~I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.~
-Vincent Van Gogh-

Art is something that enables a curious soul to find itself and lose itself at the same time, to feel weak and to gain strength simultaneously and to dive into a sea of chaos and resurface with an air of serenity. Art is a contradiction in itself. It had been nothing different for me.

Ascending the revolving stairs, I pulled her behind me onto the second floor of the library which was usually abandoned just like tonight. Moonlight filtered in through the net curtains hanging over windows surrounding us from all the four sides of the building. Both of us silently made our way through the moonlit alleys and wooden bookracks towards the end of the hall. It felt like we were trapped in a maze and were searching for an outlet in this moonlight, only the difference was that I knew this maze too well. I could blindfold myself and walk over to my art studio with ease. Holding her small hand firmly, I made our way through the nocturnal atmosphere.

"Where are we going?" Jerking me to a stop, she hissed from behind me. I turned around and stopped.

"Don't you want to see my paintings, Cara?" I whispered back impatiently as I figured out that I'd never get over the sparkle in her blue eyes. Moonlight and her eyes were two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, when joined together, they adorned each other beautifully.

"I do! But you can't just drag me to unknown places like that at this hour!" Her brows furrowed and her jaw clenched. In that moment, I thought I wanted nothing else more than leaning down and stealing a peck from her lips. Gently, I placed both of my hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me. One, human brain is more active at night than during the day so don't object this hour. Two, there are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in an adult human body. Your blood, Cara Evelyn, travels so many miles a day, goes through strange curves and nooks, and you yourself can't even go to 'one strange place' with me? Besides, don't say the word 'strange places'. You never really objected when you came to this library at that Godly hour of night yesterday, did you?" I raised an eyebrow. Her lips were left slightly apart. Still, all she replied to my words was,

"Where did you get those facts, Aaron?"

"Uh..what?" I was taken off guard.

"Those facts, where did you get them?" She repeated.

"That's my talent." I smirked.

"Shut up, Aaron. Tell me." She slapped my shoulder lightly as a scowl made its way to her face.

"No. Seriously." I raised my hands in defense. "I've always been interested in human facts. I know as many human facts as the number of silver hair on your head." I chuckled. She was about to snap at me when I pressed my hand on her lips to quiet her before averting my gaze to her messy moonlit hair.

"Do you know, each strand of hair can contain traces of 14 different elements including gold. It's interesting. But I've found myself wondering that did God replace your gold with silver, Cara Evelyn? " I smiled slowly as I looked into the deep ocean of her eyes that lit up slowly while a smile made its way to them. I removed my hand instantly to take in the sight of her smile which was always extended a bit far towards the right. Like she was drunk on something magical.

"Aren't you something else, Aaron Troy?" She tilted her head towards the right and smiled at me sweetly.

"What?" I looked at her quizzically.

"Never mind. You really don't know it." She shook her head and pushed me ahead to lead the way. I took her hand and swiftly made our way to the back of the hall.

Reaching a bookcase in front of the back wall, I stopped and turned around to open my arms wide as a magician would do before performing the main trick. She rolled her eyes.

"You seriously want me to believe that this bookcase behind you has been painted by you and you call it your masterpiece?" Her hand went up to rest on her hip.

"Ugh. Come on. Be a little supportive. You're gonna thank me once I show you what it is!" I poked her nose. She rubbed it lightly with her fore finger before looking up at me.

"What is it, Aaron? Speak up or I'm going to kill you!" She shoved me in the chest with impatience. A laugh escaped my lips.

"Desperate, are we?" I smirked.

Before I knew, her hands were holding my collar tightly. My eyes widened as I looked down at her small frame possessing so much power.

"Do not play with me, Aaron Troy. If you're going to behave like a player, I'm gonna teach you the rules because I am the game." Her blue eyes shot a furious glance at me before she backed off.

"Hey..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just teasing." I spoke lightly. I didn't know she could go from 0 to 100 that fast.

"It's alright. I just hate it when people don't get to the point. I mean surprises are loved only until they are surprises. Once it is revealed that a surprise is coming ahead, it's no longer a surprise and then there's no point in prolonging it. Now tell me where is your art room?" She looked at me hopefully this time. I gave her a small smile before turning around and pushing the bookcase slightly as it backed away and introduced us to a small room. I turned around to observe her expression.

Her eyes were lit with an unknown emotion as her lips parted into a bright smile, revealing her perfect set of teeth. She looked at the bookcase with uncertainity.

"You have a hidden room?" She shoved past me gently as she entered the room in a trance, her eyes darting here and there with curiosity. It reminded me of the previous night when she had seen the dream catcher hanging by the window.

The whole room was basked in the moonlight as she slowly dissolved herself into it. Moving forwards, she looked around to explore different paintings hung over the walls with her impossibly bright eyes. I could see that they weren't as visible so I decided to bring her here in the daylight another time too. I could switch on the overhead light but I didn't want to destroy this simultaneously shaded and enlightened moment. A faded fragrance of paint floated in the night air as a light breeze flew in from the window to our right. My canvas, which was placed in the middle of the room, reflected off the moonlight. Slowly, she walked around it and gasped lightly. From the doorstep, I could only see her messy silver hair over the edge of the canvas.

"You like it?" I walked over and stood by her side, taking in the piece of art in front of my eyes.

