In order to seek some peace of mind, Johnny had sought shelter in the art studio. He was the only one in there —with Nari being nowhere in sight — as he bore holes into his laptop, a mask of utter concentration adorning his face. Since Johnny was now a final year student, he had to face the inevitable; to figure out what to do with his life after graduation.

Of course Johnny was not the only one experiencing this struggle. However as a psychology major, Johnny had to pursue further studies in order to become a licensed psychologist. Even then, there were so many branches of psychology that he could choose from, leaving him lost and confused and undecided.

Blowing a raspberry, Johnny gently massaged his temples, sensing an incoming migraine from overthinking. Slouching in his chair, Johnny allowed his eyes to drift around the room, letting the lingering scent of oak seep into his skin and bring him some much needed relaxation.

The art studio without Nari’s presence inside was a bizarre sight and it almost felt as though the spark of vitality had been out of the room, leaving behind only a shell. Still, the countless ongoing and completed projects by Nari were scattered around, adding a splash of unique creativity that unarguably belonged only to her.

The sculpture of a toad caught Johnny’s attention and he unconsciously stood up, feeling himself being pulled towards the football sized sculpture. Sitting proudly on the table, the toad had its lips pushed outwards as it confidently spat a trail of water that arched slightly before landing on the ground. Despite being an unfinished wooden sculpture that was still rough on the edges, the proud toad was b with life, looking as though he was ready to pounce into the air the moment Johnny let his guard down.

Johnny lifted his hand and carefully traced his fingers along the surface, feeling the rough texture of the bumpy skin against his fingertips. The action felt weirdly soothing and Johnny wondered if before this encounter, he would have ever considered describing a toad as cute.

“Want to help me paint it?”

Jolting back, Johnny snapped his head around to find Nari standing next to him, her hands cradling a box containing brushes and paint. For some reason Johnny felt like a child who had been caught stealing cookies, with his hand still in the cookie jar. The look of nonchalance Nari wore however provided Johnny with a sense of reassurance which allowed him to release the breath he was unaware of holding.

“You sure?” Johnny questioned her, shifting to the side so that Nari had direct access to the toad. “I’m not really much of an artist.”

“Why not?” Nari shrugged her shoulders, passing an apron over to Johnny. “This is a faulty one that I ended up not submitting so it’s open for experimentation.”

“This is faulty?” Johnny gaped. “How?”

“The eyes are uneven,” Nari explained as though it was the most obvious thing ever.

Tapping her fingers on different tubes of paint, Nari started mixing the colours on a palette. She paused momentarily though to stare at Johnny, her eyes scrutinising his features before offering him an innocent grin.

“Just like your eyes.”

Consciously touching his eyes, Johnny etched his eyebrows together as he took a good look at the toad’s eyes. It was hard to notice