Nick pulled away and began dressing, while Julian decided to stay on the couch, naked and comfortable. He watched as Nick bend down to pick up his clothes and wished that he would just leave them on the floor. The other man was beautiful, and Julian wanted to study every inch of him. But Nick wasn’t as comfortable with being naked as Julian was, and Julian would never ask him to do something he didn’t want to do. He turned to his back and rested his arms behind his head with a big smile on his lips. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Being with Nick was something he’d never imagined would happen, but it did, and Julian couldn’t be happier. There was a small gnawing feeling in his stomach, that tried to tell him that it was wrong. That he shouldn’t be sleeping with married men, but the buzzing in his head and his rapidly beating heart made it easier to ignore. He deserved this kind of happiness, and Nick did too, and Julian would do anything in his power to fight for it. He didn’t dare to think about the future, because when this vacation was over they would go back to their old lives, and Julian wasn’t sure if Nick would want to risk his success for someone he didn’t even know… all of this could be over before it even began, and there would be nothing Julian could do to stop it. It was all up to Nick.

He was pulled out of his own thoughts as Nick stood in front of the couch, fully dressed, staring down at him with a cocked eyebrow.

‘’What?’’ Julian said with a confident smile, as he felt Nick’s eyes on his body.

‘’Are you just going to lay there-‘’ he started as he gestured to Julian’s blotted body, ‘’-like that?’’

‘’Do you mind me being naked?’’ Julian said with a wink, which caused Nick to blush.

‘’No,’’ the other man said before clearing his throat. ‘’it’s just not easy to concentrate with you… like that.’’ Julian had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. Nick looked so incredibly shy and awkward as he just stood there and pretended not to look at him.

‘’Why would you need to concentrate?’’ Julian teased.

‘’Stop it,’’ Nick mumbled as his cheeks turned even redder.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ Julian said as he pushed himself off of the couch. He stood in front of Nick, wrapped a hand in the older man’s shirt, and pulled him into a deep kiss. ‘’You’re so adorable when you get shy.’’ He whispered against his lips before pulling away.

He bent down and picked up his pants, and he could still feel Nick’s gaze on him. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had given him this much attention, and he loved it. He pulled on his pants and looked over at Nick, who’d sat down on the couch. The other man was looked at the couch as his finger’s danced elegantly over the surface as if his body tried to remember what they’d just done. There was a little smile tugging in the corner of his mouth and he looked relaxed and peaceful.

When he was dressed he seated himself down next to him and laid his head on Nick’s shoulder and his hand on Nick’s thigh.

‘’I like this,’’ Nick whispered as he laid a hand on top of Julian’s.

‘’Me too, Nick,’’ Julian said as he turned his hand around to entwine their fingers.

Later that evening they found themselves back at Julian’s house. Though Julian had wanted to stay at the mansion, Nick had talked him into going back to the little house in the woods.

Julian couldn’t understand Nick’s obsession with his house, but it made Nick happy and therefore he was happy.

They were sitting on the noisy couch in the small, dark living room, with a cheap beer in their hands, and Nick kept looking around the room as if searching for something.

‘’What are you looking for?’’ Julian asked as he pushed Nick playfully.

Nick smiled at him and shrugged. ‘’I just love this place,’’ he looked away from Julian again and began studying the room once more. ‘’it’s so old and worn.’’ He shifted on the couch to move closer to Julian, which made the couch squeak underneath them. Nick laughed a little at that as he laid his arm around Julian’s waist and pulled him closer.

‘’And your point is?’’ Julian asked as he laid his head on Nick's shoulder. He really couldn’t understand why Nick found it all so lovely. Everything was old and falling apart, and Julian was getting stressed out every time the bed or the couch squeaked underneath him… but Nick saw it all differently.

‘’Everything is just so much more special here,’’ Nick said in a dreamy voice.

‘’Point,’’ Julian laughed. ‘’It almost has a soul… and memories.’’ Nick leaned against the armrest and pulled Julian with him. ‘’Imagine how many things these walls in here have experienced…’’ Julian said as he began studying the room too. It was the first time he actually allowed himself to see the room for what it was. ‘’they’ve witnessed all these different kinds of people who’d lived here before me. They’ve been witnesses to happiness, heartbreak. To parties and embarrassing conversations-‘’ he continued, but Nick interrupted him.

‘’-and love,’’ the other man whispered into his ear before kissing the top of his head.

‘’And love,’’ Julian repeated with a little blush.

Julian hoped that these walls would one day tell the story about Nick and him. About whatever was happening between them, no matter how it would end. He wanted their story to be immortalized in this place so that it would never be forgotten. He wanted it to remember this exact moment, where nothing else mattered and where they were allowed to simply just be. He wanted it to remember the silence between them because it just felt so right, and he hoped that these walls would be able to pass that feeling along to the next residents of this place, just so they could feel the same happiness as Julian did.

Nick kept caressing his hair gently and kissing the top of his head, but none of them spoke a word. It was perfect silence and Julian wanted it to swallow him whole and to never let him go again.

One of Nick’s hands began touching Julian’s chest, which made him arch into the touch. He loved the way Nicks's hands felt on him because no one had ever touched him as gently as Nick.

Everything just felt right, and the buzzing in Julian’s head subsided a little.

He was biting his lip nervously as he laid his hand on top of Nick’s and pressed it harder against his chest, right above his beating heart. ‘’Will you stay with me tonight?’’ He asked. The question made him shiver because he feared Nick’s reaction… maybe this was too much for him, or maybe he didn’t want to spend so much time with Julian, but he had to ask. He wanted Nick to stay so he could lay on his chest and listen to his heartbeat, and so Nick could hold him close and kiss him good morning. Julian felt desperate, and it was unnatural to feel this way towards a man he didn’t know yet, but nothing he could say to himself could stop it.

Nick squeezed his hand gently as he took in a deep breath. Julian’s head rose and fell with every breath he took, and it had calmed him down up until now.

‘’Do you want me to?’’ Nick whispered into his hair, as he entwined their fingers.

‘’Yes,’’ Julian breathed. ‘’I really want you to.’’

‘’Then I’ll stay.’’

Julian smiled big as his cheeks turned slightly red, he was just happy that Nick wasn’t able to see it. He pulled Nick’s hand to his lips and kissed it gently. This would be their only chance of a night together. Tomorrow Katie would be back home, and then they wouldn’t be able to spend this much time together. This was her vacation too, and she shouldn’t be spending it alone. Julian felt sorry for her. They were doing all of this behind her back, and it wasn’t okay. Julian wanted her to find someone too, but for some reason, they never ran into other people here. All the other houses seemed to be empty.

They would have to keep their to each other when she came back, so Julian was going to enjoy this last evening as much as he could.