The next morning, Nick cracked opened his eyes, finding himself resting on his side facing toward George, who was also facing him while slightly curled with his hand tucked near his chin. The sunlight filtering through the window fell across George's form, covered in blanket only up to his waist. He was still sleeping and looked so beautiful and at peace.

Oh, right. They fucked.

Although Nick was slow to wake up, images from the night before came rushing back to him. Admittedly, he'd hope that he'd get lucky to get laid that night at the reunion. He just hadn't expected to meet and tumble into bed with none other than George. But when he found himself back at the motel room with George, something was reawakened that had lain dormant for years.

In that private moment, he had wanted nothing more than to lose himself with George. He hadn't felt that kind of a rush even when he was with Clifton. The last thing he wanted to think about was that prick, so he rubbed his eyes and lightly smacked his cheeks to wake himself up more.

Then his eyes fell upon George's sleeping form once more.

Nick was entranced. The way the sunlight played across his features stirred something within him. The subtle play of light and shadow made Nick itch not only to touch George's soft skin but also pick up a pencil as well.

Carefully, he eased himself out of the bed, trying his best not to wake up the sleeping beauty. He gazed around the room and spotted the hotel's stationary on the desk. He padded over and picked up the small notepad and pen. While it wasn't the best stuff to work with, especially since Nick liked to work big, it would be good enough to get the job done.

He grabbed a chair and brought it along with him as he sat down by the side of the bed. Instantly, he was in artist mode as he began sketching George. He wanted to capture the peacefulness of the moment and the warmth of the sunlight and thick blankets. There was only so much he'd be able to catch on a notepad with a basic blue pen, but he was going to try.

Sketching George right now also meant that he didn't have to think too deeply about the night before yet. Instead, he was able to lose himself with the flow of ink onto paper.

About ten minutes in, George began to stir. Nick knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, but he was pleased with what he had managed to sketch out so far. His style was very scratchy since he loved how much energy sketchy lines had. Even if the scene was still, it was easy to breathe life through the line art.

“Mmph,” George sounded as he cracked open his eyes and sleepily gazed at Nick. The moment he met those eyes, Nick stopped sketching.

Now the night before came rushing back to him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. What the hell was he thinking having a fling with George of all people? If he'd gone home with anyone else, he could've easily forgotten it and moved on, but not with George—there was too much history between them.

“Good morning,” Nick greeted as he cleared his throat.

“What are you doing?” George asked, his voice rough from sleep. That sound alone was pleasing to Nick's ears.

“Ahh, sorry... I got the urge to draw.”

It was more than that, though. Nick hadn't had the urge to just draw in ages. Most of the art he did these days revolved around the cover work he did for authors like Jett Rose and Ryan Sparrow. Since he was so busy producing art for money, he didn't really have a chance to just do it for fun.

But when he saw George curled up so perfectly like that, inspiration had come rushing back to him.

“Oh... Oh, you drew me? While I was sleeping? What a creeper!” George laughed, although there was no missing the way his cheeks flushed pink. “At least let me see it!”

“Okay, but it's not done yet. It was just a ten-minute sketch,” Nick warned. He didn't need to warn him. He knew he was decent enough with his life drawing skills, but there was still always that fear. All creative minds had it. There was always that feeling that whatever was produced was not good enough.

As George sat up, more of the blanket pooling around his waist, Nick held out the notepad. George first rubbed the sleep from his eyes before gazing down at the drawing. Nick was fixated on how cute George looked with his bedhead and wished he was able to draw this.

“This... Wow, this is really good!” George enthused. “I remember the art you used to do in school and how awesome it was. You've improved way more since then!”

Despite trying to downplay the praise, Nick's cheeks warmed. “Well, it's been awhile since I've sat down and actually drawn... I mostly do book covers.”

George's eyes widened. “Right! You mostly do romance book covers, don't you? I almost forgot.”

“Would you be interested in properly posing for me?” Nick asked, although as soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. If this was supposed to be a fling, he should've been packing up and legging it right now.

“M-Me?” George stammered, his jaw dropped.

“Yeah, if you don't have to rush home, or anything.”

“No. I still have the motel room until noon, which gives me a few more hours here. I've just never been asked to model before...”

“I have a feeling that's because you probably don't show off that chest very often,” Nick said with a grin.

George laughed and blushed even deeper as he shyly turned his head away. It was cute, and so perfectly George that it made Nick warm inside. Although he almost didn't recognize George when they’d first reunited the night before, he’d been instantly drawn to him. That force was still drawing him in now, too. Soon enough, they were going to part ways, probably never to see each other again (or at least not until the next reunion). He needed to take advantage of this magnetism now. Especially this spark to create new art that had Nick's head spinning.

“Yeah, sure, I'll give it a try,” George agreed. “I'm just going to pop into the shower first...” He rose from the bed, but was definitely trying to angle his body away from Nick so that his cock couldn't be seen. Was he hiding morning wood? Or was he actually shy about his body now? Either way, Nick was intrigued.

