Insomnia - Chapter 2

Michael dreamt of Sophia. After the events of the night before, his mind was eager to make use of its new source material. The dream faded quickly once awake, but his need to change clothes in the morning proved to him its contents. 

His walk to class felt different. There was more excitement in him. His mind wandered with every glance at a beautiful girl, wondering if they had a similar secret to Sophia’s. A hidden life he was accidentally exposed to. These passing fantasies felt like so much more than that. As if Sophia’s secret was the justification to truly believe each one.

Each step he took towards his physics class gave him flutters. What was the class going to be like? How would Sophia act? His mind went wild with fantasies. As mild as her smiling at him, to secretly flashing him in the middle of class. 

The classroom was nearly empty. Michael was always a little early to class, but today he was exceptionally so. Apparently his change in attitude put a little extra pep in his step. 

He took his usual seat and pulled out his notebook. He placed the tip of his pencil against the paper, prepared to start his usual pre-class sketching. But the stream of sketch ideas he had been accustomed to didn't come. Instead, his mind could only think of one thing.

He looked around the classroom. No one was around. His stomach tightened as he began to draw.

Michael was significantly less adept at drawing women. He had been taught that in order to learn and add to his visual library, he needed to draw from reference when studying. However, he absolutely despised the process of scouring the Internet for references of the different poses he wanted to try. So he started just taking his own reference pictures of himself. He could act out any pose or any camera angle without having to spend hours searching for what he wanted. This resulted in rapid improvement, but only for the male anatomy.

Michael scratched his head, staring at his work. He had tried to draw her as he first saw her: stretching tall in front of the window. The pose was recognizable, but it lacked the feminine allure she had the night before. But even so, the pose effectively reignited the memory, causing him to redden.

He continued to draw, making his way through pose after pose. Her kneeling behind the stool. Trying to capture her timid nature while standing, barely covering herself. Despite his struggles, he became so immersed, he nearly jumped from his seat when Mr. Bradford’s harsh voice cut through his concentration. 

Michael quickly shut his notebook, worriedly absorbing his surroundings. No one was close enough to have seen. His eyes searched the classroom. Sitting near the front, like it was just another day, was Sophia. 

Class went on just like any other. Throughout it, Michael couldn't help but study her. She was perfectly normal, leaving the world completely ignorant of her secret night. She remained the picture of composed beauty.

Mr. Bradford dismissed his students. Michael stretched in his chair. He watched Sophia assemble her things. She stood, smoothed out her skirt, and grabbed her bag. Michael's heart began to race as she ascended the stairs. 

You're gonna talk to her, he ordered himself. Just say ‘hi.’ Say, ‘see you tomorrow.’ He had almost convinced himself, when Sophia entered speaking range. He immediately turned from her, feigning himself distracted as he packed up his things. She walked by in silence.

Michael beat himself up for the rest of the day. He ran different conversations in his head, over and over. Replaying the moment endlessly. What he could have said, things he could have done. Exactly how he was going to talk to her at their next class. The sun set, and yet it still occupied the back of his mind. 

Michael sat in his bed, watching the clock tick. 12:48. His leg bounced in his bed. He knew the automatic hallway lights turned off at 12:45. If she was planning on going out again, it would be after that. 

He forced his eyes closed, turning away from the clock. He took a deep breath, trying to return his mind to the monotony of counting his breaths. But the twinge of excitement in his stomach was unyielding. He couldn't take it anymore, kicking off his blankets as he finally relented. He grabbed his sketchbook and pencil and made his way to the common lounge. 

He opened the door to an empty room, and a mixture of disappointment and relief. Having been unable to figure out what he'd have said if she’d been inside, he couldn’t help but let his tense shoulders drop.

With the lights off, the room was still surprisingly bright from the gentle blue glow of the outside world through the room's giant windows. The room didn't have dim switches, so turning on any lights would blast him with the faux sunlight of the room's LEDs. He just took a seat with his back to the windows, allowing their soft radiance to light his pages. 

