@starswept asked: Kalim isn't trying to be particularly sneaky, but coming up behind Jade like this does give the impression that he is. He hums a bit, a lilting thing, as his eyes fall to the sketchbook in Jade's hands, to the lines drawn with such deliberate care and a deep familiarity. This is surely someone Jade has looked to time and time again, and as Kalim gazes upon the work a little longer, he isn't able to pinpoint who the person is. "Who are you drawing, Jade?"
jade is always very aware of his surroundings — or, at least, he is most of the time. few things will take all of his attention to the extent that he neglects the world around him as much as drawing does, even if it’s almost always sketches of various levels of dedication.
this is, perhaps unfortunately for him, one of those moments, and kalim manages to sneak up on him ( even without meaning to ). jade’s hand pauses mid - stroke of his pencil, and his focused expression purposely relaxes into something slightly warm. he’s been caught, so there isn’t much point in trying to hide. there isn’t much point in hiding everything, at least.
“ someone i’ve been friends with since middle school. ” it’s a simple and noncommittal answer, although it’s possible someone as warm as kalim would be able to catch something in jade’s tone. rielle is, after all, someone he still talks to regularly — or started to talk to regularly once again. and there’s something he can’t quite hide in the way he talks about rielle that betrays that warmth, just as the loving detail in the way he draws him betrays the same.
