It was love at first sight at last sight, at ever and ever sight.
-Vladimir Nabokov, lolita.

'This is awesome! Damn girl. I wish I lived in an apartment rather than the crummy dorms. My roommate is a nightmare.' Brenda states, staring at the apartment complex where I live with a look of pure envy.

'You'll miss her eventually. It's so quiet here. No one to talk to.' I shrug, shielding my eyes against the harsh glare of the sun as I stare up at the complex.

'I'm someone to talk to. I could move in with you right now if you want. Damn, what I would give to live here.' She sighes dreamily.

'Okay, stop drooling over the building. Don't you want to see inside? Come on.' I chuckle at her cloud nine expression.

'Why didn't you say so since? What are we waiting around here for?' She grins, dragging me into the building.

The elevator ride up to my floor is filled with coos and breathy gasps about how living in an apartment while you're in college is the absolute gift from heaven.

'How did you even end up staying here anyway?' She asks as I jiggle my key in the lock of my door.

'Remember Leo?' I ask.

'The hottie from lunch? Of course I remember him.' She replies eagerly.

'Well I need a lot of space plus a studio for my painting so my brother asked him to help me find a suitable apartment and he recommended this apartment complex.' I shrug, pushing the door open.

'This place is awesome.' She declares, heading in to explore every inch of my barely furnished apartment.

'So hottie lives here too?' She calls out from the kitchen.

I lock the door behind me and head to my room.

'I don't think so. I haven't seen him around but I've only been here a few days so who knows?' I shrug, placing my bag at the foot of my bed.

I remove my jacket and throw it on the bed before heading back to the foyer.

'Your apartment is epic.' Brenda states.

She's reclining on the sofa, the only furniture I have in the living room so far. Apart from a small table and two beanbags.

'Thanks.' I sit on the red beanbag.

'You should decorate though.' She wrinkles her nose. 'As an interior designer in the making, I can confidently tell you your home lacks personality. Heck, it lacks signs of life.'

'Thanks.' I mutter sarcastically, smacking her face with a throw pillow.

She laughs and throws it back at me.

'But, I have to say, your paintings are amazing. It's very advanced. I'm impressed.' She compliments.

'Thanks.' I beam.

My paintings might as well be an extension of me. I'm very insecure about myself but when it comes to my paintings, I make sure it's perfectly perfect.

'Your studio is the only properly furnished room in this entire apartment. It's like you live and breath art.' She smiles.

'I kind of do.' I reply.

'Well, you're good at it. Plus, who am I to judge? My room and the attic back at home are filled with issues of Architectural Digest, Home Décor and the likes. They're my babies.'

'You're kidding.' I laugh. 'My mom hoards our attic like it's her room. I think she wants to turn it into something like an mini spa.'

'That would be so dope.' She declares.

'If my dad let's her. He keeps talking about how he's going to install a gym up there.' I grin.

'I vote spa. Besides mothers always win. My dad wanted a gym in our house and my mom wanted a music room even she can't play a single instrument to save her life. Two years later and the music room is sitting there collecting dust apart from when I'm at home and I go in to play a little. I am a self proclaimed violinist.'

'Seriously? I love music. It helps me paint better. You might have noticed the surround sound system in the studio.' I say.

'Yeah, I was going to ask about that.'

'I've always wanted to learn how to play something. Anything really. I mean I play the piano but everybody plays the piano. I've wanted to learn something uncommon. Like the violin or the cello. Something I can carry around and play. The piano isn't exactly built for carrying.' I shrug.

'I don't know. Leo looks like he can bench press two pianos. At once.' She says with a mischievous grin.

'You're hopeless.' I giggle.

'What's the story there though? I sensed a lot of undercurrents earlier.' She says.

I draw in a deep breath. Of course she did.

'Leo is my brother's best friend. They were the terrible three; Leo, my brother, Gavin and their other friend Tom.'

'Our Tom?' She asks.

