Journey tried to hide her annoyance as she watched Ronald watch Jay. Uncrossing her legs, she crossed them again the other way, her foot bouncing with agitation. It had taken her a few minutes to notice that the boy had lost interest in her, but now, she could see quite plainly that Jay's activities had monopolized the spotlight.
Ronald and I just had a moment together! The brunette fumed. Can't I keep his attention for five minutes!?
Then came a more disturbing thought. Did I make a bad impression?
Glancing down at the map she had scrawled out earlier, she bit her lip. All her zany talk of magic artifacts and New Age-y stuff could probably put others off when she let her enthusiasm get the better of her. It really should come as no surprise that someone like Jay would turn out to be more appealing. No doubt it helped that he had that wonderfully svelte body, with its long, elegant waist and even longer willowy legs. Next to him, Journey always felt like a mere child by comparison.
Eyes shifting to Jay, Journey craned her neck a bit, suddenly curious about what had fascinated Ronald so much. To her surprise, the boy had drawn a beautiful picture in the style of anime. It was quite obviously Ronald, with his cute, boyish hairstyle and friendly face, relaxing on a sofa with his arm propped up on a knee.
His proportions had been somewhat idealized. Jay had chosen to put anime-Ronald in a casual button shirt and slacks. The top four buttons in the shirt had been left unfastened to allow one to glimpse the top of his lean pecs and clavicles. Rolled up sleeves showed off the firm muscles in his forearms. Most striking, his dark eyes looked out from the page, confident yet gentle like the boy himself.
Needless to say, Journey was impressed. She had long been a fan of manga (along with many other products of eastern culture), and she wished, now and then, that she had any sort of drawing ability whatsoever. Seeing Jay sketching away so effortlessly made her just a bit envious. For the first time, it occurred to her that the young comic artist might be serious competition for Ronald's affection.
Suddenly, Journey blinked. Ronald's affection? The idea had come unbidden to her mind. Sure, the boy was sweet, and handsome in his own way, but was she willing to admit she wanted him that badly? Carefully, she considered her feelings of angst when she saw Ronald watching Jay. She had never been the competitive or jealous type, but the prospect of losing the object of her desire to someone else brought out some odd emotions.
It only took a second to resign herself to the truth. Yes, she most definitely wanted Ronald. She wanted to be his girlfriend. She wanted him to hold her like he did in that supply closet. She wanted to stay by his side forever and ever!
Her face heated up as her heartbeat quickened in her chest, but she ignored it all. Instead, she eyed Jay with new determination. Sorry, Jay. I like you, and I think you're nice and amazing. I hope we can be friends even. But I'm not giving up that easily. From now on, you and I are rivals.
Ronald hid a smile as the boy before him continued his rapid changes. By this time, his body had become clearly feminine, not quite as curvy as the girls before him, especially Laine, but with a pleasing enough hourglass silhouette that begged to be held. Meanwhile, his overall build had become very delicate, an aspect only exaggerated by keeping a bit of his height. On tiptoe, his eyes would easily be on level with Ronald's own.
And speaking of eyes, did they seem bigger? Every time he snuck another peek at Ronald when he faked a distraction, the boy's eyes seemed to get more entrancing. While not freakishly large, his grey eyes quickly became the focal point of his visage.
Ronald could imagine that, if an artist drew Jay's portrait, they would be hard pressed not to do it in an anime style.
