I take a long, slow breath in. From his sketch, it’s clearly a younger and very beautiful woman, but it’s also a nude portrait. She sits partially hidden by the long grass of a lush meadow next to the rippling waters.

The outline of her seems to call out to me, as if appealing for help. Nico isn’t doing this for money, but for his own sanity as this unknown female seems to haunt him. I wonder if she represents the one elusive element of his great passion in life. In the style of the old masters, this is about achieving his personal dream in a way that his father would have understood. It’s as if he feels he has to prove to himself that he can do it, once and for all, before moving on.

‘I need to think about that, Nico. Forgive me, but I can’t say yes to you at the moment.’

He closes his eyes for a second or two, nodding to acknowledge my hesitation.

‘Of course. Please, take your time. There is no pressure and I realise it’s a big ask. But, as an artist, I know that with your help I could finally put an end to the dream that seems to fill my head each night. Like a restlessness that won’t go away until the task is done. Right, that’s it for this morning. This afternoon it’s time to teach.’

For a moment I feared this conversation might have pulled him down, but his mood is light and it’s good to see him looking so content after his morning’s work.

I scan around, waiting for him as he pulls off his old, paint-splattered T-shirt and grabs the crisp cotton shirt hanging from the hook on the wall. I suppose in this context the body is just a form, whereas to me I instinctively want to cover up. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my body, but maybe deep down I’m a bit of a prude.

How can I possibly pose nude in front of a man I hardly know, even in the name of art? A part of me wants to do it because I understand the enormity of the request and what it means to Nico. But no man, aside from Aiden, has ever seen me naked.

I study Nico’s back, those firm muscles as he slips on his shirt, and he turns, catching my gaze. But I don’t feel embarrassed as he gives me what I can only describe as a soulful look; one of acceptance. I envy his skill, as I would dearly love to capture that strength of body and character on canvas. I’ve never met anyone who is so alive, in all senses of the word. To see everything through the eyes of an artist is to see a very different world indeed.