“Okay, and then we can run out and get some supplies. I want to do a proper picture,” Nick said. A motel notepad and cheap pen simply wouldn't do. He needed better paper and at least a pencil.

“Sure thing!” George called back before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The temptation was there to follow after George and fool around more, but Nick kept his hands to himself, keeping their showers separate.

Once they’d both showered, they headed to the nearest arts shop. As soon as they were in through the doors, Nick felt like a kid in a candy shop. That buzz of excitement went through him as he hit each aisle in turn, even if he was there only to collect some basic supplies. He had more than enough supplies he could use at home, but that was at home. He didn't have any on him for vacation.

His eyes were drawn toward the fancy sketch markers that he’d always wanted to get his hands on, but just couldn't justify buying. He must've been gazing longingly at the set more than he thought because George laughed gently beside him. “You look heartbroken.”

Nick shrugged sheepishly, caught out. “Ah, it's just these markers,” he admitted. “I'm always pining for them. They're too expensive for me to get for myself and too expensive to ask for as a gift...” It wasn't like he truly couldn't afford them, but with his income being as unpredictable as it was, he didn't want to splurge.

“Anyway,” Nick said as he cleared his throat and moved on, grabbing a simple art book with a black cover and some charcoal pencils. Just like he loved sketchy lines, he also liked messy mediums. Charcoal was always his favorite thing to work with, although he loved soft pastels as well.

He glanced over his shoulder and spotted George leaning into the sketch marker display case, apparently taking a closer look. As if sensing Nick's eyes on him, George quickly pulled away and trotted after Nick to rejoin him.

Nick was curious, but focused on paying for the supplies. Once they were bagged, he headed out with George at his side. He was glad that the walk was a short one since that desire to draw was intense.

“You're so serious looking,” George laughed as he kept pace.

“I just can't wait to draw. I can't tell you how much of a high I'm on right now,” Nick admitted.

“It's cute,” George said simply with a smile that squeezed Nick's heart.

Nick missed him. As soon as the thought hit him, he shoved it away, not wanting to deal with that in depth yet.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they were back in George's motel room. Once they were safely behind a closed door, Nick took the new items out of the bag and sat back in the chair by the bed. He opened the metal case holding several charcoal pencils with their fresh, sharp tips. He selected a pencil, then opened the new sketchbook as well. The smell of new drawing materials was indescribable but exciting.

Once the honeymoon phase for the new supplies passed, Nick grinned and gave George his attention again. “All right... Strip down and make yourself comfortable anywhere.”

George's eyes were wide. “You're making that request as if it's an everyday thing.”

Nick laughed. Although it'd been awhile, Nick had worked with models before and wasn't fazed by nudity. He did have to remember that not everyone was as comfortable with it as he was. “If you want to keep your clothes on, that's completely cool, too. Or if you need more time to relax, we can do something else.”

George shook his head. The look on his face was determined. “No, I want to do this properly... and nakedly. I've never modeled for anyone before.”

Nick sat back and looked away to give George privacy while he stripped. It was weird since he'd already seen George naked. Still, this was a different situation and he didn't want to freak George out. He'd always been easy to startle when it came to new things. He was actually surprised that George was going along with this, just as he'd been surprised by George having sex with him. He had to give George some credit since there was no way he hadn't gained at least a bit of confidence over the past decade.

“You can watch, you know,” George prompted.

“I just didn't want to assume,” Nick insisted as he turned his head back to George. He was already starting to take off his shirt. Nick tried to be more in a professional frame of mind at that moment. If he wasn't, he'd let thoughts of how George's beautiful, naked body felt against his the night before.

Fortunately, George stripped down quickly without putting on a show. He still kept his gaze away, his cheeks nice and pink, as he neatly folded his clothes and placed them at the foot of the bed.

Now that it was daylight and his head was clearer, Nick got the chance to really appreciate George's body. He kept himself in shape, especially around the thighs, which suggested to Nick that he probably did a lot of walking or running. He didn't have any tattoos or visible scars. His natural body hair was light, both in color and volume.

George chose the armchair by the corner, which did get a nice bit of natural sunlight. He fidgeted as if unsure of how to pose.

“Lean back and make yourself comfortable,” Nick encouraged. “Choose a position that you'll be able to hold for a bit.”

George settled into position after some initial shifting, leaning back in the chair with his feet planted on the floor and his knees spread. He had one arm flat along the armrest while pressing his elbow against the other with a hand to his shin. His head was turned to gaze out the window. It was likely so that there wouldn't be any awkwardness if George had to stare at him. Nick was a bit disappointed since he would've loved the chance to try and get George hot and bothered through eye contact alone.

Whoa, be good, Nick scolded himself.

“All right, that's good,” Nick said as he began to sketch.

The lines flowed easily onto the paper—very loose and flowy at first. Gradually, once Nick had the basic shapes blocked out, he began filling in all the details.

