Boundaries

Green.

Eyes.

Green.

Perfectly shaped.

Almost too perfect.

There's no way such perfection can be replicated on a piece of paper.

My hand could never do justice to the eyes that have mesmerized me for the past few days.

I found myself tracing over and over, trying to find the right shape, size, and color; notebooks endlessly torn through as balled up pieces of paper covered my bedroom floor.

The more I drew, the vision of those eyes seemed to fade from my mind. My sketches became as fuzzy as my memory. Eventually entire sheets of paper became covered in shades of green, trying to find the one that I saw.

A knock at my door momentarily brings me out of my obsession, my eyes squinting at the bright light shining through my window.

"Yes?" I call to Khadijah.

"Hey girlfriend, want to-" She stops dead in her tracks when she sees the disaster that has become my room. "What the hell happened in here?"

"Just working on a project." I lie. There's no way I could justify an obsession over a pair of eyes to this poor girl.

"Um, well I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner before your class."

My evening class was my painting class, which I was most excited for. I found that most of my painting classes came easiest to me, being that I had the most freedom in them.

"I'm not really hungry." I admit, my mind more concerned about finding the perfect shade of green rather than getting something to eat.

"Oh come on, you've been locked away in this room all day!" She pleads.

"Really, I'm fine." I insist with a soft smile.

"Would you at least like me to bring you back some food?"

I shrug. "If you'd like."

"I will." She promises before closing the door behind her.

I rest my drawing pad on my lap for a moment, my eyes scanning over the different shades of green I've mustered up.

I wasn't entirely sure what it was that drew me to this shade of green. It was unlike any shade I've seen before, and as an artist, I felt it was necessary to conquer this obstacle of rarity.

They say when you fall in love, you fall in love mostly with the eyes, as they are the one piece of someone that never changes.

I think about my ex-boyfriend Luke's eyes, a soft blue-gray color. They weren't nearly as intimidating as the ones that have corrupted my mind, but they were warm and comforting when I needed them most.

Until he didn't need me anymore.

Until... he didn't want me anymore.

Luke is another part of my past that I continuously shut out. I had known him practically my whole life, but it never fails to amaze me how one bad memory can triumph years' worth of good ones.

I think about him often, hoping he's well.

For his sake, not mine.

Luke's eyes weren't the first thing I noticed about him. They were just another quality that I admired. But these emerald eyes were the first thing I noticed. A piece of a complete stranger who I've let consume my entirety.

I decide its best to detach myself from my obsession and take a shower before my night class.

I really did have a project that needed to be done for my painting class, given that it was requested we each have a piece prepared for our first class, but since I was too distracted by my personal project, I figure I'll just whip something up before I go.