Rachel returned to her station, and the studio went back to buzzing with the silence of creative minds toiling away. Brennan found himself in a state of flow, time flying by as he worked on his piece while thinking about the boy who inspired it.
He kept checking the clock above the door. He made sure to leave right before Cliff’s Intro to Art class began in the hopes of casually running into him. His heart began to race as he packed up his supplies and put away his painting.
Brennan exited the studio with a spring in his step. He didn’t have to wait; Cliff hung outside the door. Obedient. Like he had been on his knees. Heat spread through Brennan.
Cliff wore the same navy blue polo that he had on the last time they saw each other. Cleaned and jizz-free. Brennan wondered if that was coincidence or a deliberate taunt. Either way, it got his attention.
“I got here early and saw you inside.” The polo sleeves bunched around Cliff’s biceps and triceps, hinting at the raw strength in his toned frame.
He handed over a J-Crew paper shopping bag. Brennan peeked inside at his two missing shirts, cleaned and folded.
“Did you iron these, too?” Brennan took the bag from him.
“No, but I can. I’m sorry about this.”
“Don’t be.” Brennan never wanted Cliff to apologize for what happened that glorious afternoon. “You took good care of them.”
Cliff blushed, red creeping down his neck to his shoulders. Brennan enjoyed penetrating his fortress of stoicism. God, the thought of Cliff and penetration made him want to drool.
“I, uh…” Cliff started, then brushed a confused hand through his hair.
Brennan felt the same way. What was the proper etiquette here? Was that a hook up? Did Cliff consider that sex? Was it a one-time thing? So many questions for something that in the moment felt natural.
“I’d like to continue our art lessons. I definitely still need the help.”
Brennan studied his golden eyes, which were open and earnest and thinking about more than art lessons. “And I would like to help you.”
Cliff’s face lifted with hope, as if to sayReally?He was so damn cute he nearly made Brennan melt.
“I would. What are you doing tonight?”
“I have practice.”Shit.“But I can come over after.”Yes!
“Awesome.” Brennan couldn’t stop his lips from pulling up into a smile. “Awesome awesome.”
Cliff ran a hand through his hair again. Brennan had a strong desire to wrap him in a hug and inhale the scent of his shampoo. Something about Cliff was so huggable.
“Hey, Brennan? Could we also continue our actual art lessons, too?”
Brennan snorted, glad that Cliff hadn’t lost his sense of humor through all this.
“For sure. I want to help you out however I can.” Brennan had seen improvement in Cliff’s artistic abilities already from their short time together, which filled him with pride. “We can practice tonight before we...practice other things.”
“No,” Cliff said definitively. “We can have an art lesson tomorrow. Tonight we can practice other things.”
“Yes, sir.”
It turned out Cliff was just as horny as he was. Brennan left Gorman Hall with a smile on his face and a boner in his pants.
* * *
Later that day,Cliff came over to Brennan’s apartment carrying his sketchpad under his arm. He wore jeans and a black fleece vest over a white button down shirt rolled up at the sleeves. Brennan wondered if the preppy, clean-cut ensemble was purposefully meant to be a turn on, or if that was his perverted mind at play.
“Welcome.” He closed the door behind Cliff, let his cologne waft into his nose.
“Is that…vegetables and dip?” Cliff pointed at the small crudite tray on Brennan’s kitchen table, still in the supermarket wrapping.
“I thought I should have something. In case you were hungry. I was going to get Doritos, but then our bodies would be covered in orange shit. I thought about potato chips, but then we’d have bad breath. So I got vegetables.”