'No. Not our Tom. Another Tom. I think he's at Stanford. Besides they're all juniors now. I had a crush on Leo but the dangers of liking my brother's best friend is that I'm automatically relegated to sister status. He's never even looked at me twice. I mean there was a time that I thought he saw me. Like truly saw me but boy was I wrong.'

'Well, I can't fault you for having a crush on the guy. I only met him once and I'm already crushing on that face and that ripped body. It's those eyes. It's like looking into heaven.' She sighs wistfully.

'They're like burning sapphires. Or electricity. Its just too blue ' I agree.

'Beautifully so.' She nods.

'And even, now I'm still the sister he adopted because he's friends with my brother. I didn't ask him to adopt me! I don't even want to be adopted!' I rant.

'For what it's worth, I don't think seeing you is the problem. I think he's trying hard not to see you.'

'Huh?' I frown, a little confused.

'I don't know. It just seemed like he was trying so hard not look at you or linger on you for too long. And when you were flirting with Tom, it looked like he was ready to snap Tom's neck.' She says gleefully.

'I wasn't flirting with Tom.' I reply indignantly.

'Besides, that just his protective brother thing. He's even more protective of me than my actual brother.' I add.

'I think that's because you mean something different to him than you do to your brother. And I'm not talking about he sat down at the table. When he was standing behind you and Tom was propositioning you. At first when he saw you, his eyes lit up like Christmas.' She says.

I give her a doubtful look.

'Trust me, I was watching. I was watching so hard I didn't even notice my food slid off my fork and land on my jeans.' She adds.

'Ahhh. So that's why you tied the scarf around your waist!' I chuckle.

'The stain refused to come off.' She shrugs.

'Anyway, when he heard what you two were talking about, it's like a curtain came down on his face. If looks could kill, Tom would be so dead. It would be an epic death. Not one of those "he fell from a tree and broke his neck" kind of death. More of  a "splattered his brain matter on the walls" kind of death.'

'I don't think so. I mean the part about his eyes lighting up. Maybe he saw me and remembered Gavin. He hasn't seen my brother in a while so that could have been it. Besides Leo has always been very bad at hiding his emotions. If he was happy to see me, I would've known.' I sigh gloomily.

'Like I said, that's what I think. It's what it looked like to me. Maybe that's what really happened or maybe I'm just a romantically inclined lady who read one too many Jane Austen, Sarah Dessen and Regency novels. And let's not forget the red hot Silhouette novels.' She smirks, forcing a chuckle out of me.

'I am a Sarah Dessen girl. For ever and ever. And I love John Greene too.' I beam proudly.

She gasps dramatically, clutching her chest.

'Everybody dies. What's there to love? Give me Sarah Dessen and Judith McNaught any day.'

'It's about the journey not the end.' I laugh at her dramatics.

'Would you let him write your life story? He just kill you five pages to the end and leave Hazel to pick up the pieces.' She glares at the throw pillow in my hand like it's John Greene himself.

'Ha!' I gasp, stunned.

'What?' She snaps.

'You cried over The Fault In Our Stars. That's why you hate him.'

'I most certainly did not cry.' She refutes.

I shoot her an unimpressed look.

'Fine. A few drops of lady like tears may have fallen from my eyes but I most definitely did not cry.' She acquiesces.

'If you say so.' I sing.

'Get out of here.' She aims a throw pillow at my face which I effortlessly catch. With my face.

'Okay, let's be serious.' I say, folding my legs under me.

She pouts playfully.

'We came here to work on our History of Art assignment.' I continue.

'Who the hell gives an assignment on the first day of class anyway?' She grumbles, pulling out her notebook from her bag.

'A professor who makes history seem like fun?' I suggest.

'Whatever.' She sighs. 'Let's get this done.'

'Aye aye captain.' I say with a mock salute.

'SpongeBob.' She grins.

'Huh?'

'SpongeBob.' She repeats.

I shake my head. 'I don't follow.'

'You didn't watch SpongeBob as a kid?' She gapes.

'I did once or twice. I wasn't really into it.' I shrug.

'You're kidding! I loved that show. I hate you.' She smiles.

