Ebb and Flow - Book 1

Fourteen

For some time the two men just stood in the midst of the storm, staring at one another, eyes burning. Thunderstorm raindrops fall bigger and heavier, and so quickly soaked through the thin fabrics of their clothes.

Coming back to his senses, Mew was the first to move, attempting to pull Gulf by his wrist towards the building he had recently exited. Gulf brushed his hand off with a frown, but accompanied Mew into the building all the same, reasoning that it was the best source of shelter to be had.

At the first clap of thunder, the students around them had quickly dispersed - running to car parks, hailing motorcycle taxis and tuk tuks, or hauling bikes from the bike shelter with jackets pulled desperately over heads to shield against the sudden downpour.

The large building seemed almost empty, save a group of security guards discussing something on a campus map, pointing and jabbing fingers to different locations as they disagreed about something or other.

"Come in here so they don't throw us out before the rain stops", Mew whispered, indicating a small, empty seminar room situated to the left of the central atrium.

One inside the room, Mew closed the door and turned to face Gulf.

He really took his breath away. His whole body leapt just to look at the younger man. Can a heart smile? Mew's heart did, he was sure of it. But Gulf was soaking wet and Mew needed to help him, was driven to help him from deep within.

He stepped towards Gulf, thinking to remove his wet hooded sweatshirt, but Gulf retreated a step, shaking his head silently. His eyes were cold, guarded, and his fists tightly balled again.

Mew didn't know what to do next. Every part of him had been so focused on seeing the other man again, that he hadn't thought about what would come after that. His eyes had just longed to look upon the other, his hands to caress and his nose to fill with his scent. His heart needed to beat out its drum to its...other...again. He had been aching since that night, aching all over.

As if reading that thought - perhaps he did? - Gulf finally spoke.

"You made me ache", he said simply.

"You made me ache too", Mew fired back.

"Why? What does it mean?"

"You don't know? It's because our alpha and omega hearts connected, they beat for each other that night, and then we separated them. They were in pain"

Gulf lowered his eyes to think about this. Then, with an unwelcome blush creeping across his cheeks...

"You had my phone number, you could have called if 'big bad alpha' was feeling lonely"

When Mew's answer came, it was barely audible:

"I...I was scared. I didn't know what you wanted. It was a lot, what happened. I felt like my chest was opened up and my heart was on display...like you could do anything to it and I would let you"

"I know", Gulf whispered back across the room, as the rain pelted against the windows in waves of percussion. "I felt the same".