Rowan
Rowan shouldn’t be feeling butterflies or thinking that Mikhail being here in Manchester was sweet. Still, he couldn’t believe that he was actually here, in the flesh, and standing next to him.
Even though you wished he would show up.
He waited outside the cafe, and when Mikhail stepped through the door, he turned to face him. “I can’t believe you’re here… you came.”
Mikhail smiled, but it was hesitant. “Are you okay with that?” He looked away for a moment. “I know I didn’t call, but I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me, and I was afraid you would tell me not to come. I know… it’s a bit forward…”
Ro smiled and put his finger to Mik’s lips. There was something endearing about seeing Mikhail so vulnerable.
“Stop worrying.” Rowan bit his lips before admitting, “A part of me wanted you to come.”
He looked away down at the pavement, his finger slowly falling from Mikhail’s lips. He was okay with Mikhail being here, but if Rowan was honest, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do about it… what he wanted to happen next.
Ro turned back to him. “Do you have a place to stay?”
He thought about inviting him to stay with him at his mum’s place, but that seemed way too much, too soon. He wasn’t ready to take that next step.
“Dakota Hotel, it’s not too far from here,” Mikhail replied.
Ro nodded. Okay, so he didn’t have to invite him home. That was good because he wasn’t at that point yet, but they could spend some time together, right? It was part of the reason he’d reached out to Zac, hoping to figure out if Mikhail… if his heart would be safe with Mikhail.
“Do you want to walk back… together?”
“Yes.” Mikhail’s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. “Absolutely.”
It was a start, and it beat standing in front of the café where anyone and everyone could gawk at them… and Rowan knew Zac and Jay definitely were.
Ro wasn’t sure how the night would end, but he did know that he and Mikhail needed to have a serious talk and then they could decide how they wanted to proceed.
Their trip was mostly silent as they made their way to Mikhail’s hotel, but seven or so minutes in, a bunch of teenagers walking in the opposite direction bumped into them, probably on their way to Arndale or something. Mikhail’s hand instinctively went around his waist, pulling Rowan into his side. Even when they could move apart, Rowan didn’t. It felt nice and it felt right.
They reached the hotel and entered through a sliding door. Mik led the way, and somehow, they were now holding hands.
They got in the lift still hand in hand, and Mik pushed the button for what Ro assumed was his floor. When the doors closed, Mikhail turned so they were facing each other, and their gazes locked. Rowan’s lips curved a little into a small smile and his body swayed towards Mikhail’s.
They were about to kiss, his brain screamed, and Mikhail’s arms went around him, pulling Rowan to his chest. The moment felt right, and Rowan didn’t want to step away.
He was ready for a kiss, but instead, Mik’s lips hovered just above his and the alpha whispered, “I would love to kiss you.” Mikhail sighed deeply and he lifted his hands and used his thumb to brush Rowan’s cheek. “Trust me, I really would, but not when there are so many unknowns. The last time we kissed, you ran from me. I would really rather it not happen again.”
For some reason, Mikhail wanting to take things slowly made Rowan all swoopy inside, but he also wanted to kiss Mikhail at the same time as wanting to take it slow. Fuck, he was a mess. Still, the words that came out of his mouth were, “We can wait.”
“I should probably not be, you know, so close.” He couldn’t seem to break eye contact.
“I quite like you close,” Mikhail said.
Ro liked being close, too, but he still stepped away until his back hit the lift wall and fought hard not to even look in Mikhail’s direction. It wasn’t at all easy to ignore him when his heart was racing in his chest.
It seemed like forever until they finally reached their floor and the tension between them only climbed higher. When the lift doors opened, Mikhail had to prompt him. “Here we are.”
Rowan stepped out of the lift, and they walked side by side down the hallway, and with each step, his heart raced faster in his chest.
They finally stopped in front of a door, and Mikhail turned to face him. “Ready?”
Crap, that word could mean so many things, and Rowan wasn’t sure if he was saying yes to all of them, but still, he nodded.
Mikhail smiled and nodded back, then reached in his pocket for a key card. It took him a couple of tries to get it in the slot correctly, and that little moment of nerves seemed to help Rowan calm down.