Michael sketched for a while. He had used drawing as a way to quiet his mind to try and sleep before, although usually in his room. The scratch of the pencil to the page. The soft granulation in his hand. It was meditative for him. He ran through mind numbing practices: drawing shapes. Drawing a random line then trying to trace it exactly over and over. Simple exercises that would give him the experience of drawing without the mental exertion. Once his mind had finally quieted, he shuffled back to his room for the night.

The next few days went exactly the same. Sophia continued on perfectly normal. Her eyes never even wandered his way. The dark halls and lounge returned to their familiar desolation. The world spun on with such consistency, it almost began to feel as though that night had never happened. That it was only a vivid dream. A fantasy that his mind simply wished to be true.

As each day of sameness passed, this gnawing began to grow in him. A sort of sadness that he couldn’t place. He tried to ignore it, but every time he saw Sophia continuing on exactly the same, it grew a little more. Physics class became a sketching class, as he became more focused on blocking the feeling from his mind. Until that Friday. 

Mr. Bradford did weekly assessments, so the end of Friday always consisted of getting tests back. Michael was absorbed in his notebook, when something pierced through his concentration.

“Here is your test back, Sophia.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Michael’s eyes widened. Throughout their couple months of class, Sophia had never called Mr. Bradford, “Sir.” Standing in contrast with the rest of the class, it had become a point of identity for her in Michaels eyes. Until now.

Michael felt a weight lift from his chest as that gnawing feeling broke away. There was something validating about it. Seeing Sophia that night was a big experience for him. Even if it was accidental. Even if there was no reason it had to be him. It still was impactful enough to draw his mind for a while. 

That is when that gnawing feeling finally made sense to him. It didn’t matter if it was a coincidence. It didn’t matter if it had anything to do with him. Something changed in her. It wasn’t just business as usual for her. That thought alone was enough to settle his growing turmoil. Maybe she had given that night more than a passing thought, even if she never showed it. He just didn’t want to be so insignificant, that even being seen by him while completely wasn’t enough to make an impact on her.

For the first time all week, Michael’s mind finally dropped that night. After a week of passing each other by with no reactions. After a week of trying to convince himself to talk to her, when he knew deep down that he’d always back down at the moment of truth. It was time to move on. That night would be a permanent memory for him, but that was all it was going to be. And for the first time since then, he was okay with that. 

Physics ended, and Michael continued on with his usual Friday routine. He ate, spent a few hours finishing his homework for the week, and took his shower. Over the course of the week, he had become rather fond of sketching in the common lounge late at night. The dark room and the quiet aside from the soft scratch of his pencil. In a new place, separate from the workload and stress associated with the desk in his room. It was peaceful.

Once the lights were out, Michael grabbed his sketchbook and headed to the lounge. He took his usual seat on the couch, and began sketching. 

Since it was the weekend and he didn’t need to wake up the next day, he could let his mind be as active as it wanted. He decided to forego the mindless exercises and enjoy himself a bit. He began sketching various action poses. He started off with more simple poses, slowly ramping up the perspective and dynamism as he got more comfortable. 

Pages upon pages seemed to fill themselves as he sketched. He began connecting the poses, trying to choreograph scenes in his head, drawing the keyframes of fighting scenes or parkour movements. Michael was deep in his head, trying to visualize the look of side flip from a worm's eye view, when the door to the lounge opened. 

Michael jumped in his skin. He had completely forgotten where he was. He looked up from his page to see a familiar girl slipping in through the door. The dull cool light of the room was enough to make out her features, along with a large T-shirt and some baggy cotton pajama pants. Her eyes quickly traced the room, before resting on Michael. She smiled.

“Hey, Michael.” She whispered. The soft timbre of her voice ignited butterflies in his stomach, reminding him vividly of the last time they spoke. “What are you up to so late?”

“Uh,” Michaels brain stuttered. “I was drawing.” He held up his sketchbook, as if he needed to provide proof.

