The Commitment (Unrestrained 2)

We went through the doorway and Drake stopped and took it in – the wide-open space of the room, which was as big as his apartment on 8th Avenue. There were large tables by the windows, a kitchen area with sinks, and a bathroom off to the side. The walls were splattered with paint, canvases of various sizes resting against them. Art work hung on the walls. Drafting tables sat off to one corner where Nathaniel sat, working on a piece. He did uber-realist paintings of the city and its people, collaged with photos from other media, including magazines, newspapers and books. He was an artist, while I was just a painter.

I went up behind him, Drake following in my wake, and tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around and when he recognized me, his face broke into a huge smile. He reached over to the sound system and turned the music down.

"Hey, sug," he said. He craned his neck to check out Drake. Finally, he stood and gave me a hug, a sisterly hug – thankfully. I could feel Drake's eyes on us, and quickly broke the embrace.

Drake stood there a few feet away with a bemused expression on his face, his hands in his trouser pockets. He looked like a millionaire businessman and the difference between him and Nathaniel was striking. Nathaniel wore a toque with a marijuana plant emblazoned on it, his long blond hair peeking out beneath the bottom, a row of tiny silver hoops piercing his eyebrow. His t-shirt was black with Jamaican flag colors, a silkscreen print of Bob Marley on the front. Beneath the picture was the quote "Man is a universe within himself." His arms were both tattooed from his wrists to his shoulders. He wore low-slung jeans with a Jamaican-colored belt tied at his waist. He was lean and tall, his pale blue eyes always wide.

"This is Drake," I said, not really knowing how to introduce him. Drake stayed where he stood a few feet from the entry. He looked really out of place.

"Dude," Nathaniel said and waved his hand. "Come in, I don't bite unless I'm asked."

Drake forced a smile and stepped closer, glancing around at the space. Nathaniel turned to me. "You look as sweet as ever, Katie. I heard you won the thesis prize. Way to go."

I smiled and glanced at Drake, who regarded Nathaniel with obvious amusement. Nathaniel's southern twang was still quite pronounced despite living in Manhattan for half a decade.

"We're leaving in March to go live in Africa for a while."

"Africa? Cool," he said, eyeing me up and down. "So you’re going to get back into art? I've got lots of wood for frames, and tons of canvas. There's gesso and all the tools. If you need any help, let me know. We'll whip up a couple of canvases in no time."

"Sounds great. When can I come by?"

"If you want, you can stay now and we can get started. I need a break. The schedule's over on the counter by the sink," he said and pointed to the kitchen. I smiled and went over, Drake following me. On the counter was a clipboard with a calendar. There were several names on each day, one for each room in the space. Nathaniel had the large room and others had two of the three small rooms. One room was open several days in the next week. I took a pen and marked my name in the spaces that were open, eager to get started.

I turned to Drake and smiled, my stomach filled with butterflies. "I can't wait."

He smiled back and ran his fingers over my cheek. "I'm glad you'll be able to work on your art." He bent down and kissed me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nathaniel watching me from the other side of the room. When he saw Drake kiss me, he turned away, smiling.

"Who are the other two guys?" Drake asked, his tone soft.

"I don't know – a couple of Nathaniel's friends.

"So you'll all work together here?"

"We'll each have our own rooms."

Drake sniffed the air. "Smells like he smokes pot here too. Are you OK with that?"

I shrugged. "He's a big boy. I'm not interested in getting high on anything but human endorphins. I'll be here to paint. I might get high off the paint thinner, but that'll be accidental.

" I grinned up at him. "Drake Morgan, are you jealous?"

He laughed and took me by the arms. "Always. Totally. Completely. I may have to come by and see these other characters before I approve."

"Drake…" I said, frowning. "You don't get to approve."

"Just kidding," he said. "Of course, you're free to do what you want outside of our agreement. I'm just curious to know the competition."

"There's no competition so don't even go there."

"I'm a man, Kate. I go there without even thinking."

"I love you," I whispered and pulled him down to kiss me. He kissed me back, the kiss deep, his hand cupping my face.

"I love you," he whispered back. I ended the embrace and glanced back over to where Nathaniel sat, working on his canvas. "Do you have something to do for an hour? I'd like to start working on making a canvas while I'm here. You could pick me up at 12:15 so we can get to Katz's by 12:30."

"Sure. I can pop by the foundation. I'll text you when I'm back."