'Ditto.' I laugh, reaching for the plate of cookies on the table.

'Give me some cookies and I will forget you ever said you weren't into SpongeBob faster than you can snap your fingers.'

'Deal.' I grin, passing the plate to her.

***

Brenda left a few hours later after we finished our assignment. She kept grumbling about how the assignment was too tough even though I think she really liked it. I always thought I was an overachiever but she's just as bad. I'm glad we met. She's suddenly like the best friend I never had. Not counting Vasilisa, Gavin's girlfriend.

All the girls at the boarding school I went to, were too competitive and driven to even consider being a best friend to someone. Sigourney's Art School teaches a lot of things but forming unbreakable friendship bonds isn't one of them.

Stretching my arms, I head to the kitchen to scavenge for dinner. The leftover Chinese I find will do just fine. I set it to heat in the microwave while I set up my easel and a fresh canvas.

Even though every brain cell I have is telling me not to do it, I already know exactly who I'm going to paint.

I've never painted him before because I didn't want it to seem weird and most of all I didn't want to cross that line. My paintings are almost sacred to me. Painting the guy I have a crush seemed wrong and a little stalker-ish but seeing him today. The way he looked, I can't resist.

As an artist, I will always want to and try to capture raw unspoiled beauty on paper and if I don't capture his beauty on paper then doesn't that make me somewhat of a fraud?

I have to do this. Maybe this is what I need to finally get over him. Purge the emotions out of my system and onto a canvas.

I have to draw Leo Matthews.

My only hope is that he never finds out or that would ruin everything.

Including me.

I reach for my cell and call the only person I can talk to about it. She picks up on the fourth ring.

'Hey Vasilisa.' I say, forcing a cheerfulness I don't feel into my voice.

'You've seem him.' She deduces.

Vasilisa is my brother's soulmate. She used to be a ghost that only him could see.

It's a long story.

'Yes.' I drop all attempts at cheerfulness.

'How'd it go?' She asks tentatively.

'He didn't drop on one knee and declare his undying love to me.' I joke.

'I meant you. The plan is still to get over him. Right?' She asks.

'It is.' I sigh.

'Why do you sound so down?'

'It's not going to be as easy as I thought.' I say.

'I told you that.'

'I know. Which is why I've decided to paint him. What do think? Is it a bad idea?' I ask.

Silence greets me on the other side of the line.

'Vasilisa!' I exclaim.

'Still here.' She answers.

'It's a bad idea, isn't it? That's why you're quiet.' I say in despair.

'It's not a bad idea. It could have a bad outcome but its not necessarily a bad idea.' She says.

'So I shouldn't do it?' I ask.

'I can't tell you what to do, Kelsey.' She replies.

'I just think... I mean my paintings are sacred to me. Every time I finish a painting, it's like closing a chapter. Letting go of something I didn't even realize was a part of me.'

'And you think painting Leo will help you close that chapter in your life.' She sums.

'Yes.' I say hesitantly. 'I realize it could backfire and just make me like him more but... Do you think it'll work?'

'There's only one way to find out.' She replies. 'Put on your big girl pants. Just in case.'

'Thanks.' I smile.

'I didn't do anything.' She responds.

'Say hi to Gavin for me. And I would love it if you could knock him over for me.'

'Why?'

'He told Leo to check on me. Make sure I'm settling in.' I roll my eyes.

'I'll throw in a kick to the shin for you.' She says.

I hung up and head to the kitchen to check on my dinner. A loud knock echoes through the house.

Who could it be by this time of the night?

I head to the door and pull it open without bothering to check the peephole.

'What the hell?' I cuss.

Who do you think was at the door? Leo? Brenda? Or maybe a new character?

Vote, Comment, Share and promote.

Votes and comments inspire me to write more and update faster so don't forget to do that.

Next chapter will be more interesting. We'll be meeting a new character. ;) Leo doesn't like him.

I thought I uploaded this yesterday and I'm only just realizing I didn't. Sorry for the wait.