Modely Disordered
Reality isn't so bad
Shanna had been at the top of the fashion industry for 6 whole months now – something that was almost unheard of! She was booking almost every shoot and shows she came across, sometimes double-booking them to the point where she had to literally run out during the middle of an event to catch the next. Shanna was exhausted not only physically but emotionally as well. She knew that she was beginning to change into a zombie-like person who only seemed alive in the eye of the public. Shanna also knew that her parents noticed the drastic change and were worried about their only daughter. Shanna supposed that she should call them and reassure them, but she wasn't quite sure if it was worth it.
Of course, if she didn't end up calling them, she was certain they'd pay a visit to the big apple and Shanna couldn't really afford them to see how bad she had gotten. She wasn't the sweet, innocent young girl that had left Hartford anymore. Shanna had done some things that she never would have dreamed of before without a second thought. She had changed into someone she wasn't really proud of and it was taking a toll on her. That's exactly why when Katie invited her to a gallery showing, Shanna took her up on her offer.
Shanna slipped on a warm sweater as the temperature was steadily dropping as winter approached, slid into a pair of skinny jeans, and stepped into a pair of boots before leaving her apartment. She hadn't felt so comfortable in clothes since she had moved to NYC almost a year ago.
Shanna reached the art gallery and waited for Katie to arrive as well. Once she did, the two girls walked into the studio and took a look around. Katie didn't seem to be very interested in the different paintings, but Shanna was captivated entirely. She had always loved art because it was something that could never let her down. It provided a distraction from what was going on in her life, one she greatly appreciated.
Shanna stopped at one painting in particular and stared at it for so long that Katie soon left her to go chat with friends. The painting wasn't anything special, in fact, it looked like someone had taken a paintball gun to a canvas, but there was a raw emotion displayed there that only those with an eye for that sort of thing could see. Shanna wondered what traumatic event must have inspired the poor artist to paint such a touching piece.
“It took almost two years for that to be painted,” a deep voice said from behind her.
Shanna jumped and turned around, wondering who could be interrupting her deep thoughts. She now faced a tall young man with light golden hair who wore a nice button down shirt that had drops of paint on it. His tie was loosened and his cuffs were folded up to his elbows, revealing fairly muscular forearms. “You know the artist then?” Shanna questioned, narrowing her eyes at the attractive guy.
“You could say that,” the stranger replied, a smile twitching on his lips. “What do you think?”
For some odd reason, Shanna believed he was asking her what she thought of his appearance and blushed deeply before realizing he was referring to the painting. “It's certainly candid,” she answered, returning her gaze to the beautiful artwork. “Whoever made it has more passion than I've ever seen, but the strokes are quite delicate making me wonder if he was actually joyful towards whatever hurt him.” Shanna had subconsciously been brushing her fingers over the art and when she finished voicing her thoughts, she left her hand fall slowly to her side.
“You know more about art than most artists do, but yet I get the feeling that you're not an artist,” the young man observed. His green eyes searched Shanna's face carefully, trying to piece together her knowledge.
"Reality depresses me,” Shanna stated in a soft voice. “I need to find fantasy worlds and escape in them. That's why I study art. It releases me into the creators mind and out of my own. But you're right, I'm not an artist, not really.” Shanna smiled in a distant sort of way and went to turn away before added, “I didn't catch your name...” She waited for his response, but instead he only smiled.
“Look at the bottom of the painting,” he whispered before walking away. Shanna stared curiously after him before turning her attention to the bottom left corner of the canvas. In a messy white scrawl was the name “Adrian Sinclair.”
~
Shanna waited until almost everyone had cleared out of the studio before approaching Adrian. She wanted to talk to him privately because in all honesty, he intrigued her. So when he was standing alone in front of an oddly shaped sculpture, Shanna wandered over beside him.
Adrian didn't even look up when she reached him, only said, “It's strange what some people see in art. For example, the older lady over there in the pink shawl told me she thought this was a pig with an umbrella over his head. And the gentleman beside her claimed it was a lightening bolt striking down a gnarled tree. The woman with the baby stroller had the oddest response, however. She thought it was a giant beetle throwing his hat in the air in celebration for his big promotion. But I don't see any of that. It's something much deeper than the shape of the object, don't you think?” Adrian glanced at Shanna then, waiting for her answer.
Shanna only nodded, though, not really trusting what words would spill out of her mouth. Already she had confessed something to him that she hadn't really believed to be true until she had said it aloud. Adrian sighed at her lack of response before turning away. Shanna wanted to follow him but thought better of it and stayed where she was.
“Do you want to go get some coffee?” he asked as he turned to face her. “Obviously you don't have to, I just thought...” Adrian ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that Shanna took for nervousness.
“Sure,” she replied with a small smile.
Adrian smiled too, and after fetching his scarf and locking up the studio, he and Shanna walked the three short blocks to a coffee shop.
