The last part of the short fiction story (see part one and part two ) Still a few edits away from being polished but hopefully satisfying! My goal in the coming weeks to focus more on technique - I’m reading Rachel Cusk’s Kudos and she is a fascinating narrative case study. We’ll see what shows up next week!
“Do you mind modeling for me, just for a teensy-bit of time?”
“D - I have go to the library-” Anna backed away.
“It’ll only take a minute, I promise!”
“Divinity-”
“Please!”
Anna had modeled for Divinity many times over the course of their five year relationship - in fact, that’s how they met. Anna was newly graduated and without a real job, found a part-time gig working as a figure model for Pratt’s Introduction to Drawing class. She stood on a platform and rotated a series of different poses while keeping her face as neutral as possible. Anna had taken ballet as a child and had an excellent sense of balance - something Professor Edmunds had commented on during her interview.
It was an unusually warm Fall day and this was her second class. Anna slipped off her shapeless black dress in the back of the classroom and walked on top of the platform. The theme was “Body In Motion”. Anna balanced on one foot with the other behind her and her arms outstretched as if in a leaping towards something. It was hot and as she strained her leg behind her, she could feel beads of sweat forming on her back.
A woman with long dark hair and a red lip rushed into class.
“I know I’m late, I’m sorry!” She threw her bag down and sat down in the seat in front of Anna. She was overdressed for the class - most students dressed in variations of all black, but the late student wore a mauve pantsuit and blue scarf around her neck. Anna noticed when she took out her pencils that her nails were trim and clean. She started sketching furiously without looking at Anna.
“Switch!” Professor Edmunds barked. Anna gratefully put her leg down and moved her arms in front of her chest as if she was retreating in fear. Suddenly, Anna felt a new pair of eyes on her. She looked down and saw the late student staring directly at her. She felt a shock run through her body. Her expression was entirely confident and appraising at the same. The woman put her pencils down and clasped her hands together as if to take her in.
“Switch!” Anna could not break eye contact with her. The woman smiled, revealing a immaculate set of white teeth framed by her plush red lips.
“Switch, Anna!” Professor Edmunds repeated. One student coughed.
“Sorry!” Anna turned bright red and took a position with her hands outstretched towards the sky.
After the class, Anna put her shapeless dress back on and the mauve woman approached her.
“Hi I’m Divinity.”
“Anna.”
“This is for you.” She handed her sketch to Anna and then walked out the door. Anna unwrapped the sketch and saw they were Picassoesque - squares and circles and jagged lines meant to represent her postured body. At the bottom was Divinity’s phone number.
“D, I’m really tired. Maybe I can model for you later?” Anna leaned back against the wall, her hands in her pockets.
“Darling, I swear it’ll just take one minute. I just need to be able to see how the light hits you and then it’ll be over!” Divinity grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the dining room.
“Okay fine, as long as it takes one minute.” Anna said.
“Okay, can you sit there?” Divinity pointed to a seat by their wooden dining table. In front of the seat was a bowl of grapes. Divinity had set up her easel across from the table
“I’m thinking it’ll be be a play on the “still life” with the bowl of grapes…” Anna sat in the chair.
“What kind of position do you want me to do?” Anna said placing her heads underneath the table.
“Oh shoot.” Divinity looked at the painting on her easel.
“Darling, do you mind taking your shirt off? I think your breasts will frame the shot quite nicely.”
Anna laughed. “Divinity. Seriously.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re getting shy now! In front of your own girlfriend!”
“I would really rather not.”
“Please. It’ll only take a moment.” Divinity cocked her head at Anna. Anna shook her head.
“Not now, D.”
“I remember how beautiful you looked when we met.” Divinity said. Anna softened. She walked towards Anna.
“I remember avoiding looking at you when I came in late because I could already tell you were the most exquisite creature I had ever seen.” Divinity wrapped her arms around Anna. Anna leaned into her chest.
“And that I wouldn’t be able to control myself around you.” Divinity drew one finger along Anna’s neck. Anna moaned.
“I knew I wanted to fuck you right there and then.” Divinity whispered in her ear. Anna gave her a little shove and laughed.
“Okay, you got me. I’ll do it.”
“You’ll do it?” Divinity smiled.
