Once they arrived at the high school, George took a deep breath.

He was glad to be out of that motel room. Posing naked for Nick like that had been intense and intimate. It was hard to describe how it felt to have every muscle, line, and roll of his body scrutinized and immortalized on paper. Knowing that Nick was tracing over every inch of his body with his eyes had been arousing. He'd just barely managed to keep himself from becoming aroused.

As soon as they walked before the familiar cream building, everything came rushing back to George. He'd always been a quiet person and never fit in with the more popular crowd in high school. He had lived for the book club, made a second home in the library, and loved book fairs. His friends were few but loyal.

“Wow, this place really hasn't changed at all, has it?” George mused as he climbed out of his car and joined Nick.

“Not at all. I wonder if they still get the ant infestation in the spring?” Nick said with a smirk.

“Oh, I remember that! I took Economics in that room. It was so annoying,” George chuckled.

They couldn't go through the school because it was closed for the weekend, but there was a sports field across from it that both the school and community used. They walked across the field and sat down on the bleachers, gazing around at the area that once seemed like their entire lives.

“This was where we first met,” George mused, his hands folded in his lap. “Remember? I was reading a book here and you almost knocked me out with a soccer ball.”

“I still feel bad about that. Didn't I break your glasses?”

“No, but you bent the frame. I'm not exactly sure how we became friends after that,” George admitted with a laugh.

“Well, I needed help with homework and you looked just nerdy enough to help,” Nick teased.

“Thanks,” George snorted. Being there with Nick brought up so much that was buried over the decade. Those years in high school with Nick by his side had been some of the best times in his life.

“I should've kept in better contact over the years,” Nick murmured after a few moments of silence.

George's heart fluttered as he played with his hands a bit. Nick really did seem remorseful since he kept bringing it up. “It would've been nice. You did good for a bit, but then it was radio silence.”

“I know,” Nick groaned. “I got so caught up in college and just... doing something with my life. Then I met Clifton... We got married fast, but it didn't last. We divorced less than a year later.”

George knew Nick had been married a few years ago—he'd seen it come up on Facebook. It had been a Vegas-style wedding, so George wasn't offended that he hadn't been invited. Okay, maybe he had been a little, but he kept that much to himself. From what little he'd seen on Facebook, it seemed like everything was coming up roses for the happy couple, but photos could be misleading.

“Oh, I'm sorry...” George murmured.

“Don't be. The asshole cheated on me,” Nick said with a notable growl in his voice.

George's eyes widened as the air was sucked out of his lungs. To him, cheating was one of the worst things anyone could ever do. Knowing that someone had the nerve to cheat on Nick had him aching on his friend's behalf. It also left him feeling a bit bitter, because if George had ended up with Nick, he never would've hurt Nick like that.

“...That sucks,” George said, stopping himself before he automatically said “I'm sorry” again. He was trying to break his habit of apologizing too much.

“Yeah, but that's life,” Nick said with a careless shrug as he turned his gaze to the field before them. George only gaze at him a moment more before looking out across the field as well.

“Have you seen anyone seriously since?” George asked. He ignored the way his heart pounded in his chest as he waited for Nick’s reply.

“No. I pretty much immersed myself in my work and hobbies after that. What about you?”

“Ah, I've... never had a serious relationship,” George admitted. He was well aware that that was a red flag for many people. “To be honest, I think I'm too busy being in love with the idea of love to actually find love.”

“It happens,” Nick chuckled.

“I'm a sucker for romance stories. I read them whenever I have the chance. Since I work at a bookstore, I think a lot of my money goes right back to it,” George laughed lightly.

“Wow, you really love romance,” Nick mused.

“I'm part of several ARC teams as well,” George admitted. He loved receiving copies of books from his favorite authors and getting to read them first. He didn't tell many men about his interest in romance since it tended to scare them away. Since Nick was in the romance industry, though, he took his chance to nerd out. He just hoped that it wouldn't backfire on him.

“I might have to introduce you to some of my author friends sometime.”

A shiver of excitement shot through George at this invitation. “I-I'd love that,” he breathed. Not only did he like the idea of meeting authors, but the promise of seeing Nick again made his heart flutter, too.

But all too soon, the feeling of reality crash landed him back down to earth.

What was going to happen between them now? The night before had been passionate and amazing. It had definitely made George feel good, but now his loneliness only seemed to increase tenfold.

“So... last night...” he started, unsure of how to start the conversation.

Nick tensed noticeably, his shoulders and arms pushing up slightly. “What about last night?”

The defensive reaction made George flinch. He tried to smooth out the expression on his face before he spoke up. “Well, what was that?”

“If you're asking if it was more than a fling, I don't know,” Nick said. When their eyes met, there was no missing the guarded look. They were the eyes of a man wounded and not ready to let himself be open again. It wasn't surprising to see after being just made aware that Nick had loved and been cheated on.

In that moment, George wanted to open his mouth and tell Nick that he had a crush on him. Even after all of these years, those feelings stuck around. He never thought about them much, but being with Nick again like this brought everything back to life. It was foolish since he had no idea what kind of man Nick was now, but perhaps that was part of the allure. It wasn't like George himself was the exact same man either.

Instead, George bit his lip and nodded as he gazed forward again. “Then I guess we'll just leave it at that,” he said as he stood up. He blew out a breath as he held out a hand to Nick. “It was really nice seeing you again.”

Nick rose to his feet as well and firmly shook George's hand. The moment their hands touched, George quivered at the memory of that strong hand running along his naked body. He met Nick's eyes, searching them, although he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. But Nick’s eyes were still wary. Whatever George was looking for, it wasn't there.

“It was really nice seeing you, too,” Nick said once he pulled his hand back. “Take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, you, too,” George said as he finally drew away and walked off back toward the motel. As each footstep drew him further away from Nick, the confusion and loneliness inside only grew. He battled to keep the sense of shame from consuming him. He'd been a complete fool. Not only that, but he’d been used.

It was going to be a long walk of shame.