Candyfloss waves

Dave’s palms turned clammy at Sanakyu’s proposition, as he tried to decode his meaning of ‘you’.

‘No offense, but your drawing skills suck,’ Deilo snapped back.

‘Hey! Don’t judge my skill from ‘Draw me’! My mouse is abysmal and the tool selection doesn’t even deserve to be called that. I have been drawing for years now, okay?’ Sanakyu defended.

‘You actually draw?’ Emily’s curiosity got piqued.

‘I’m going to arts school. So yes. Care to offer your faces?’

‘Faces? I thought you would draw our characters…’ she got taken aback.

‘I can draw characters but would be more unique to actually draw you. Either way, I’m fine.’

‘Yeah… I’m not sure about our actual fac-’

Then a new message appeared on their Discord server. It was a picture sent by Deilo.

‘Draw me. Prove me you actually can.’

‘Deilo?!’ she exclaimed.

‘Hohoho, fine. You asked for it,’ Sanakyu held a hue of intrigue in his tone. ‘Give me half an hour and I will deliver.’

The picture featured a close-up of Deilo’s face while he pulled off an expression of seriousness and nonchalance. While his hair was cropped short below the ears, the top of his head was a chaotic swirl of small, dark curls, some brushing his forehead. The darkness worked well with his chestnut eyes and thick eyebrows — the right one adorned with a birthmark the size of a tennis ball.

As Dave minimized the image, he couldn't shake off the feeling of intruding into an unwelcome private realm. Yet, he couldn't deny that beneath that unflattering angle, Deilo was handsome, prompting Dave to ponder a question he'd never considered before — where did he stand in Emily's eyes?

As if on cue, Sanakyu's sketch arrived after half an hour.

‘What. Are. Those. Lips?’ Deilo enunciated.

While the sketch was clearly Deilo, it had a distinct flare to it. It stressed his sharp features and turned him into a shonen anime villain look-alike.

‘You look so cool! That’s such a great job, Sana!’ Emily chimed in.

‘The pleasure’s mine. Even if this grumpy keeps up his tsundere act.’

‘It’s cool, okay! Good job! Have a cookie!’ Deilo retorted.

‘Miira, should I draw you as well?’

Dave held his breath in anticipation of her response.

‘It worked for Deilo because he’s an actually masculine guy, but how will you draw me?! I don’t want to look like a dude.’

‘I promise I will be gentle with your features.’

‘Fine…’ she answered in defeat.

A bewildering concoction of emotions brewed as it was about to slither down Dave’s throat. The recipe included a generous amount of excitement and curiosity, a tablespoon of fear, and a sprinkle of embarrassment.

Abruptly, the image appeared in the chat, obscured by a wall of blur. He shifted in his chair as he looked around for Kyu, yet he was alone in his room. He knew that once he clicked on it, there was no turning back. Whatever he saw would etch into his memory, possibly adjusting the light that he saw Emily in. Yet he clicked.

The picture revealed a girl on a sunset-drenched beach. An awkward smile graced her face as she clutched her sun hat, which covered her candyfloss waves. Her hazel eyes squinted gently, freckles danced along her cheeks — souvenirs of sun-kissed days. As the wind attempted to take every piece, her fluttering purple sundress was motionless.

Then, as if from a dream, he was awoken by the voice of the girl from the picture.

‘I suggest while we wait, Deilo, me and Sei should draw you. Only fair!’

‘That would mean staring at his face for at least half an hour. Not sure how to feel about that…’ Deilo was perplexed.

‘You’re right. I think you sold it to me just now,’ Sanakyu said as he dropped his own picture on the chat.

Dave was not ready to snap out of the daze that Emily put him in, but there was Sanakyu. A baby-face of his smiled so wide, turning his eyes into tiny open slits. He held a rabbit in his hands as he sat on the ground with his legs crossed. Short blond hair, scrawny body covered in an oversized plain white t-shirt. Amidst a sea of pictures, Sanakyu's would undoubtedly be the embodiment of unbridled positivity and zest for life.

Dave couldn’t help but notice a glaring variety in his poster taste, ranging from intricate mechas to an extraterrestrial cat eating a bowl of ramen, making Dave grin in secret.