“Yes, I’ll take my shirt off.” Anna did a faux-clap towards Divinity. “You’re very convincing when you want to be.”
“Thank you darling!” Divinity gave her a big kiss on the cheek and ran back to her easel.
Anna wriggled out of her sweatshirt and took off the tank top that was underneath.
“How do you want me?”
“Can you put your elbow on the table and then your head in your hand?” Divinity said behind her easel, starting to flick paint with her paintbrush.
“Like this?”
“Yes, but move it slightly because I want to see your gorgeous tits.” Anna moved her elbow to the right.
“Like this?”
“Perfect.” Divinity started painting madly with her collection of paints propped on the easel and on the tarp by her feet. She would occasionally squint at the canvas from inches away, as if determining the exact placement of paint molecules. Anna loved seeing her at work. Painting and sex was where she privately felt that Divinity was her best self, lost in the process and unburdened by insecurities.
Anna spied a robin on the bird-feeder outside their window and her mind wandered to the rest of the day. She would go to the library and apply for more jobs even though writing gigs were few and far in between. She had been unemployed for the better part of a year after the lifestyle magazine that she worked for had folded.
“Philly Living” had a short lifespan but she had been there since its inception four years ago when one of her mentors at NYU connected her to its founder and EIC, David. During her tenure, she mainly covered fluff pieces on new restaurants that were opening and cultural events at the various museums, but it had paid the bills and she liked the small team. Since she had gotten laid off, Divinity was covering her rent and even though she said it was no problem, Anna knew their fights likely came from the mounting tension between them.
Divinity placed a wine glass in front of Anna. “What’s this?”
“I thought this might look better than the bowl of fruit.” Divinity shrugged. “Hold on, I’m going to get some wine to pour in it.” She ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of red wine, the one from the night before.
“Divinity. What are you doing?”
“Nothing! I thought it would look better with a glass of wine.”
“You said the theme was still life. This is not a still life.” Anna crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“You’re overthinking it. It’s fine.” Divinity poured the wine into her glass and then patted her shoulder.
“Let me be the artist.” Divinity said, walking back to the canvas.
“I’m a writer. Don’t be condescending.”
“I know, I know. You’re an artist too.” Divinity waved her brush. “Can you uncross your arms please?” Anna reluctantly uncrossed her arms. Divinity resumed scraping her brush across her canvas.
“Now darling, I think I might adjust your positioning a bit - I want it to look like you’re throwing the wine glass.”
“What?”
“Throwing the wine glass, like so-” Divinity mimicked tossing it. Anna gave Divinity a look.
“What are you doing? This is not a still life.” Anna said.
Divinity avoided Anna’s gaze and pretended to be absorbed in her canvas. “I’m not sure what color would be quite right…” She cupped her chin in concentration.
“Divinity, what’s going on?” Divinity started painting again in long brush strokes. Then it suddenly dawned on Anna. Her fists tightened.
“Divinity,” she said in a low voice, “Are you trying to recreate our fight last night for your painting?”
“No - darling-” Divinity sputtered and her face turned bright red.
“Answer me. Are you painting our fight?” Anna asked again.
“Of course not-”
Anna looked down at her naked chest. “Are you recreating our fight….but with my tits out?” She began to feel the tendrils of shame make its way up her body. She crossed her arms again across her chest.
“I swear darling -”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” She yelled and knocked over the wineglass, red wine spreading across the table like wildfire. Divinity, mouth agape, looked at the wineglass and then back at Anna.
“For real, what the fuck is wrong with you?” She spat out.
“You’re not so blameless you know!"
“What?” Anna said.
“You. Wrote. About. Us. In. The. Zine.” Divinity said, emphasizing each word with her finger pointing at Anna.
“Not the goddamn zine again!”
“Yes, the zine! Our friend’s zine that-”
“I USED A CODENAME!” Anna yelled. Divinity looked at Anna, her hands hanging at her sides uselessly.
“So you admit it then. It was about us.” Divinity said quietly. Anna’s eyes filled up with tears and she ran out of the living room and out the door. She called Reena.
“Hey.”
“Hey! What’s up.”
“We had another fight.”
“Oh no.”
“Are you free for a drink now?” Anna waited for Reena’s response.