For a moment, neither spoke. They sat opposite each other, the light dimming to gold.
Adrian leaned back, unsure where to begin. He half-expected an argument, maybe even wanted one. He waited for her to continue.
Selene didn't keep him waiting, as she set the sketch on her lap and leaned back.
"Tell me," she said, "why do you think love is a fantasy? Why indulgence?"
Adrian leaned forward, as though the question had been waiting inside him.
"How does one claim to be in love," he began, "when they can't even describe what it feels like? It all make believe. We imagine it because we want to believe it's real."
He pauses, to see if Selene was listening, or hoping she gets his point. Seeing her neutral expression. He gave up.
"At the end of the day," he continued, "we're all driven by urges. We dress them up with pretty words. We call it love, but it's just a name we give to our instincts." he said drawing the last part of the sentence, just to make his point.
The words came out sharper than intended, but saying them felt like exhaling months of frustration. He waited for Selene's response.
Selene tilted her head slightly, studying him.Allowing him a few minutes of relief, she spoke "You're not entirely wrong about the first part," she said. "But love isn't defined by indulgence. It may accompany it, but it doesn't depend on it."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she lifted a hand.
"Make no mistake, it's a sign to show love, there are other ways to show it but it's the easiest way to express it but doesn't define it. It doesn't ask for proof the way desire does."
Her tone softened, though her gaze stayed steady.
"If all were instinct, then what separates us from beasts?"
Adrian looked away. Her question left a quiet mark on him.
Then what makes love special?" he murmured after a moment. "Everyone describes it differently, as if it's something they can't quite touch. Some say it feels like butterflies in the belly. I don't see what's so special about confusion."
Selene smiled faintly, looking toward the skylight. "Someone once told me that love is hard to understand because it never stays the same. It can be awful or beautiful or both. Until you've known it, you won't know which."
Adrian fell silent. The thought settled like paint in water—slow, expanding. He questioned himself, if had to experience it, before he could do his assessment. The more he thought about it, his expression changed, the pressure like a river wave trying to drown him, luckily Selene stepped in.
Selene seeing Adrian's reaction, she smiles as she guesses his thought, "Why don't you go about it this way…"
Adrian drew out his thoughts and quickly focused.
Selene, seeing his reactions, smiled. "Try this," she said softly. "Don't think of love as an act. Think of it as a way of seeing. Stop trying to explain the movement behind it, because those in love often do the most foolish things. Instead, paint it as you perceive it: humanly, not coldly."
Her eyes lingered on him, the word inhumane unspoken but understood.
Adrian caught her meaning and gave a small nod, the faintest smile flickering across his lips.
Selene looked out the window, the sun was dipping low, casting the studio in amber. "Well," she said, "I didn't expect we'd spend the whole day arguing. But it's a start."
He turned to the same window, catching the slow fall of light over her face. "I'm sorry for taking up your day," he said. "I owe you for this."
"No worries," she said, gathering her sketchbook. "It was refreshing. But that favor, you can keep it ready. I might call on it."
He smiled, though his flush betrayed him. The sunset painted her ivory skin with a warm bronze glow.
Selene adjusted her blouse and slung the book under her arm. "When are you free on weekdays?"
"I work the morning shift," he replied. "Mostly free after two."
"Then Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday," she said. "Afternoons. The academy is it. Oh I forgot Sundays too."
Adrian nodded, grateful and a little uncertain.
As she left, the last light caught her figure near the door, her silhouette soft against the gold haze. For a long moment, Adrian didn't move.