~
Shanna was surprised at how much fun she was having and how easy it was to talk to Adrian. Whenever she spoke, his attention was focused entirely on her and he seemed to hang on to her every last word.
It was almost 4 am when the two left the shop, each of them feeling like they had known the other for years. Shanna had learned so much more about Adrian in the past six hours than she had any of her girlfriends in the past six months.
Adrian was originally from Chicago but moved to NYC in order to “establish himself as a painter.” He came from a large family of 4 sisters and 3 brothers. His parents were the religious type and although they supported Adrian's dreams, they were disappointed to learn that he didn't want to follow in their footsteps as leaders of the church (they also thought him wanting to be a painter was code for being gay). A year after Adrian had moved to the city he met Paige who was working as a bartender a few streets away from his apartment. The two had hit it off, she introduced him to the owner of a studio and basically got his career started, he proposed to her two years later, and she rejected him. Her rejection was the purpose behind the painting that led him and Shanna to meet. (She was also the person who inspired his light bulb tattoo that was cleverly placed on the back of his left calf, but that was a different story.)
Shanna explained to him her life back home in Hartford where she was the only child of two very loving parents. They didn't really believe her when Shanna said she wanted to be a model at 14 after seeing the New York fashion show, but when Shanna hit 19 and stated that she was moving in order to pursue her modeling career, her parents became weary of what would happen to their little girl. After weeks of hitting agency after agency, Shanna got a call to meet up with Heidi Prisini and instantly booked a job.
The pair were fascinated with each other's lives and only wanted to hear more, but as interested as they were, they were too sleepy to say anything more. Adrian had offered to walk Shanna back to her apartment and so the two set off towards 23rd street. It was a quiet journey, but the couple seemed too lost in their own thoughts to really mind.
At last, they seemed to reach her building, neither wanting to say goodnight. Shanna walked slowly to the door and at the last minute, turned to look at Adrian. He was fiddling with his thumbs and wouldn't meet her eyes. “Do you want to go out again? I mean, not right now obviously since it's almost sunrise, but maybe another day? Tomorrow evening?” Adrian was stumbling over his words and Shanna couldn't help but giggle at his apprehension.
She walked down the few stairs to stand in front of Adrian and willed him to look up at her. As soon as he did, Shanna whispered, “I'd love to.”
The young man's face instantly broke into a grin and looking pleased with himself, Adrian lifted Shanna's hand to his mouth. “Until tomorrow, then,” he said softly, pressing his soft lips against the top of her knuckles. He peered up at her through his eyelashes with a seductive look on his face before slowly letting her hand go. Shanna blushed slightly at his touch and stumbled up the stairs into the dark building. Adrian watched her turn the light in her apartment on before heading towards his own home.
Of course, if she didn't end up calling them, she was certain they'd pay a visit to the big apple and Shanna couldn't really afford them to see how bad she had gotten. She wasn't the sweet, innocent young girl that had left Hartford anymore. Shanna had done some things that she never would have dreamed of before without a second thought. She had changed into someone she wasn't really proud of and it was taking a toll on her. That's exactly why when Katie invited her to a gallery showing, Shanna took her up on her offer.
Shanna slipped on a warm sweater as the temperature was steadily dropping as winter approached, slid into a pair of skinny jeans, and stepped into a pair of boots before leaving her apartment. She hadn't felt so comfortable in clothes since she had moved to NYC almost a year ago.
Shanna reached the art gallery and waited for Katie to arrive as well. Once she did, the two girls walked into the studio and took a look around. Katie didn't seem to be very interested in the different paintings, but Shanna was captivated entirely. She had always loved art because it was something that could never let her down. It provided a distraction from what was going on in her life, one she greatly appreciated.
Shanna stopped at one painting in particular and stared at it for so long that Katie soon left her to go chat with friends. The painting wasn't anything special, in fact, it looked like someone had taken a paintball gun to a canvas, but there was a raw emotion displayed there that only those with an eye for that sort of thing could see. Shanna wondered what traumatic event must have inspired the poor artist to paint such a touching piece.
“It took almost two years for that to be painted,” a deep voice said from behind her.
Shanna jumped and turned around, wondering who could be interrupting her deep thoughts. She now faced a tall young man with light golden hair who wore a nice button down shirt that had drops of paint on it. His tie was loosened and his cuffs were folded up to his elbows, revealing fairly muscular forearms. “You know the artist then?” Shanna questioned, narrowing her eyes at the attractive guy.
“You could say that,” the stranger replied, a smile twitching on his lips. “What do you think?”
For some odd reason, Shanna believed he was asking her what she thought of his appearance and blushed deeply before realizing he was referring to the painting. “It's certainly candid,” she answered, returning her gaze to the beautiful artwork. “Whoever made it has more passion than I've ever seen, but the strokes are quite delicate making me wonder if he was actually joyful towards whatever hurt him.” Shanna had subconsciously been brushing her fingers over the art and when she finished voicing her thoughts, she left her hand fall slowly to her side.
