The Art of Love | Teen Ink

The Art of Love

March 21, 2010
By justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."


Saturday morning. Composition class.

I think that was when I first admitted it to myself: I was in love with him. It was almost unfair. I didn’t have a say in the matter at all. I had fallen for him, whether I liked it or not.

The room was filled with the beautiful noise of thirteen young composers fighting with their pianos to make music. I wanted to write something incredible for him, but I was having trouble. Nothing I composed was good enough.

I thought back to when we first met. I saw him drawing in the hallway at school — a half-finished black and white portrait that was vivid even without color. I couldn’t look away. I also wasn’t watching where I was going and collided with a tall senior. The collision made me release the composition notebook in my hand. Sheet music that I had composed flew everywhere. To my horror, he picked up a few sheets, scrutinizing the music before returning them to me. He must have thought I was some sort of freak.

I shook myself out of the memory. I had to focus on this music. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my pencil with my left hand and placed my right hand on the piano in front of me. And, to my surprise, the music came. He inspired me to find the melody in my heart, and I let it flow onto the page.

You could say I am a hopeless romantic, because I like to imagine that he can hear the music I wrote. In my mind, he thinks it is achingly beautiful and, in return, he draws my portrait.

Sometimes when I play his piece I imagine what the portrait looks like. It’s perfect.



I’ve always been able to draw anyone I want. Portraits are my forte. But for some reason, I can’t draw her. I know exactly what she looks like — yet I can’t get her portrait to look right. Every stroke is a mistake.

One day, I saw her walking down the hallway. I was trying my best not to look at her. She was frustrating me. What was different about her that was causing me strife? Sure, she was beautiful and I had no chance with her. She must have thought I was an anti-social weirdo, just sitting by myself and drawing all the time. That was a little discouraging.

But the point was that I couldn’t draw her. This was killing me.

While she was walking down the hallway that day, someone crashed into her. Her face turned horror-struck when she dropped her composition notebook and paper flew all over the hallway. I picked a few sheets up for her, gazing at them for a moment. I was reluctant to give the sheets back. I knew that the sooner I returned the music, the sooner she would be gone.

I think that was when I realized that I was in love with her. Like some sort of lovesick Romeo, I was in love with her.

After she had collected her music and left, I flipped to a new page in my sketchbook. I finally trusted myself and drew her. No mistakes this time. The right pencil strokes came to me fluidly — almost like music.



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This article has 103 comments.


AsIAm PLATINUM said...
on Aug. 23 2010 at 1:57 pm
AsIAm PLATINUM, Somewhere, North Carolina
48 articles 3 photos 606 comments

Favorite Quote:
"According to some, heroic deaths are admirable things. (Generally those who don't have to do it. Politicians and writers spring to mind.) I've never been convinced by this argument, mainly because, no matter how cool, stylish, composed, unflappable, manly, or defiant you are, at the end of the day you're also dead. Which is a little too permanent for my liking." — Jonathan Stroud (Ptolemy's Gate)

I love this!  I agree with krzykrys - the way you tied in both sides made it amazing and sad.   Don't stop writing! ~AsIAm

krzykrys GOLD said...
on Aug. 1 2010 at 5:42 am
krzykrys GOLD, Baldwinsville, New York
15 articles 0 photos 51 comments

Favorite Quote:
i have many favorite quotes

i love how you told both sides of the story it made it perfect but also sad because you dont know if they will ever tell eachother. good work. keep writing!

on Jul. 26 2010 at 6:12 pm
Just.A.Dream SILVER, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
7 articles 0 photos 430 comments

Favorite Quote:
Part of the J7X team. :)

Aweee, this is so sweeeeet! <3333

I like how even though it wasn't that long, you still told the whole story.

I love how they believe that each of them doesn't like the other, but they do. :)


on Jul. 25 2010 at 8:15 pm
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."

thank you so much! :)

on Jul. 25 2010 at 6:59 pm
cantfindascreename BRONZE, Chino Hills, California
1 article 0 photos 28 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others"

Wow! well like everybody else, i think that this is incredible! I loved the change in perspectives, and i think that, even withinh the short amount you wrote, the characters came across very well and very real.  It could have been cheesy or whatever, but the way you wrote it was just really amazing! soo good!

on Jul. 24 2010 at 6:41 pm
MedievalMouse94 SILVER, Toms River, New Jersey
8 articles 3 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A broken heart may heal with time, but even the smallest of wounds leaves a scar."

