American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar

Author:Anuradha D. Rajurkar [Rajurkar, Anuradha D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2021-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

“I have something cool to show you.” Oliver leads me out into the light of the gallery and into a quirky half room overlooking a mass of bare trees whose branches nearly scrape the windows. A battered leather love seat sits beside a giant easel.

He crashes into the love seat, and I settle beside him. That’s when I notice, crowded onto an end table, a bar of dark chocolate, a box of strawberries, and a stack of art photography books.

“Um, am I being punked?” I grin. “What’s all this?”

“Well, I was hoping to lure you into sitting for a portrait for me. And to entertain yourself while you sit, you can dine on chocolate and fruit and peruse photography books.”

“Am I dreaming right now?”

“Yes. I am your dream.”

“You are.” Heat rises in my face. “So you just”—I shrug nonchalantly—“stocked up on aphrodisiacs….”

“Yeah,” he says, laughing. “Maybe I should have brought you here before the janitor’s closet,” he jokes. “Then again, we obviously didn’t need any aphrodisiacs.”

“You do know bribery is not necessary to have me sit for a portrait, right?”

“So you’ll do it? You can even work on homework or applications or whatever….”

“It’s cool. It’s more than cool. I’m honored.”

He stands at his giant easel, and with my insides fluttery, he begins sketching. Occasionally, he murmurs things: how he’s been using some of Valentia’s muralist techniques and spare lines; how the northern light through the branches here emits an ethereal glow despite the trees’ density; how my facial structure is perfect for what he’s trying to accomplish….Allowing the chocolate to slowly melt on my tongue, I flip through the art books and gaze through the branches scratching at the windows. We are now lovers. It’s a word Kate and I used to mock, but in this moment, it feels legitimate and perfect. I think about how the pixels of my life are checkering in, complex and bright. How my heart is beating hard and strong, and how I’ll always remember this terribly beautiful moment, a filtered snapshot in real time.

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