“You know more about art than most artists do, but yet I get the feeling that you're not an artist,” the young man observed. His green eyes searched Shanna's face carefully, trying to piece together her knowledge.
"Reality depresses me,” Shanna stated in a soft voice. “I need to find fantasy worlds and escape in them. That's why I study art. It releases me into the creators mind and out of my own. But you're right, I'm not an artist, not really.” Shanna smiled in a distant sort of way and went to turn away before added, “I didn't catch your name...” She waited for his response, but instead he only smiled.
“Look at the bottom of the painting,” he whispered before walking away. Shanna stared curiously after him before turning her attention to the bottom left corner of the canvas. In a messy white scrawl was the name “Adrian Sinclair.”
~
Shanna waited until almost everyone had cleared out of the studio before approaching Adrian. She wanted to talk to him privately because in all honesty, he intrigued her. So when he was standing alone in front of an oddly shaped sculpture, Shanna wandered over beside him.
Adrian didn't even look up when she reached him, only said, “It's strange what some people see in art. For example, the older lady over there in the pink shawl told me she thought this was a pig with an umbrella over his head. And the gentleman beside her claimed it was a lightening bolt striking down a gnarled tree. The woman with the baby stroller had the oddest response, however. She thought it was a giant beetle throwing his hat in the air in celebration for his big promotion. But I don't see any of that. It's something much deeper than the shape of the object, don't you think?” Adrian glanced at Shanna then, waiting for her answer.
Shanna only nodded, though, not really trusting what words would spill out of her mouth. Already she had confessed something to him that she hadn't really believed to be true until she had said it aloud. Adrian sighed at her lack of response before turning away. Shanna wanted to follow him but thought better of it and stayed where she was.
“Do you want to go get some coffee?” he asked as he turned to face her. “Obviously you don't have to, I just thought...” Adrian ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that Shanna took for nervousness.
“Sure,” she replied with a small smile.
Adrian smiled too, and after fetching his scarf and locking up the studio, he and Shanna walked the three short blocks to a coffee shop.
~
Shanna was surprised at how much fun she was having and how easy it was to talk to Adrian. Whenever she spoke, his attention was focused entirely on her and he seemed to hang on to her every last word.
It was almost 4 am when the two left the shop, each of them feeling like they had known the other for years. Shanna had learned so much more about Adrian in the past six hours than she had any of her girlfriends in the past six months.
Adrian was originally from Chicago but moved to NYC in order to “establish himself as a painter.” He came from a large family of 4 sisters and 3 brothers. His parents were the religious type and although they supported Adrian's dreams, they were disappointed to learn that he didn't want to follow in their footsteps as leaders of the church (they also thought him wanting to be a painter was code for being gay). A year after Adrian had moved to the city he met Paige who was working as a bartender a few streets away from his apartment. The two had hit it off, she introduced him to the owner of a studio and basically got his career started, he proposed to her two years later, and she rejected him. Her rejection was the purpose behind the painting that led him and Shanna to meet. (She was also the person who inspired his light bulb tattoo that was cleverly placed on the back of his left calf, but that was a different story.)
Shanna explained to him her life back home in Hartford where she was the only child of two very loving parents. They didn't really believe her when Shanna said she wanted to be a model at 14 after seeing the New York fashion show, but when Shanna hit 19 and stated that she was moving in order to pursue her modeling career, her parents became weary of what would happen to their little girl. After weeks of hitting agency after agency, Shanna got a call to meet up with Heidi Prisini and instantly booked a job.
The pair were fascinated with each other's lives and only wanted to hear more, but as interested as they were, they were too sleepy to say anything more. Adrian had offered to walk Shanna back to her apartment and so the two set off towards 23rd street. It was a quiet journey, but the couple seemed too lost in their own thoughts to really mind.
At last, they seemed to reach her building, neither wanting to say goodnight. Shanna walked slowly to the door and at the last minute, turned to look at Adrian. He was fiddling with his thumbs and wouldn't meet her eyes. “Do you want to go out again? I mean, not right now obviously since it's almost sunrise, but maybe another day? Tomorrow evening?” Adrian was stumbling over his words and Shanna couldn't help but giggle at his apprehension.
She walked down the few stairs to stand in front of Adrian and willed him to look up at her. As soon as he did, Shanna whispered, “I'd love to.”
The young man's face instantly broke into a grin and looking pleased with himself, Adrian lifted Shanna's hand to his mouth. “Until tomorrow, then,” he said softly, pressing his soft lips against the top of her knuckles. He peered up at her through his eyelashes with a seductive look on his face before slowly letting her hand go. Shanna blushed slightly at his touch and stumbled up the stairs into the dark building. Adrian watched her turn the light in her apartment on before heading towards his own home.