Chapter 25: Charcoal Drawing
The next day after driving Mari and Emily to the airport and waiting for their flight to leave, Jamal headed for Tariq's studio.
When he got there, Tariq was still busy with the drawing so Jamal sat on a worn leather stool in the small art studio, waiting and watching as Tariq dragged a charcoal pencil over the page.
The soft sound of pencil strokes filled the quiet room, and Jamal exhaled slowly, his thoughts drifting to his time with Abigail.
After a moment Jamal went closer and stood behind Tariq, who adding a finishing touch to the outline of Abigail's face, directing him and telling him more details that should be added to the face.
Tariq studied him for a second before returning to his work. "She must be pretty special to you."
"Yeah. She is pretty and special," Jamal admitted, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
Tariq nodded, adjusting the angle of his pencil as he applied Jamal's descriptions. "So, softer around the eyes? And the curve of her lips, you said it was more... subtle?"
Jamal folded his arms, tilting his head as he studied the sketch. "Yeah. She had this quiet, kind of knowing smile. Like she was always thinking about something funny, even when she wasn't saying it out loud. And her eyes are bright like she has stars in them with a hint of mischief."
Tariq smirked, darkening a few lines to bring out more depth. "Sounds like someone you care about a lot."
Jamal exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah." He watched in silence as Tariq's fingers moved skillfully over the paper, adding shade and depth to bring Dawn's face to life.
"You can step back now and let me do my thing if that's all," Tariq said and Jamal returned to his seat while Tariq focused on the drawing.