye on his surroundings. He sat in a chair that was a single. He put his feet up in the chair, covering his face a bit as he enjoyed the free ride. It seemed that she was riding further into town. Was she going to work? An expensive apartment? He was so confused now...for all he knew secretly she was a stripper or something, or maybe worked for an escort company. Stripper? The thought of her dressed scantily sent shivers through his body.

Nathaniel buried his blushing face into his knees, which was kind of his bag at the moment. He occasionally took glances up at the woman to see when she was getting off. Last thing he needed was to miss her stop, and get lost in the city. With each stop the bus made, the anticipation of where they were going continued to build up inside of him. God, if they didn't get off the bus soon he would explode. He needed to know. His curiosity often got the best of him at times...and he was trying considerably hard not to allow it then. If he did...she would know he was following her...then...then...he'd probably never see her again. Which was horrible~

The bus ride was rather long, right into the center of the city. Finally, she got off and she waved at the bus driver who tilted his head at her. All this meant was that they would see each other later tonight. She stopped around her and though the sun was still high above the sky, she raised her umbrella above her and she opened it. She twirled it through her fingertips, and she blocked the sun from her eyes, forcing herself to stop squinting.

She giggled as she did so. A few blocks to the right she stood at the entrance of the Main Center Library. The doors slide upon and she stepped inside through the employees door. Once inside, she put away her umbrella away, and slide into a rather big sweater, because of this the curves of her body disappeared. The locks of her long hair were pulled up into a very, messy bun and she slapped on her name tag,"Hello, My name is Lilian. May I help you?" it read and she would always smile as some people read this in sincerity.

Lilian smiled, hugging the old women who stood at the check out areas before she grabbed her pile of books and went to her area. Instead of immediately putting them away, she would open the covers, read through them quickly and then move to find it's spot. She would do this every day she worked and because it would leave with a bag filled of books.

She liked this, liked the simplicity of the life that she led. Years before, the young lady would be force to walk down the red carpet with Daddy and Mommy. She would be pushed into less than likeable situations and because of this she had escaped it exactly 2 years and 3 months ago. Lilian walked down the aisles, thinking more of the past then the present.

When the bus creaked to a stop, Nathaniel shyly glanced up to see if the girl would be getting off then. He smiled into his bag... She was. His heartbeat picked up a bit as he got up from the back of the bus, and walked over to the back doors sneaking off as he had did on. He took a deep breath of fresh air once off the bus. He hated buses...such a compact space that drove him absolutely crazy if on there for too long. He supposed if one wanted to, you could call him a bit of a claustrophobic.

He stayed a good few feet behind the woman as he watched her walk. Idly slipping out his pad and a pen into his fingers he began to draw the curves of her delicate body. He had to get as much details down about the movements of her form as he could...since well he just assumed she'd never agree to be his model... since they had to be naked...and er...yeah. If she were a stripper like he previously assumed, perhaps she wouldn't mind so much. But the male quickly tossed the thought aside as he looked up at the place he was following her to.

A library... Nathaniel thought to himself as he watched her walk inside of the 'employees only' door. A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips. She wasn't a slut whore who pranced around letting various men touch her body. So...perhaps she was as pure as he thought she was. Perhaps she truly was as beautiful as his picture had captured. He walked around and into the library. He sat down at one of the isolated tables in the back with a several books about drawing as he waited to see her. 'Hi my name is Lilian....' Nathan smiled. So that was the name of his angel...the angel that so graciously swooped down and saved his brain from melting away.

Curiously he watched her in her new attire, opening a book at the same time appearing to be studying or something while he watched the way her shirt folded upon her body, those curves still appearing even with the baggy shirt on. But perhaps it was because he knew they were there already.

It seemed to her that the library today was deliberately quite so that she would be consumed by the very thoughts she begun to hate. Her fingers would sway against the cool covers of the books, examining each one with small detail, left eye slightly squinted, licks subtly licked.

