Coffee Sketching by PascalCampion
“Ooh, whatcha drawing?”
An angel he wanted to say but instead, he responded, “just a scene in my head.”
“Can I see it?” she asked eagerly, leaning forward over the table.
“No, not yet,” he said as he tilted the sketchbook towards his chest.
“Come on! I won’t judge.”
“I’ll let you see it when it’s complete.”
“You always say that, but you never do.”
“This time I will.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
“It wasn’t complete!”
“Hmph! You better be finished when I’m done with this chapter,” she said, turning back to her book with a sly smile on her face.
Ben smiled and continued with his sketch. He liked it when Orla acted assertive and commanding. It was a total contrast to her usual submissive and quiet demeanor. He found it extremely endearing. After all, the two had met because they were the quietest people in their art history class.
Ben was looking for a place to sit, away from the noisy kids, and found himself a spot in a quiet corner of the lecture hall. As he sat down and started to unpack his books, he heard a voice behind him saying, “you’re in my seat, kiddo.”
Boy, was he surprised when he turned around and was face to face with a cute, scowling brunette with her arms on her waist. The scowl broke into a smile. “Just kidding, you can sit next to me,” she said as she slid into the seat next to him. “I come here to get away from the rest of the class. They’re a pretty noisy bunch.”
“I’m Orla,” she introduced herself.
“I’m Ben,” he replied.
“Well, I’ve spoken enough words for today. I must tell you, I’m a very quiet girl and I don’t like noisy people,” she said.
“Okay.”
True enough, she didn’t say another word for the rest of the lecture.
Ben loved drawing. He was a diligent student. He took his sketchbook everywhere he went so he could practice drawing. Despite being far from quiet and peaceful, the Coffee Shoppe was one of his favorite places to draw people. There was never a shortage of people to fill the pages of his sketchbook with. People from all walks of life passed through the doors – short, tall, fat, skinny, young, old, black, white – if they wanted the best coffee in town, this was the place to get it from.
Ben usually frequented the cafe alone, occasionally Orla would tag along though she would rather read than draw. Ben would usually take the opportunity to sketch her. However, he wasn’t very good at capturing her face. Every time she asked to see his drawing of her, he would refuse, afraid that she wouldn’t be pleased with how he depicted her. He didn’t want her to see her extra long nose, uneven eyes, droopy face, and extra long hands.
But it had been six months since they first met, and each time he drew her he got slightly better. Today he felt that he managed to capture her face correctly. He was very pleased with himself. He felt confident enough to show his drawing to her. He put on the finishing touches on the drawing and waited for her to finish reading.
Writing prompt from Reddit: The Art of Coffee Table Sketching