"It's abstract." She swirled her finger lightly over the endless patches of dry paint. The dreamy look had once again returned to her eyes.

"It's meant to be." I spoke softly.

"I love abstract things." She looked above and beemed at me.

"So do I." I returned her childish grin.

"Why?" She frowned.

"It doesn't restrict you, Cara Evelyn." I whispered.

"This is creepy that you're as much a freedom freak as me." A slow smile spread on her face.

"I never thought about it until I met you." My eyes held her magical gaze.

"That's the point. You never 'thought' about it but it was always lurking somewhere beneath the surface. Undiscovered, unexplored. Touched but not provoked. I'd love to see it in full bloom." She held my hand and pressed it lightly.

"Did anyone ever tell you that your words are often beautiful?" I pressed her hand back.

"They're meant to be." She winked and trotted off towards the window, her hand drifting away from my hold.

Climbing up onto the window seat, she looked above at the moon that lit our world in magical shades.

"When did you start painting?" Her head was resting against the window sill.

"When I was four. I'd always had a strange fascination towards paints..colours, you know." I walked over and sat opposite from her on the window seat.

"Yeah. I know. People don't drool over silver like you do, Aaron." She smiled.

"It's not like that. You need to accept that you've got these sparkling hair which dazzle people's eyes." My eyes explored the soft cloud of silver around her moonlit face.

"Which was the last book you read?" She smirked.

"Huh?" The question left me stunned for a moment.

"You heard me." She smiled slyly.

Instantly, a faded image of a trail of smoke rising over a black background appeared in my mind. I stressed myself out for a whole minute before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know." I averted my gaze outside the window.

"Looking for Alaska by John Green." She smiled broadly this time. I gasped inaudibly. How did she remember it? I was about to ask her when she raised a hand to stop me.

"That's not the point. The point is that you'll never cease getting lost into things that make you forget the world around you. You are a painter. Often fascinated and easily distracted. No matter how many human facts you remember, Aaron Troy, you'll never stop wandering around into the unknown and forgetting the world. It's good, it seems adventure to you. But you know what? You miss the real adventure going around you and in missing that, you often miss something that's meant to be really important..like the name of this book." She had a serious expression on her face as I heard her soft voice attentively.

"Why is this book important, Cara?" I probbed.

"Last night when I was peeking through the cabins of the train in the search of someone who'd agree to shoot me, I saw this book in your hand and figured out that you'd be the one but it turns out that you don't even remember its name, let alone read it. Here's the answer to your question 'why me?', Aaron Troy, I chose you because of this book." She concluded with a small sigh and looked outside, her hair ruffling smoothly around her head.

"I'm going to read this book, Cara Evelyn, only for you." I extended a hand and placed it over hers. Light breeze was playing with our hair in this moonlit window.

With a very swift motion, she straightened up and crossed her legs. Slowly, she bent forward and poked my cheek with a pointed fore finger. The ocean in her eyes came to life as I saw the depth of the blue jewels sparkling there.

"What do you call this?" A hint of childhood glimmered once again in her midnight blue eyes.

"Uh..cheek?" I stayed still as a stone as her finger lingered on my cheek, still probing it.

"No. You call it 'poke'." She poked my cheek again and chuckled.

"Okaaaay. Poke." I entended the 'okay'. "But what do you mean by this?" I passed her a confused look.

"All you ever need is a 'poke', Aaron Troy. Whenever, you get too distracted or too fascinated and stand on the verge of missing something really important, all you need is a 'poke'." She smiled and twisted her finger in my cheek once, before drawing herself backwards and resting her head on the window sill once again. "I'll give you that 'poke' as long as I'm alive." She closed her eyes and whispered quietly before turning her gaze to me. Sitting across from her on the window seat on this moonlit night, I looked into her sparkling blue eyes and just one day after I had met her for the first time, I fell in love with Cara Evelyn.

"I'd love to see you paint, Aaron." Her whisper floated over the sweetly pungent scent of paint around us. Her eyelids dropped once again as her eyelashes shaded her soft cheeks. I smiled slightly before whispering back to her the most honest fact residing in my soul,

"I'd love to paint you, Cara Evelyn."

Author's Note

Phew. I'm on the highway right now! I don't know what I have typed but once I reach my destination, I'll recheck and then update it. It'll be updated the moment you'll read this. *-*

About the destination, it's gonna be soOoOoOo exciting! :D I can't tell you the place but it's going to be mind blowing. I'm going to have 4am walks with my best cousin and he's a pro at it! Lol. :P Also, my mind is swirling with the fact that how much fun I'm gonna have. He's right now in the car with me and it's already bubbling up. Haha! :D Life is so sweet right now. Imagine this long drive on highway at night. I hope you get my excitement! ♥♡♥♡

Sorry for this long rant but I'm up for this tour of mine and I want you to know that I won't be able to update frequently. I promise I'll try my best though! ^-^

Also..that poke thing is what I do to my friends allll the time! :D There..you have my theory. I'm famous for this 'poke'. :P

P.S How was the update? The story's slow at the beginning but it's gonna pick up pace in the middle and then it'll be rush of emotions all around! You'll love it! :) Meanwhile, revel in the serenity of these chapters. *-*

Much Love xX
Hazel ♥♡