Chapter 19 - Modelling nude.

Saturdays, were for painting. Amelia decided as she packed up her stuff after lunch so she could get some work done at her studio apartment. She was itching to paint something, She had barely visited her studio apartment all week because she was spending time with Xavier's Nana at the cancer clinic and with her friends. She and Xavier had been civil and friendly to one another throughout the whole week, so everything was going well.

Xavier was on the dining table poring over some documents as Amelia walked past him in a powder blue romper.

"Going out?"

He asked trying to be casual and Amelia nodded.

"Yea."

"Your apartment?"

"How did you know?"

Amelia asked as she arched one perfectly done eyebrow. She was most likely going to see her friends too, if she didn't spend the whole day at her apartment.

"Well, that's where the driver drops you off. Tell me, what do you do at that apartment of yours?"

Xavier asked with genuine curiosity and Amelia shrugged.

"I paint."

"You paint?" Xavier scoffed and she nodded.

"Yes, I paint. I draw. I do funny stuffs there."

"Wow, your Dad never told me that."

Amelia scoffed.

"Yea, he didn't really think of it as a talent or a useful skill. More of an hobby."

She remembered when she was younger and her parents would criticise her for missing her dance and piano lessons because she was painting or playing with some of her dolls. It always infuriated her that they believed so little in her talent. And she always took a little pride in the fact that she didn't turn out exactly the way that they wanted her to.

"So, can I see some of your work?"

Amelia's eyes widened in surprise as she searched Xavier's face to see if he was genuinely asking or just pretending to be interested.

"Well, they're all in my apartment. I've never really shown that side of me. Unless you'd like to see it."

Xavier shrugged as he stood up, he was in casual pants and a sweatshirt. Which was unfamiliar to Amelia. He was always in formal clothing.

"Sure. Not like I'm doing anything important right now. Let's go."

Amelia widened her eyes.

"Really?"

Xavier nodded as he picked up his clothes and car keys. A naughty idea popped in Amelia's head as she smiled.

"So, I've never dabbled in life drawing before. Would you like to be my model?"

She asked and Xavier seemed to freeze for a second.

"You mean, You'll get to draw me naked?"

He asked and Amelia eyes widened. That wasn't what she was asking but it was also a option she could consider. It could be an opportunity to try drawing life portraits.

"Well, that's not what I was thinking but would you be comfortable modelling nude?"

"Would you be comfortable drawing me nude?" Xavier asked and Amelia appeared indifferent.

"I'm an artist. It doesn't really bother me. Question is are you okay with it?"

Xavier shrugged.

"As long as drawings of my butt aren't flying around the internet. I'm in."

A smile slowly spread across Amelia's face as she murmured perfect.

Amelia's apartment was larger than he expected. And it was definitely messy. There were easels, brushes Sketchpads and paint supplies covering the hardwood floor. Her paintings dominated the walls, every colour was bold and painted with such precise lines that it almost looked like a mosaic.
Xavier was already falling in love with her art. The colours were not only vivid, the paintings had a way of portraying messages that were clearly hidden in the strokes of her brush. When she told him she painted, he thought she dabbled in painting, but she was even much more better than he imagined and he had grossly underestimated her talents.

"Here! Change into that!"

Amelia said as she threw a pink fluffy robe at Xavier. Xavier looked appalled briefly.

"Are we starting now?"

He asked and Amelia nodded as she started putting her hair in a high bun.

"Yes we are. We don't want to lose daylight."

"The bathroom's that way." She briefly added as she started setting up her equipments.

When Xavier walked back into the studio, Amelia had already created a space for him to use as a model's platform.  There was an easel for her in front of the makeshift model’s platform.

Amelia shrugged off her portfolio and adjusted her large baggy shirt that she wore over her blue romper. She wound a scarf around her head to prevent strands of her hair from leaving her bun.

With her eyes still fixated on her  oversized drawing pad, she flipped the pad searching for a fresh page. After positioning her drawing pad and everything else she needed, she found Xavier watching her with a smile on his face.

He looked utterly ridiculous in her blush pink robe that was smaller than him. He was also barefoot and wearing and his unruly black hair was tousled in that I just got out of bed look. His face was a perfect blend of sharp angles and soft sensuality: cheekbones that could have cut diamonds, lips you wanted to touch with your fingertips to see if they felt like velvet. Which, Amelia knew, they did. Stupid lips. Too bad she begged herself not to fall for him.