She leaned against the wall for a second, letting the back of her hand hit her forehead delicately. Sometimes, it felt like she was carrying the truth of the world onto her shoulders, like this haunting loneliness would forever brand her as different. She closed her eyes and bite down on her lower lip to prevent herself from crying by focusing exclusively on another type of pain.

She found herself shaking her head. Just like that it was all over, just like that she ruined the best thing she could have ever possibly have. She opened her eyes slowly, frantically searching her surrondings she was making sure no one was watching her. Her eyes laid down on an indiviual. He looked slightly familiar...why? She tilted her head, ran her hands through her bangs, moving them aside from her eyes.

She breathe in steadily. She was going crazy no one from where she lived knew that she worked here. She was just imagining things. It wasn't important. It just wasn't.

For a split second their eyes met. And in that split second, he saw something... Hurt....sorrow. Something heavy was upon her heart and he wondered what. Just the other day, she seemed happy, and content. What could have happened in a day that disrupted all in her life? He felt slightly bad that he didn't have the confidence to try and comfort her. But that made sense though...he didn't have the confidence to ask her to be his model, so why should he have the balls to make her smile?

Still the thought made him sigh. He needed to do something to make her feel better. Suddenly he smiled. He'd draw a picture for her. She seemed mesmerized by the picture of the battling moon and sun that he decided on drawing something similar to it. He licked his lips slowly, his eyes fluttering shut as he imagined the scene he wanted to draw in his head. He smiled a bit as he started to move his hand across his blank paper, bringing what he imagined to the paper.

He hadn't moved from his one spot for about an hour. In an hour's time he managed to draw a woman similar to Lilian, sitting in a field where both the moon and sun accented the land as one. He added a bit of color with colored pencils and markers. Once he was finished he took the picture to the front desk. He smiled at the librarian at the front and gave her the paper. He shyly stated the paper was for 'Ms. Lilian', and for the woman to not tell who drew it.

Once he was done at the front desk, he walked back over to the table he was sitting at and gathered the ten books he'd collected all at once. He started to the shelf he'd retrieved them from quickly, crimson eyes plastered to the floor not watching where he was going, as he imagined the surprised look on her face when she would see the picture.

The hours passed very slowly tonight, each tick thundering against her left temple, each tock against her right and every hour on the hour, she would look up, shaking her head in utter frustration. Time seem to seep from her fingertips but nothing she did was ever really good enough. She pierced her lips slightly, and then, finally when the line of the skylit fell into a dim darkness, she wandered over to the desk, giggling in delight.

She cocked her head to one side when the female handed her a picture. At first, her face warped itself into the tiniest smile, eyes bright and flashing. She turned to the old female,"What happened? I mean, who gave it to me? Why would they give it to me? I mean, do you know who it was?" she questioned without giving the chance for the women to answer until her eyes went blank, and she lost herself again in the beauty of art.

Her fingers traced it slowly, and finally the raspy voice crinckled out a gentle reply,"Just take it as it is, hunny....just go ahead and take it as it is...." she didn't want to. Who would know that these colors were her favorite? That she had seen a picture just like this but with more anger, more pain?

She swallowed, dissatisfied, and walked out, catching the bus back home. Who could have known?

Nathaniel smiled as he watched Lilian get the picture. That tiny little smile present upon her face told him she liked the picture. Although there was still some confusion about who sent it to her...but...soon he would try and fix that without seeming to be too much of a stalker fanboy. Nathan took the second bus home, figuring sneaking on the bus this time wouldn't be as easy as it was the first.

The next day the male took a trip down to the cafe once more, but this time instead of carrying his usual bag of art tools, he carried a box of chocolates, a single white rose, and a small note attached to it. Oh and, another different thing was that he wasn't by himself...he was with a mutual friend~ "So...you want me to what again??" the male asked with a shrug of his shoulders as Nathan handed him the things. "I want you to give them to the girl in the painting kay?" Nathan said as he ushered the male into the cafe.

