“When You Sketch Me Smiling”

Title: “When You Sketch Me Smiling”

Chapter 3: The Gallery and the Glance

The city art gallery was buzzing.

Lights hung low from the ceiling, casting soft halos over each framed piece. A small crowd shuffled from display to display, murmuring appreciatively, sipping punch in plastic cups. Shizuka had never been to an exhibit like this before—it felt like something adults did. But today, her heart beat faster than it ever had before a violin recital.

She was here for one reason.

Jaiko.

Shizuka stepped in, scanning the room. There she was—standing awkwardly near the back wall, her oversized sweater sleeves clutched in her hands. Her hair was pinned loosely tonight, a single clip holding her bangs to the side. She looked… adorable. Beautiful in that quiet, earnest way Shizuka was coming to adore.

Their eyes met across the gallery. Jaiko’s face lit up, then immediately turned shy. She looked away like the sunlight had burned her.

Shizuka made her way over, weaving through the soft jazz and murmuring patrons. “Hey.”

“Shizuka-san… You came,” Jaiko whispered, voice like chalk on paper—gentle, but full of color.

“I told you I would,” Shizuka smiled. “Did you really put it up?”

Jaiko’s cheeks pinked. “I did. But don’t laugh, okay?”

“I’d never,” Shizuka whispered.

Jaiko guided her to a quieter corner of the gallery—less crowded, less bright. One frame stood apart from the others.

Shizuka froze.

It was the sketch. Her.

Eyes closed, bow in hand, mid-song. But this time, Jaiko had added watercolor behind her—a swirl of violets and indigo and gold, like music come alive. The title at the bottom read:

“The Girl Who Smiled Through Music”

by Jaiko Gouda

For a moment, Shizuka couldn’t speak. Her chest ached in the most beautiful way.

“You really see me like this?” she asked, turning to Jaiko.

Jaiko’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I see you… even when no one else does.”

Shizuka stepped closer. “Jaiko…”

The world around them faded—noise blurring into silence, lights dimming in their minds. Just the two of them, standing before the art that brought them together.

“I’ve never felt this way before,” Shizuka said softly. “Not even with… anyone. But with you, it’s like I can finally breathe.”

Jaiko’s eyes glistened. “Me too.”

There was a pause. A shared breath. A heartbeat.

Then—carefully, nervously, beautifully—Shizuka leaned in.

Their lips met.

It wasn’t perfect. It was trembling and gentle, lips brushing like petals before fully meeting. But it was real. And Jaiko melted into it, the graphite on her fingertips still smudged, but her heart finally clear.

When they parted, Shizuka rested her forehead against Jaiko’s.

“I think I’m falling for you,” she whispered.

Jaiko smiled—the softest, happiest smile Shizuka had ever seen.

“I already did,” Jaiko said.

And somewhere across the gallery, unnoticed by the world, two girls quietly rewrote their story—this time, not as side characters, but as the main ones.

⸻

Title: “When You Sketch Me Smiling”

Chapter 4: Ice Cream, Jealousy, and Scribbled Hearts

It had been exactly three days since the kiss.

Three days since Jaiko’s world shifted—from shadows and sketchbooks to sunlight and Shizuka’s warm hand in hers.

They hadn’t exactly talked about what they were now, but neither of them wanted to label it just yet. It was still delicate, like the inside of a flower—not ready for loud words, only soft moments.

That Sunday, Shizuka texted:

“Wanna go on a not-so-official date with me?”

Jaiko nearly dropped her pencil.

She replied:

“Only if you promise I don’t have to talk too much.”

Shizuka answered:

“Only if I get to pick the ice cream flavor.”

⸻

The park was glowing in golden hour light.

They walked side by side—Jaiko nervously clutching her sketchbook, Shizuka swinging her violin case like it was the lightest thing in the world.

They got double-scoop cones from a quiet little stall—Shizuka picked strawberry for both of them. “It’s pink. Like your cheeks,” she said with a wink, causing Jaiko to almost melt before the ice cream did.

They found a bench under a tree, barely speaking, just being. Jaiko opened her sketchbook and began absentmindedly drawing their feet side-by-side. She didn’t realize she’d added tiny hearts near the edges until Shizuka peeked over and giggled.

“You’re so obvious.”

Jaiko tried to close the book, flustered. “Am not!”

“You drew me with angel wings yesterday,” Shizuka smirked. “Come on.”

Jaiko was about to reply—until a familiar voice interrupted.

“Shizuka-chan?”

They both turned.

It was Nobita, standing there with wide eyes and a half-open bag of snacks.

Jaiko tensed immediately, shrinking back.

Nobita looked between them—two girls sitting closely, sharing a sketchbook, ice cream half-melted between them.

Shizuka stood up. “Hey, Nobita. What’s up?”

“I was just… walking around.” He scratched his head. “Are you two… hanging out?”

Jaiko tried to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

Shizuka glanced at Jaiko—then turned to Nobita with calm boldness.

“We are. Together, actually.”

Nobita blinked. “Together… like, together together?”

Jaiko’s heart stopped.

Shizuka smiled gently. “Yeah.”

Nobita’s mouth opened… then closed. Then opened again. “Oh… Okay. That’s… cool. I mean—yeah! That’s cool. Happy for you.” He tried to laugh, but it came out awkward and squeaky. “I guess I’ll, uh, go find Gian. Bye!”

He walked away faster than a cartoon cat chased by a vacuum cleaner.

There was silence.

Then Jaiko mumbled, “He didn’t take it badly.”

Shizuka reached over and squeezed her hand. “He wouldn’t. And if he did, I’d still hold your hand in public.”

Jaiko looked at their fingers intertwined. “Even when I get ink smudges on your uniform?”

“Even if you draw on my forehead,” Shizuka grinned.

They laughed—soft and real and bubbling from the chest.

⸻

As the sun dipped behind the trees, Jaiko sketched the scene in her book—two ice cream cones, a violin case, and two girls sitting close enough to feel each other’s heartbeat.

And under it, in the corner, she scribbled:

“She made me brave.”

⸻

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