But there was an assignment on hand. He shook his head to swat his thoughts and opened ‘Paint’. Yet, the few squiggly lines could barely be called a drawing. At that point, even a stick figure would’ve been more accurate. He started anew, striving for better, yet his efforts yielded equally uninspiring results. He unleashed his imagination to salvage the situation.

‘Carrots, that ought to save the day,’ he added several floating all around the supposed Sanakyu.

Emily had no reservations as the deadline approached and proudly uploaded her attempt, causing a flurry of uncontrolled laughter, including Dave's. It was just awful, which only brought on an unprecedented endearment towards her, in addition to a good dose of relief — his own drawing didn’t seem so bad anymore. Unsurprisingly, his creation invited equal laughter.

‘Hey! Yours is just as bad!’ Dave laughed along, finally finding a sense of ease.

‘No way! This transcends imagination!’ Emily wheezed.

‘Yeah, you're just as bad, though Sei at least has a hint of creativity,’ Sanakyu stifled his laughter.

Silence fell over when Deilo dropped his work.

‘Wait a second… You traced my picture! That’s cheating!’ Sanakyu protested.

‘I bet the prospect of my hands going along the lines of your face makes you excited,’ Deilo replied in his usual monotone.

‘Okay, Sana! Show me what you drew now!’ Emily couldn’t wait.

True to his word, Sanakyu captured Emily's essence with delicate strokes, highlighting her inherent softness.

‘It’s gorgeous! Although you've made me look far better.’

‘He only brought out the features that otherwise got drowned by the surroundings,’ Dave said, realizing the comment might’ve been too friendly.

‘Oh… I…’ her soft voice stammered. ‘You’re right. Sana is a great artist after all. He sees the best in people.’

‘You’re telling me the best in me is an anime villain?’

‘A good-looking anime villain,’ Dave tried to banter, yet was met with utter silence from Deilo.

‘Sei, should I draw you as well? Let's see your best I can extract.’

He paused for a moment. He had hoped perhaps the question wouldn’t come along. Yet it did. Then he got a message from Emily.

‘You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it. Don’t be pressured. This is all in good humor.’

He mulled it over, but the contradictory nature of the situation made him waver; casually dropping his face in the chat while he avoided meeting her in person seemed at odds. Even when the matter was never about the appearance. Yet he wanted Sanakyu to draw him. He craved to be part of the evening shenanigans.

‘Sei?’ Sanakyu's prompt cut short his contemplation.

‘Uh, give me a moment to find a picture,’ Dave stuttered, scrolling through a blur of memories.

There, he found it — the perfect contender. Snapped during the initial days of his relationship with ‘her’, Dave showcased Kyu as he hugged the pup with one arm, revealing his bracelets and burying his face in the fur. His longer black hair draped over his forehead, expectant eyes locking with the camera. With a sigh and a little hesitation, he hid his picture behind a blur, then posted.

‘I wonder which one of these cuties is Sei?’ Emily teased.

‘That’s two faces! Aaaaah, you really challenged me with this last one… But for a cutie like that, I shall commit.’

‘I have to go. Catch you tomorrow. We'll need a temporary DPS replacement, it seems,’ Deilo disconnected.

His frostiness was a great competitor to Emily’s compliments, overcoming Dave’s senses. ‘Did I ruin this again? Should I have held back with my picture?’

As Sanakyu embarked on a new mission, the call dissolved into silence, scattering the participants. Alone in the kitchen, sipping juice, a sense of déjà vu washed over Dave. He realized he hadn't replied to Emily's message once again.

‘It’s okay. It’s all in good humor, right? I hope you’re not taking this the wrong way, though,’ he wrote.

‘The wrong way?’

‘Considering I couldn’t see you at the park, perhaps this showcase of my face felt contradictory to my actions.’

‘I won't pretend to understand fully. But regardless, it made me happy to see you.’

‘Happy to see me?’ that was enough to paint bittersweetness all over Dave’s face.

‘I was happy to see you, too. You look lovely.’

‘I hope you’re not saying that just because we’re friends… You don’t have to make me feel better,’ her words were drenched in seriousness.

His lips parted as there were endless comparisons trying to depict her beauty about to gush out. But he held back. What if he crossed the line? Put her in an uncomfortable situation?

‘I mean it.’