"I really want to hug you. Can I?"

🌙

Teddy had been waiting for Mani to say these words because no sooner had they left his lips, he was standing up from his seat. "Sure, just let me use the bathroom first." He smiles and heads in the direction of the toilets.

Mani now had a few minutes to gather his thoughts....He was about to go on a walk on a starry night with a guy who does something to him which he can't explain. He doesn't know what's coming over him but he's feeling quite the devil may care.

Mani looks at the table to see that Teddy still has half a bottle of bud left. He picks up the bottle and downs the contents. This should be enough to see him through. He places the bottle down moments before Teddy resurfaces from the bathroom. "Ready?" He says and holds out his hand for Mani to take.

For a few seconds Mani just stares at the hand suspended in mid air. Teddy had quite large hands and long slender fingers and Mani was finding this oddly attractive. He started to think about all the things that he could do with those beautiful hands.

Teddy starts to wiggle his long attractive fingers. "I have washed them." He adds. This makes Mani smile and he finds himself getting up and reaching for his hand. Teddy takes the lead and guides Mani out of the bar.

Once outside, the air hits them. The evening is fresh and it's just what Mani needs if he wants to keep his head relatively clear. Teddy looks across and down at Mani. "Where do you want to go?"

Mani takes a sigh, looking up at his big blue eyes. "Shall we just walk? See where it takes us?" This must be the right answer because Teddy squeezes Mani's hand a fraction tighter and they head right, down the street.

They just walk in silence for a few minutes and Mani realises that this is the first time he's ever held a guy's hand. Well...if he doesn't include his dad or when they had to partner up at cub school. He even hears himself saying it.

"I've never held anyone's hand like this before." Teddy slows his pace slightly. It's as if to process the words Mani was saying.

"Really? I don't believe that. Who wouldn't want to hold your hand?" He then brings their connected hands to his lips and kisses Mani's knuckles. Mani can't help but pull both his lips in and grin until it hurts. Teddy then lets go of his hand, only to change the grip so now their fingers are interlocked with each other. "Your hands are so soft." He adds, rubbing his thumb over Mani's slightly smaller hand.

"Thanks...your hands are..." Mani tried to think of a good hand compliment that doesn't sound weird. Teddy's hands felt quite rough compared to his. He could feel the rough patches underneath his palm where the odd callous had formed. He guessed it was through his alpha pursuits. "Manly!" Mani suddenly says.

This makes Teddy laugh. "Manly…thanks." Mani laughs nervously as if he'd just intentionally made what was deemed to be a joke but he was being serious. Thankfully it didn't affect the mood.

They carry on walking along the street, taking in the evening. The cars driving by, the street lights, the houses with lights glowing through the windows. It all felt very human, very natural and Mani felt like that just maybe, Teddy wasn't all that bad after all.

"You know what I want to do?" Teddy says and slows down to a stop. Mani turns, just a few inches in front and faces him.

"What?" He wanted to know but was a little scared of what Teddy might say.

"I really want to hug you...can I?" Teddy wouldn't have ordinarily asked, he would have pinned his mate down and claimed him if they weren't so resistant, but he was beginning to understand how the omega ticked. He had to play this long game and hopefully by the night's end, it would pay off.

Mani finds himself inching a little closer to Teddy. He finds his voice and though it sounds small, it's loud enough for him to hear him utter a "yes."

Teddy quickly lets go of Mani's hand and puts his arms around his shoulders and pulls Mani in. Mani's hands find their way under Teddy's arms and around his back, Mani's left cheek now pressed against Teddy's red woolly jumper.

The first thing that hits Mani is the warmth. Not only from the softness of his clothes, but also the warmth of his body. His head was pressed against Teddy's chest and he could faintly hear him breathing and his heartbeat which seemed to be beating as fast as Mani's, which he was surprised with. Maybe he did get butterflies too!

Then Mani notices the smell. It was a beautiful scent, a unique smell that only Teddy would possess. It seemed to be a combination of Calvin Klein and something else. Mani deduced that the something else was Teddy's own smell. It was just so 'Teddy'.

What Mani did know was that he liked it. He caught himself breathing in the scent from his jumper.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do this." Teddy says as he rests his chin on the top of Mani's head.

"Well...here you are." Mani says, his voice slightly muffled by Teddy's jumper. He releases Mani from their cuddle and reconnects their hands.

They walk a little more, when Mani starts to feel the cold. He reaches around his coat to pull it around him a little. Teddy looks and notices what Mani is doing. "What's up? Are you ok?"

"It's just getting cold." Mani smiles, looking back at Teddy.

"I'll take you back." He says and starts to pull Mani back the way they walked. Mani glances at his watch. It was only around 9pm.

"It's still early Teddy are you sure?" Teddy nods his head.

"I've had a great time Mani, it's fine."

They walk back towards the direction of the bar. Mani assumes Teddy will leave him here and they will say their goodbyes but he doesn't let go of his hand. "So which way is your dorm?"

"Oh...this way." Mani says in surprise. So Teddy was going to see where he lives.

***

They are now stood at Mani's door. Teddy still has a hold of his hand and Mani knows. He knows what Teddy wants. He knows he wants to kiss him. He can sense it, feel it, see it in his eyes and Mani is at a crossroads.