LOVE PAINTED IN LIES

Eliana discovered love the year she least expected it, in a season where the sun seemed to shine brighter and school corridors felt like endless possibilities. She was the type who lived in colours and brushstrokes, whose fingers were often stained with paint, who stayed after class to perfect her canvases while others rushed home. Everyone knew her as the girl who aimed high scholarship aspirations, art competitions waiting to be won, a future she guarded fiercely. Romance, she believed, was a distraction for people who had time to fall apart and piece themselves back together, she didn't think she was one of them.

‎Then Adrian came.

‎He transferred from another city mid-term  tall, quiet, with that kind of presence that entered a room gently yet confidently. People noticed him instantly, but he wasn't loud or showy. He smiled rarely, but when he did, it reached his eyes softly, like a secret shared with the world. His first week was a blur of introductions. Girls whispered about him, boys tried to befriend him, teachers praised his smart answers. Eliana barely paid attention  until the day fate decided to intervene.

‎It was a Tuesday, the kind with lazy heat pressing down on the school like a heavy blanket. Students gathered under trees during break, escaping the sun. Eliana sat alone sketching a distant church tower, lost in the rhythm of pencil strokes. She didn't notice someone approach until a shadow fell across her page.

‎"Your drawing's so detailed. You did that in one break?" a voice asked.

‎She looked up  Adrian.

‎Her heart skipped, not romantically, but from surprise. She wasn't used to attention, especially from people everyone else admired.

‎"Yes," she replied, tucking a braid behind her ear. "It keeps me calm."

‎He smiled slightly. "Mind if I watch?"

‎Most people stared at her art like an exhibit, but he watched her, curious about the person behind the pencil. It felt different. He sat beside her, careful not to intrude, and asked questions  about shading, perspective, her favourite paint medium. Not small talk. Real interest.

‎Break ended too soon, and they walked to class together. That was the beginning.

‎Days passed, and they found themselves paired for a history project. At first, it was just work  research meetings in the library, exchanging notebooks, drafting timelines. But school projects have a way of creating moments. Their conversations stretched beyond history dates into life stories. Adrian confessed he loved music, especially acoustic guitar, though he never performed publicly. His mother wanted him to study medicine, his father pushed for engineering, but he wasn't sure what he wanted. Eliana spoke about art like breathing, about the colours that reflected her moods. They were different, yet something connected quietly, curiosity, respect, and slowly, comfort.

‎One rainy afternoon they stayed back in school to finish the final slides. Thunder echoed outside, and everyone rushed home, but electricity flickered and went out. They remained, trapped, their project only half-done. Instead of panicking, they sat near the