"Aa~ Nathan...back again...and with a friend." Gabriel said with a smile. "You know, your paintings really brought in some money...and people." he said holding his hand out to the crowd of people throughout his cafe as if the male couldn't see for himself. "I see Gabe..." Nathan replied as he led Damien, his friend over to the counter. "Here kid...I can give you your money earlier than expected." the elder man said with a nod of his head as he pulled out an envelope with a wad of money inside. "Er..thanks..." he replied, a light blush tinting his cheeks.

"Now, sit here Damien...she should be here any moment now. I want you to give her the stuff and tell it's from her secret admirer kay?" he questioned. "Alright~" It was just a day before Valentine's day...he didn't want to seem any weirder and stalkerish than he already did.

Damien had attempted to protest. He knew Lilian well enough. She had always preffered men who stood up for themselves, who had more confidence in their smile than someone in their lifetime. Maybe it was because even though she was shy at first, she was rather...different, in the end of the day, that is.

He had sat down on the table, loosely fidgetting before he closed his eyes and sighed. Maybe this would make Lilian feel better after her break-up with Jake, she was severely devasted. He watched her as she walked in. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, wearing slip-ons and black and white checkered tights with a short dress that fell down to near her knees.

She saw him, and that small slight smile fell into one of gentle sadness. She licked her lips, and sat down next to him with slight concern. "Tomorrow is Valentine's..." she whispered, watching the decorations that were already up into display.

"About that...you know...here...just here..."he slipped the presents to her, and she sighed as she looked at them.

"Thanks, hun, but..."

"They're not from me...its this guy I know...he's really, really into you...you know and well..."

She paused then, a tint of blush returning to her cheeks. She shook her head, and examined them, opening the door, slowly.

I know this is kind of I dunno weird and all but... I got these gifts because I really like you. Ever since the first day I saw you, so happy feeding the ducks under that large oak I couldn't get you out of my mind. The picture from the librarian at the desk, and the ones hanging up in the cafe are mine. Sorry, I have yet to appear to you...but I am very shy. But to make things slightly better Lilian, my name is Nathaniel Holloway.

That's what the note said. It wasn't much, as he couldn't think of things to say that wouldn't seem so stalkerish. "So anyhow, the kid is really into you. I wish he'd come out already and stop hiding and talk to you. But like I said Lilian he's really into you." Damien said with a shrug of his shoulders. Nathan watched the even from around the cafe as he was continuing his shifts at the cafe. He would have been working there a lot earlier if he wasn't in such a horrible slump. But now that he wasn't he was emotionally okay to work again.

He ran his fingers through his short dark bangs, taking a nice deep breath before he headed over to the table Lilian and Damien were seated at. Damien looked up, with an almost surprised looked upon his face that read 'I didn't know you worked here'. He quickly returned to the nonchalant look before Lilian could notice, ordering a cappuccino. "Would you like anything miss?" somehow, his words came out smoothly when he wasn't talking for the sake of chit-chat. Perhaps this could have been his way to get up and close and personal with her.

Lilian nodded her head, taking it all in. She didn't want anything in particular or even really need it. Damien just needed to speak to her, to soothe her. She laid her hand softly on her palm and then spoke,"I don't know. If he can't even introduce himself how will I know he'll be there when shit gets rough..." she sighed. It was always the wrong guy who fell for her, and she was always the wrong girl for the right guy. She bite down on her lip, whispering his name softly just as the waiter came,"Nathaniel Holloway..." she paused when he spoke, and tilted her head, letting their eyes connect. He seem to see right through her, to know what she was thinking even before she did. She was over thinking. She always did this sort of thing.

"You two know each other?" she questioned before looking up and down against shamelessly.

"Yeah, he's, uh, he's a friend..." Damien said nervously. He didn't know what to say or even if he should say something about who this person is. Instead, he smiled, ordering for her a tea with honey and sugar and a black coffee for himself.