Girl Meets Ryan Matthews

29.

Ryan sat on a stool in front of a blank canvas on the roof of his building, his thinking spot. He had a few ideas of what he wanted to paint for the exhibit, all of which included some sort of galaxy design.

Was this how professional artists worked? Under pressure to be creative with a time limit?

If it was, it was exciting.

He flipped through his sketchbook again. On one page was a sketch of a person with the words 'galaxy bg' scrawled in the margins. He flipped the page to a flower with the same words on the page. He flipped to another that looked the same as the first but with the words 'galaxy' written on the inside of the silhouette.

Ryan sighed and stood from the stool and rubbed his head. He laid down and stared at the setting sun, tired.

All he could do was paint space. Even though he had painted plenty of other space-themed things. Was it the color scheme? Or the pattern itself?

The door leading to the roof opened and Ryan felt someone sit next to him. Ryan looked over and saw Aidan sitting next to him.

"What are you doing up here, dude?" Ryan asked, turning his head to look at him.

"I needed some air, school can get stressful," Aidan sighed.

From where Ryan was lying, Aidan's side profile aligned with the NYC skyline was very... picture-worthy.

Definitely painting worthy.

"Dude, don't move," Ryan quickly got his phone out and wiggled a few inches back, taking a photo of Aidan.

"What?"

He took a few more with different filters and angles.

"Do you mind if I use this as a reference for my painting?" he showed the pictures he took to Aidan. "I've been feeling so blocked lately and this is inspiring me."

"Sure, man, go ahead."

Ryan rushed to his previous set up and began sketching in his notes as Aidan watched.

"What's this for, anyway?"

"My school is holding an art exhibit to raise money for the art program and I agreed to put a painting up for it." With a sketch he was happy with, Ryan began the painting process.

"When is it?" Aidan got up and watched over Ryan's shoulder as he sketched out the outline.

"Tomorrow."

"Why'd you wait until tonight to start, then?"

Ryan shook his head. "I didn't. I painted, like, six other pieces that I didn't even like before tonight."

"Yikes."

"The life of an artist."

I love filler chapters, don't you?

I need to write more Jeremy. I keep forgetting to.

edit: forgot to say, if y'all didn't see, the new face claim for Ryan is Johnny Orlando