Despite what most people thought, drawing someone naked typically wasn't as romantic as it sounded. Most artists—himself included—were often so focused on the work of creating that any inkling of romance was thrown right out the window. It was hard losing oneself in someone's eyes while internally screaming that drawing said eyes meant they'd never match.

His hand flitted over the paper, scratching into it with the charcoal pencil as he layered details over his basic shapes. He liked to start at the chest and abs, filling out the muscle. While George wasn't particularly muscular, he wasn't scrawny either. His features were soft and Nick kept this feeling going by not filling the shadows in too darkly.

He moved onto the arms, letting the pencil take him on a journey along the biceps and triceps. Nick was never a fan of drawing hands, though, and was glad that George posed in a way that the hands weren't fully in view.

Nick transitioned into filling in George's beautiful face. While he had filled out since he was a teen, his bone structure was still on the soft side. It made him look warm, gentle, and approachable, and Nick wanted to capture this essence of George the best he could. As he shaded in George's thin lips, he flashed back to what it was like kissing them.

Before he became lost in daydreams about those lips, he lifted the pencil and skipped down the page to fill in the area between George's firm, spread thighs. He tried not to smirk as he noticed that George was a bit hard. Not enough that he was past the point of no return, at least. It seemed like posing naked for Nick was a bit of a turn on for George, and it only made Nick a bit hot under the collar as well.

Nick didn't go into heavy detail with George's cock since he didn't want to seem like a pervert. Once he'd flesh it out enough, he moved onto the thighs, down his legs, and to his feet. George had strong legs. Did he walk or run a lot?

“This is reminding me of that scene from Titanic,” George finally spoke up, jarring Nick out of his thoughts.

“As if I've never heard that one before,” Nick teased as he added the last few finishing details, playing up the lighting. “Okay, I'm done.”

George groaned and blew out a breath as he shook out his limbs. “Thank god. It's way harder to stay still than I thought.”

“I definitely have a lot of respect for life drawing models,” Nick said, flipping the notepad around as George sat at the edge of the bed near him. When George took the book into his hands, Nick's chest clenched with that natural hint of nervousness about what others thought of his work.

“Oh, wow,” George gushed as he stared down at the picture. “I mean, it's a bit weird looking at yourself naked, but this is really good! You actually made me look kind of sexy.”

“You are sexy,” Nick said without even thinking about it. When George's eyes flicked up to meet his, a warm tingle spread through Nick's body, although he tried to ignore it.

“T-Thanks,” George murmured, catching one lip between his teeth as he studied the lines of the drawing.

“If you want, you can have it,” Nick offered. He loved how focused George's eyes were as his glasses slid down his nose.

“Really? That'd be awesome, but I think it'd be a bit weird of me to have a naked drawing of myself at home,” George laughed. He blushed as he returned the book to Nick. “Besides, it might be nice for you to have something to remember me by.”

Nick took the book back without comment, finding himself at a loss for words. In that moment, guilt hit him harder than ever before. He and George used to be such good buds in high school, and then Nick had just let George drift away. He’d let a lot of people drift away once he got involved with Clifton and work.

“Hey, since I have to check out soon, do you wanna maybe hang out a bit more? Maybe we can go see the old high school,” George suggested. He was still flushed and looking so adorable. It made Nick want to scoop George up and bring him to bed again, but he resisted. It was easier said than done when he could've sworn that George kept looking to his lips as if debating whether or not to dive in for a kiss.

But they had to be good. It wouldn't be long before they'd be gone their separate ways again. Having another round of sex probably wasn't the best idea, even if the air was charged. If it were anyone else, he'd be out of there by now. In most cases, it was because he was trying to avoid making a connection with those he slept with. In this case, though, Nick was already connected, which made things trickier.

“Yeah, sure, I'm game for that,” Nick agreed more quickly than intended. A walk down memory lane might be fun, and it'd also take them out of the bedroom where they could get carried away again.

“All right, I'll just get dressed and then I'll be ready to go,” George said as he rose, once again turning his body slightly to hide from Nick’s gaze. There was no missing the pink that reached all the way to George's ears, though.

Once George slipped inside the bathroom, Nick let out a deep breath and ran his hand back through his hair. This was intense. He whipped out his phone to distract himself for a few minutes, browsing all his usual haunts until George once again made his appearance.

George really was gorgeous. Even though Nick had enjoyed drawing George in the nude, he was half-tempted to ask for him to model dressed as well. Nick dabbled in photography, sometimes using his own photos for book covers. George had a sweet, geeky thing going for him while still managing to be handsome at the same time.

“Are we ready to go?” George asked as he shrugged on his jacket, seemingly oblivious to Nick staring.

Nick popped his charcoal pencil back into its case, slid the case into his jacket pocket, then tucked the book beneath his arm. “Ready,” he responded as he followed George out of the motel room.

At least he hoped he was ready.