“Can I see?” Sophia tiptoed across the room. Despite its very empty state, she still moved as though her steps would wake up the whole dorm.

“Y-yeah, sure.” Sophia sat on the couch next to him. He tilted the sketchbook towards her, and she immediately leaned in to view it. Her sudden lean dislodged strands of her inverted bob from behind her ear, which she quickly remedied. 

Michael was not prepared for how close she sat. Close enough to smell her warm and inviting scent. It was a mix of sweet fruits and clean laundry. Subtle, but intoxicating nonetheless. 

“Oh wow, these are great.” Sophia still whispered. “Can I flip through?” Michael panicked for a moment, remembering the sketches he did of her earlier in the week, before remembering they were in his physics notebook instead. 

“Sure.” She flipped a page. And another. Normally people would quickly glance and move on, but it felt like she was actually looking at them. A dedicated focus that made him both happy, and embarrassed. 

“Do you only like drawing hot guys?” Michaels emotional mix morphed entirely into embarrassment.

“No, what? I-I mean, that's just what I am more comfortable with, I guess.”

“I get it. If I was as good at drawing as you were, I’d spend all my time drawing hot guys, too.” Sophia giggled. Michaels face got even hotter. He took his sketchbook back, eager to move the conversation on.

“I just have a lot more practice with them, since I can take my own reference pictures.” He put the sketchbook aside. “It takes a lot less time than trying to find references of the poses I want online. But then I only end up getting practice with guys.”

“Oh, I get it.” There was a brief pause. She stood up from the couch, before continuing slowly. “Do you want me to pose for you?” 

“Huh?” Michael let slip before he could catch it. “N-no, that's okay, I couldn’t ask you to do that.” He chuckled.

“No, really. It can be my thank you for,” Sophia’s voice dropped a bit. “For keeping last week to yourself...” Her cheeks reddened a bit. Before Michael had a chance to respond, she twirled back into the middle of the room. “So, do any poses work? I don’t think I can do flip kicks and stuff like in your notebook.”

“Y-yeah, any pose is fine. I would need a couple minutes to draw, so action poses probably wouldn’t work anyways. Just anything you think of that you can hold.”

“Okay.” Sophia smiled. She started off with a “land ho!” pose, with her hand over the tops of her eyes like a baseball cap. She immediately giggled, before sterning her face and holding the pose.

Michael quickly began sketching. His hand was warmed up from all his action poses, and yet it was surprisingly difficult. Her features were softer than he was used to. Without the angular juts from muscles, he had less landmarks to correctly space her proportions. Her oversized t-shirt and baggy pants did little help in that department.

After a couple minutes, she switched to the next pose. And the next. As they continued, she became more and more confident in her poses. Her silly awkward poses began to take on more elegance and grace. 

“Can I see?” Sophia asked as she finished her sixth pose.

“Yeah of course.” Although secretly he wished otherwise. The results were far below the quality he had wanted. She pranced back to the couch, sitting beside him once again. 

“I don’t have much practice with live drawing.” Michael continued, eager to preface the drawings with an excuse. “And I’ve been mostly studying anatomy and such right now, so my clothing is out of practice. Baggy clothes are especially hard.” Michael laughed, nervously rubbing the back of his head. 

“These are good.” Sophia reassured, giggling. She stared at the poses for a while in silence. “You’re focusing on anatomy right now?” She was quiet.

“Yeah, although as an artist you’re kinda always focusing on anatomy.” Michael nervously chuckled. “Sort of the gift that keeps on giving, kinda thing. Feels like I never get good enough at it.” Sophia didn’t respond. Michael gave another nervous chuckle. He started panicking. Conversation was never his strong suit. Was he supposed to choose a new topic now? He started racking his mind for a segue.

“Would it help if I took my clothes off?” Michael’s brain froze mid thought. All he could do was slightly open his mouth before she continued. “Just the shirt and pants though. And only if… you want?” Sophia looked at him with her doe eyes, before quickly looking away, sliding a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear once again. Still looking at the floor, she continued softly. “A-and its not like it’s anything you haven't seen before…”

Michael tried to swallow the thick knot in his throat.

