Quinn frowned at his classmate, immediately feeling protective of August and his career. “Doubtful. I assume professionals are too busy to spend hours sitting around for us to draw.”
His classmate shrugged and went back to collecting his things, and Quinn began to do the same, unaware of the form looming behind him.
“Can I see your work?”
Quinn gasped and spun, dropping his bag to the floor dramatically, like he was in some teen drama.
August was wearing a robe to conceal his modesty now that the session was over, showing Quinn a playful smirk as he bent to pick up his bag for him.
“Show you my—” Quinn scowled and went to his easel, flipping the page to reveal a finished drawing. “There you go.”
He watched August’s expression, laughing silently when the smirk fell into a pout. Quinn had shown up early for class that morning and had taken the liberty of drawing one of Mrs. Abbot’s potted plants sitting by the window because he liked the way the shadows looked like skeletal fingers reaching out for something.
“That’s not…me,” August said quietly—dumbfounded.
Quinn glanced around the room to make sure people weren’t watching them, and then he finally let out a chuckle. “You are too fucking easy.”
He flipped the canvases over, finding the last one he’d worked on so August could see how it had turned out. Quinn hoped he caught the intensity in August’s eyes correctly, but for a detailed drawing done in an hour, it wasn’t bad.
“You’re talented,” said August. “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but I can tell you’re skilled at what you do.”
“Thank you,” said Quinn. The room was empty, leaving them alone in comfortable stillness. “What made you do this? I can’t believe your agent let you prance around naked for a room full of strangers.”
August tugged at his robe, like he was threatening to pull it off and show just how unbothered he was by the naked prancing. “I’m naked all the time around people I don’t know. I said I was interested in doing it as a good gesture before I donated a sum of money to the school’s art program, and was approved.”
The fluttering was back, along with the simmering heat.
“I wanted to see what your interests were in a way that didn’t feel like a date,” August continued. “And I had fun. It was hard not to laugh at some of the meltdowns people were having, but I hope I did a good job.”
So good. August had no idea—
“Do you want to help me with another project I’m working on?” Quinn asked before he could think better of it.
August’s face lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree. “I would love to. I have the day off now that my physio is done. I spent yesterday finishing with interviews and the new commercial for Hockey Canada, so I could do this today.”
Quinn knew how much time players spent doing mindless crap for their team, but all that camera work would make it a hard pass for him. He didn’t like having his picture taken, let alone having to read lines for a commercial.
“What did you need help with?” August asked in a tone that was too innocent for Quinn’s plans.
“I need a model for a painting I’ve been wanting to do,” said Quinn, conveniently leaving out the part where he had been thinking about it since seeing all the tattoos on August’s body. “It will probably be too weird for you, but if you’re up for it…”
“Yes. I’m down.”
He was for now, but August had no idea what was in store for him.
“Is Niko home?” Quinn asked. “I don’t want to bother him after what happened last time.”
August’s smile turned pinched, and Quinn could sense a rant incoming.
“Are you kidding me? He’ll be working out and running drills until dinner time. The kid is either so lazy that I have to roll him out of bed, or he’s overworking himself to the point of having a heart attack. There is no in between for Niko Cote.”
Noted.
“I have everything I need in my car,” said Quinn. “I’ll meet you at your place after I clean up, and then we’ll go over the plan.”
Quinn needed to wash his hands at least because they were covered in charcoal, and he wanted August to get home first and check if Niko was gone. He didn’t want to startle the younger man when he started dragging everything upstairs, so having the coast clear would be best for everyone.
August left so fast he barely paused to say goodbye, and Quinn chuckled as he watched him hurry away, robe flapping behind him. He took his time packing his supplies and scrubbing his hands to make sure nothing was caught under his nails before going to his car.
