"No, no, no! That's wrong!"

Heather flinched at the photographer's harshness. Garbed in a frilly pink dress, her hair was styled in a lovely braid hanging over her shoulder. Her lips were a shimmering pink with very subtle eye makeup. All of it was directed by Tulip, who stood on the sidelines with a slight frown. The scenery was beautiful with flowers everywhere. The bench Heather sat on was covered in ornate plant designs matching the environment.

"Again, Heather. Remember, the idea is that you're a young woman who's just seen the man of your dreams. Now, you are longing for him. He's consuming your every thought. Capture that expression."

That was the problem. Heather had never given the concept much thought. She didn't know how it felt exactly. Brassius was the only one she ever dated, and even then, they hadn't been together long enough for her to feel that strongly...right? And in her line of work, she'd never had the time to even think of romance. Her job was to show off clothing, makeup, or accessories - she was to capture their best sides, so to speak. But this assignment required her to express something she had no experience with. The model did her best to stare dreamily toward the horizon, her lips parted slightly.

But again, the cameraman sighed in frustration. "Maybe the 'Amour' line was a bad idea." He looked toward Tulip in defeat. "There's still time to change the theme."

"Absolutely not!" Tulip huffed, a hand on her hip. "'Amour' is a makeup line to resonate with all the young ladies out there experiencing their first date, their first kiss, their first love. My makeup will enhance the beauty of every one of them and allow them to express their feelings. We won't be changing that."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Heather interrupted. "I...don't know why I can't get this."

"It's okay, Heather," Tulip reassured, her demeanor changing when addressing the model. "You're doing the best you can. Maybe it would benefit you to try Emotional Spectrum Practice. Although I don't know how helpful it'll be for this particular expression."

Heather gave a defeated nod. "Practice might do me some good, actually."

Tulip went over to her, a gentle smile on her lips. "Take a break, get your thoughts together, practice - do whatever you need to get this right. I know you can do this. Your talents are beyond compare."

Rising to her feet, the model replied, "Okay. I'll try my best to find a solution. I'll be back shortly, and hopefully I'll have this figured out."

"I'm counting on you, darling."

Heather left the set, not bothering to change or remove the makeup. They had the entire garden area cut off to keep people from interrupting their shoot, and most had already left after getting photos of Heather and Tulip, two big icons in the fashion world. The young woman paused at the entrance to the Sunflora Lawn, staring at the house at the far side. She needed help, and he was the only one she thought of going to. Passing numerous cheerful Sunflora, she hesitantly approached the front door and knocked. Several moments of silence passed before she tried opening the door. It was unlocked. When she peeked in, she could already hear the pessimistic grumblings.

"Brassie?" she softly called.

Past the small living area and kitchen was the door that led to his studio. That's where she was certain to find him. She went and, once again, peeked inside to see the artist angrily crumpling up a piece of paper. It quickly joined a bin full of crumpled and torn papers.

"Rubbish! All rubbish!"

"Brassie, you okay? Having a hard time with your work?"

The man jumped, so absorbed in his own world that he hadn't heard or even noticed her. His gaze traveled down her figure before going back up to her lovely face.

"Heather, forgive me. I didn't notice you." He cleared his throat. "And yes, this particular piece I have in mind is being quite troublesome." He eyed her apparel once more. "And you? Did you just finish your shoot?"

"Actually...no." Heather hugged her arms and hung her head slightly. "I'm having trouble as well."

"I see." Brassius rubbed his chin in thought, her very presence giving him ideas. "Avant-garde! That's exactly it! Heather, please take a seat right there." He pointed her to a stool near the center of the studio. "And tell me all about what's eating you."

Obeying, Heather sat down and sighed. "Well, you see, I have to model Tulip's new makeup line for the collaboration. 'Amour' is all about love, and each set of makeup is supposed to represent a different stage of love." Brassius hummed in acknowledgement despite the fact that he was hurriedly drawing in his sketchbook while repeatedly looking her way. "Thing is, I can't get the expression right. I don't exactly know what it's like to be in love."

"That is quite the predicament." His pencil finally came to a halt. He went over to her side to show her the rough sketch he'd just made of her. "Look at this. In a way, modeling and art are very similar. They're all about expression and conveying one's feelings. In this simple drawing, I captured your every woe as you were speaking. But despite your distress, there is an air of grace and beauty."

He was correct. In just that rough sketch, she looked like a lovely princess with too many troubles to count. That was the impression she got from it anyway.

"That's...wonderful, but how does this help me?"