"Are you ready?" She asked as she watched Xavier who looked unbothered. She was suddenly feeling very nervous about drawing Xavier naked, she shouldn't have offered but she also felt like he shouldn't have been too keen to model naked for her.

It's just art. Her mind told her over and over again as she watched Xavier looking totally clueless.

"You know what a model does right?" She asked nervously as her pencil began shaking slightly in her hand.

"They strike poses right? All I have to do is strike a pose."

Xavier said.

"Yea. Do you really want to do this?" She asked again to be sure and Xavier shrugged.

"I think the real question here is do you want to do this? I've shown my willingness so far."

Xavier replied as he stared at Amelia with a growing smirk on his face. She wished that she could slap the stupid smirk off his face. He knew that it was going to bother her because she was going to have a hard time concentrating on anything else but him.

"Of course I am. Artists do life drawings all the time."

He looked straight at Amelia as he untied his sash; he looked at her as he shrugged off the robe. And then Xavier was standing before her entire class, beautiful as heartbreak, naked as he was born. 

Amelia's blush came on then. She couldn’t stop it. First, she tried to avert her eyes from some bothersome areas that were begging for attention during the sketches. And Amelia considered leaving the area where Xavier's member was supposed to be blank.

Till she briefly glanced at it and saw that it was erect.

"Xavier!"

She called out and he shrugged.

"I really can't help it at this point."

He answered.

First her chest and neck went hot, then her face. Xavier's eyes were on her the whole time, and his smile deepened with satisfaction when he saw her flustered. Amelia felt her cheeks flame on plenty of occasions and ducked behind her easel.

She guided Xavier on the poses as she drew him, the one miniute poses were meant to be twisted torso, taut muscles, limbs stretched in simulation of action, trying to ignore the parts of him that threatened to arouse her.
The warmup sketches were all about movement and loose lines, and Xavier was taking the opportunity to flaunt himself. She had thought that he was going to be a lot more timid about it, given the fact that he was very reserved, but Amelia watched in utter amazement as he seemed to be showing off.

She dipped her head, took up her sharp pencil thinking of other uses she would happily put it to, most likely stabbing Xavier in his butt for making her feel so flushed and  uncomfortable.

She then started to sketch. Quick, fluid lines, and all the sketches on one page; she overlapped them so they looked like an illustration of dance. Xavier was graceful and he made a fine artist’s model.

His body had reminded Amelia, from the first time she saw it of a Michelangelo. Unlike some Renaissance artists, who’d favored slim, effete models, Michelangelo had gone for power, drawing broad shouldered men and somehow managing to render them both carnal and elegant at the same time. That was Xavier: carnal and elegant.

And he was loving every minute of it.

It wasn't long before Amelia decided to stop sketching when Xavier began to complain about being tired.

"Wow! You are really good at this!"

Xavier commented as he stared at the unfinished sketch of him naked.
"Thanks. You can put on your clothes now. I don't think I'll be sketching you again for a long time."

She said as she shook her head while trying to get the memory of Xavier's naked body away from mind. She couldn't, it was as if it was the image was permanently etched in her memory.

"You have some really beautiful work. Why don't you consider sharing them?"

"Sharing them?"

Amelia repeated while picking up a bottle of water.

"Yes, art shows, exhibitions etc."

He asked as he studied the paintings on her wall.

"I never considered sharing my work because painting has always been some sort of personal healing for me. Sharing my work would mean leaving it open for criticism and I'm not ready for that yet."

Amelia admitted and Xavier smiled in understanding.

"I know. But think of the people out there who your work can touch. The people who would actually appreciate you work. They deserve to see this beauty."

"I'll think about it. But I'm not too sure."

"Take all the time you want. "

Xavier said as he started picking up his clothes strewn on Amelia's bed.

"Why don't we go get some dinner together. I know a restaurant you'll love."

"I hope it's not seafood."

Xavier chuckled as he shook his head, one hand on the sash of his robe as he watched Amelia.

Was he going to dress up in front of her again?

Amelia thought as he undid the sash.

"No, it's Italian."