“I-If you want to, that could help.” Michael was barely able to get out. She smiled softly, before standing back up. She pulled off her T-shirt, revealing the thin black strap of her bra across her back. She turned slightly to avoid leaving her butt directly in front of him, before bending over to pull off her pajama bottoms. She stepped out of them, leaving her clothes by the couch before returning to the middle of the room.

“Good to start?” Sophia asked, eyes locked with the floor. Her matching pair of black undergarments entranced Michael’s eyes.

“Y-yeah.”

Michael had been to dozens of figure drawing classes. He had drawn from several nude models in the past, and all of the classes had something in common: They weren’t arousing. He didn’t know if it was because of the model's confidence? The academic air of the room? Regardless of the reason, it was very difficult to get aroused during a figure drawing class, regardless of the model. That was not the case here.

Michael was instantly hard. He pressed his sketchbook into his crotch as he drew, desperate to try and turn it off. But it was hopeless. She was intoxicating. 

It seemed like with each pose she took, she got more and more attractive. Even though the poses still felt modest, they seemed to exude a more sensual element with each transition. He tried to push it out of his mind, chalking it up to his imagination. 

Michael could feel his underwear completely slick with precum. He tried to continue drawing, but with each pose, he found himself spending less and less time looking at his page. Eventually Sophia’s standing poses became sitting poses. She laid back, directly away from Michael. She lifted her knees, pressing them together with her hands crossed and resting on the floor behind her head.

Michael could hardly stand it. He tried roughing in the pose, but his eyes became glued to her. They traced down her legs. They seemed to glow under the cool dim light of the windows. His eyes stopped. Even with her legs together, with her knees raised he could see the sliver of black panties shielding her. He felt the throbbing of his cock through his sketchbook. He put his pencil down. He was about to speak when he noticed something. A very subtle gleam of light on her panties. Were they…? Was she… wet? — 

Ke-chunk! The mechanical latch of a closing door echoed through the hallways. Sophia startled upwards at the sound, quickly shielding her bra with her arms. She flipped over to her knees, closing the distance to grab her shirt and quickly slipping into it. Her frantic movements snapped Michael out of it.

“Sorry,” Sophia giggled, “Scared me a bit.”

“No, I-It’s fine.” Michael chuckled back. “I got a lot of practice,” he patted his sketchbook, unwilling to lift it from his lap. “Thanks for the help. D-definitely consider us even.” He laughed. She smiled, fixing that same strand of stubborn hair. They stewed in silence for a bit, before Michael continued, eager to break the silence. 

“I-I should probably let you get to bed, you modeled for a while. It’s gotten pretty late.”

“Y-yeah, I suppose.” She stood up. Her shirt was long enough that even without her pajamas, her panties remained hidden. A sight that did little to aid the strain beneath Michael’s sketchbook. She leaned over, grabbing her pants and quickly bundling them under her arm. “Thanks for drawing me, it was actually a lot of fun.”

“My pleasure!” Michael blurted, instantly recoiling at his own enthusiasm. She dropped her gaze in a smile. She twisted the longer side of her hair in her fingers as she swayed a bit on her feet. Her gaze stiffened from a moment as she took a deep breath.

“May I—?” Sophia stopped, her voice so quiet Michael could barely hear it in the dead silence of night. Michael creased his brow in confusion, leaning in a little. Her face almost looked warmer than when he stumbled upon her the week before. She quickly spun around, hiding behind her back. “I-It’s nothing.” She hurried to the door. As she opened it, she stopped, before looking over her shoulder.

“Talk to you later?”

“Y-yeah.” She quickly left the room, letting the door latch behind her. “Talk to you later.” 

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I know this isn't in the usual rotation of chapters I work on, but I had been thinking about this story for awhile, and figured I might as well write the next chapter! Although still basically a setup chapter xD Hope you guys enjoyed!