This is amazing. I can hear both of the character's passion for what they do, and their frustration when one person makes it difficult. I love it! :3 

on Jul. 24 2010 at 3:19 pm
sleeplessdreamer PLATINUM, Raleigh, North Carolina
30 articles 0 photos 332 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have always wanted to write in such a way that people say, 'I have always thought that but never found the words for it.'" -anonymous

Ok, I think I just fell in love with your male lead. Watch out, I just might steal him from you. Haha, seriously though. Nice job. I really like this. You have a really easy-going writing style that makes the emotions front and center. Love it. 5 stars.

on Jul. 17 2010 at 1:08 pm
brennamarie BRONZE, Eldorado, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life is like art, is moves in beautiful curves."

I absolutely love your imagery.
You have painted a picture in my mind's eye of this situation.
That is exactly what writer's struggle to do. :)
Amazing job. Keep it up.

on Jul. 16 2010 at 1:25 pm
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."

thank you very much :)

on Jul. 16 2010 at 1:20 pm
HeatherBee BRONZE, I Live In, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1979 comments

Favorite Quote:
Go on and try to tear me down. I will be rising from the ground, like a skyscraper

Love is louder than the pressure to be perfect

OMGG THIS IS SO ROMANTICALLY BEAUTIFUL!! THIS IS AMAZING! OMG I LOVEE HOW U SWITCHED FROM HER PERSPECTIVE TO HIS AND U MADE THEIR STORIES SOUND KINDA SIMILAR:DDDDD *sigh* :)) good job!!! ur a very talented writer!!

on Jun. 17 2010 at 10:21 am
OfficialApprover PLATINUM, Orefield, Pennsylvania
48 articles 0 photos 1752 comments

Favorite Quote:
Grab life by the balls. -Slobberknocker
We cannot change the cards we're dealt just how we play the hand
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
It's pretty easy to be smart when you're parroting smart people
-Randy Pausch

I totally love this it's completely amazing!  GREAT job!  I LOVE how you did the two points of view, and how they were thinking the same thing.  Amazing!  Keep writing!

Btw, anyone who sees this, will you check out my work and comment on it?


on Jun. 16 2010 at 5:30 pm
roxymutt BRONZE, Marietta, Georgia
4 articles 5 photos 109 comments

Favorite Quote:
It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. -David Henry Thoreau

HOLY **** that was amazing i really loved it your words were beautiful and the story is amazing... this always happens ppl think that others dont even know they exist when in realitiy they feel the exact same way...people need to figure out the other loves them back!!! :D

toflyaway said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 1:17 am
toflyaway, Melbourne, Other
0 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You're Bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are" -Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Fabulous! I love the two point of views, and the pretty honest capturing of thoughts that can be related to, when you really love someone :)

on Jun. 13 2010 at 5:53 pm
aaaaaqweqweqwe SILVER, Somewhere, Illinois
6 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Very, extremely good. We get a lot of...average writers on this website, and ive gotten usedf to expecting that out of articles I give feedback on. But this was an extremely pleasant surprise. The only things I can complain about is when you switch Point of Views, its a little confusing whats going on at first and I had to go back and read it a couple times to realize that the point of view had switched. And, when she says she collided with a tall seior, I didnt connect it with the fact that he was the drawing guy, although Im not quite sure how that can be fixed.

All in all, very good . Keep writing--I loved it :)


lisagirlll said...
on Jun. 2 2010 at 11:24 am
nice writing style !

EllieK. BRONZE said...
on Jun. 1 2010 at 4:59 pm
EllieK. BRONZE, Wilmette, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 74 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Not all who wander are lost"
JRR Tolkien

"Sometimes life sucks, so suck it up"
-ME

""We succeeded in taking that picture (from deep space), and if you look a it, you see a dot. Thats here. That's home. Thats us. On it, everyone you ever heard of

Sigh! I cannot tell you how much i wish life could be this sweet. I know the feeling in this story though. I liked the idea and will there be more?

burnt-toast said...
on May. 31 2010 at 5:16 pm
ohh, i loved this so much. I wish life could be like this too :( ahh, your story just stirred up a whole bunch of emotions i've been trying to repress! thanks for posting it though, because i'm glad it was there to be read :)

on May. 27 2010 at 4:38 pm
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."

thank you!! :)

on May. 26 2010 at 7:33 pm
Lost-In-Life GOLD, Whitby, Other
11 articles 0 photos 299 comments

Favorite Quote:
It's never to late, if it weren't for the last minute many things would never get done!

Wow! Amazing! We all wish life was like this. Girl likes boy, thinks he hates her. Boy likes girl, think she hates him. Only thing is I've read so many stories like this one. But this one sure is up there!

 


on May. 26 2010 at 6:18 pm
CanYouSeeTheCrazy PLATINUM, Cle Elum, Washington
21 articles 0 photos 125 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I know why everyone in this world is so desperate to find love."
"Oh yeah? Why then?"
"Because, it's the closest thing we have to magic."

i'm speechless. i love it so much. =D