"I hoped that maybe it would inspire you. And I confess, I also wished to capture your image for a later project." Brassius moved away to set aside his sketchbook. "To spell it out for you, it's much easier to express what you yourself are feeling or how you perceive something in particular."

Moving to a table covered in old and half finished paintings, the man gently moved some aside to get at one that was hidden underneath. Heather got up to get closer and see what he'd found. Brassius boldly held it out to show her, causing her to gasp. It was a painting of her among the flower garden, standing amidst a cloudy sky with a single ray of sunlight peeking through to illuminate her.

"What is...this painting?" she asked, hardly able to tear her eyes from it.

"I worked on this back when...we were together," the artist confessed with a gentle yet melancholy look. "And I altered it quite a bit after you left. Back then, you were all I thought about. You were like this heavenly angel that blessed me with your radiant smile every day. Your very presence filled me with inspiration to the point my head was overflowing with ideas." Heather was rendered speechless, her heart seeming to flutter at his words. "Then the day you left...it crushed my heart, my soul, my very being. I felt these dark clouds hanging over me. Suddenly, my days weren't so bright anymore."

Tears stung her eyes. She understood the image before her with every bit of context. Her smiling face among the flowers, the ray of light shining down on her, the dark clouds that covered everything else. She tried hard not to cry and ruin her makeup.

"I'm...so sorry, Brassie." Her voice was cracking. "I had no idea I hurt you like that. I thought that you would be able to pursue your art career better without me here getting in your way. That's why...even though I liked you a lot, I was happy to leave so we could focus on what mattered most to us."

Brassius sighed. "So you never understood? You were the most important thing to me, Heather. I only pursued art because of you. You pushed me to take a chance doing something I liked. Yet I'd gladly give up all of that for you. Because I loved you...I never stopped loving you."

Unable to hold back, Heather started bawling like a child. Her eye makeup started to run, leaving a mess on her face. With wide eyes full of concern, Brassius snatched up a handkerchief and started wiping away at her running makeup. But she kept crying, making his efforts futile, and so all he could do was pull her into his embrace in hopes of calming her.

"It's alright, my dear. Please, calm yourself. You need not shed such tears of anguish, for we are both here now. We could start fresh, as if you never left."

Heather quieted her sobs to look up at him, his arms holding her against his body. "A-are you saying...you'd like to get back together?"

For once, the man's pale cheeks turned a light red hue. "If you would have me, yes. I thought I'd moved on, but as it turns out, your return has left me quite the mess."

Through her tears, Heather started laughing lightly out of joy. "I'd...like that very much. I didn't realize how much I missed you until now. Being in your arms again...it feels perfect." Drying her tears, she smiled. "So, would you like to pick up where we left off?"

"I'd love to."

Brassius took her delicately by the waist to pull her closer so that he could capture her lips. Heather let herself melt right into it, returning his tender kiss full of emotions. All the fond memories of their time at the academy as friends that led to them dating in the first place came rushing back to her. They had pushed each other to pursue their dreams. They had grown fond of each other's company. And that was when it dawned on her - she had fallen for him, just as he had for her. She had been so focused on modeling over the years that she'd barely given it a second thought. But now she could feel it, she was certain. She'd simply been oblivious to the fuzzy warmth present in her heart every time she was with him.

Pulling away with a smile, Heather locked eyes with Brassius. "I can't believe how happy I am. And this wonderful, amazing feeling in my heart..." She hugged the man tight. "Thank you, Brassie! I'm ready to take on that shoot now!" She released him. "Oh, but I'll have to let Tulip redo my makeup. Goodness, I didn't get my dress dirty, did I? Ugh, I need to go! That shoot needs to be done before the sun sets!" She hurried toward the door before pausing, rushing back, and leaving a kiss on the man's cheek. "Love you, Brassie! I'll see you tonight!"

Brassius chuckled as he watched her leave. Some things never changed, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Now that she was back home, he could rest easy and catch up on painting and sculpting his newest ideas. When he sat down to sketch out his next piece, he eased his mind and thought only of Heather - the woman he loved. He succeeded in capturing his thoughts and feelings perfectly in the drawing he'd made of her. Even in just a rough sketch, she was beautiful.

~~~~

"That's it! Perfect!"

Heather struck several different poses, one after another, all with that same dreamy, yearning twinkle in her eyes. The photographer loved it, and Tulip watched with an approving smile.

"She's an even lovelier work of art than I was led to believe," she quietly said to herself. "With this, 'Amour' will be a huge success. And I look forward to bringing out Heather's true beauty again for our next collaboration."

Thus, Heather went on to model there in Paldea. She was happy to be home, and to be back in the arms of the artist she loved.