Nadim arrives at Neptune's Nectar an hour early. Trying to tackle the demands of his job with his usual powers of concentration has proved futile after speaking with Alec. Hearing the man's voice has reawakened that nameless thing which stirred within his subconscious upon their first meeting. He has spent the days in between agonizing over whether or not to call Alec. He couldn't even use his own stupidity at not getting Alec's number as an excuse; using the minimal information Alec gave him, he'd been able to find it online in minutes.
Nadim is glad he went through with the call, but in his stomach there is still unease. He reasons that it is not precisely Alec himself that causes it, but rather whatever unseen force in the universe that brought them together. There is something fateful about their encounter, something that Nadim is not sure he is ready for. He suspects it does not matter if he is ready, because he knows that meeting Alec has set off some sort of irrevocable chain reaction. This does not lesson his nerves about the impending date.
He takes a seat at the bar and drums his fingers agitatedly on the counter. His brother Emir strides over to him, reaching over the bar to clap a hand on his shoulder.
"You're not looking so good. Something happen?"
Nadim breathes deeply to quell the queasy twisting in his abdomen. "I finally called him. That guy I told you about. I asked him to meet me here."
"Really? You never bring dates here."
Nadim shakes his head.
"So, not afraid I'll take the piss on this one, then?"
Nadim shakes his head again. He fears if he opens his mouth he may vomit.
"What the hell is with you? If you're gonna be sick, go to the bathroom. I won't wipe your puke off the bar."
The truth is, as sick as Nadim feels at the moment, he knows it would be worse if his brother were not here. Seeing Alec last time had felt so surreal, he is not altogether sure he hasn't hallucinated him. Having Emir with him, a constant solid presence in his life, is grounding. Emir plunks a club soda in front of him.
"Where's my martini?" demands Nadim, suddenly irritated.
"I'm not letting you get drunk while you wait just so you can make a complete tosser of yourself when he gets here. Just drink that and scribble in your notebook like you would any other night." On the rare occasions that Nadim is not equipped to be the responsible grownup, the usually happy-go-lucky Emir cloaks himself in the role without missing a beat. Nadim is grateful, though he doesn't show it.
Nadim calms himself during the remaining time doing exactly what Emir told him to do: scribble in his notebook. He is re-writing a scene that he had pulled from his latest book at the last minute; the scene had felt so deeply personal that it had made him uncomfortable to have it printed for the public's perusal. The scene in question is merely a reflective moment from his point of view character. It is uncanny how it parallels his own real reflections on his life at the moment, like a diary. Nadim has never felt the urge to keep an actual diary, but then his characters have always served as a far more therapeutic outlet for his musings.
He hears the door for the umpteenth time that night, but on this occasion the swish and thud sounds different, heavy as it hangs in the air. He looks up to clap eyes on Alec's tall strapping form. Alec spots him almost instantly, his face breaking out into a boyish grin. He has shaved. Once he reaches Nadim, he peals off his stylishly tattered brown leather jacket to place it on the back of the barstool. Nadim is taken aback by how sinfully fine-looking Alec is in a deep wine colored cashmere sweater over an iron toned button-down. The colors are reminiscent of his most subliminal hungers, violently roused by recent dreams that should have left these desires lying dormant.
Alec leans in to kiss his cheek for the second time and then everything is natural and right in the world. They smile idiotically at one another for a drawn out moment.
After Emir delivers a scotch and soda for Alec and a dirty martini (along with a poorly concealed lewd gesture) for Nadim, the two men slip into easy conversation. Alec is not as tense tonight, revealing the energetically candid man beneath. He tells Nadim stories about his family and work, exposing humor that is at times both caustic and bawdy. Nadim revels in it. His skin radiates heat at the way Alec barks his laughter, full dimples, at Nadim's jokes and how his eyes turn soft when Nadim brushes his hand with his fingertips. They are both warm, each nearly finished with a second drink.
Emir walks up to them, throwing Nadim a sheepish grin. "That guy at the end of the bar bought you a drink. I told him you were with someone, but he insisted."
Nadim pushes away the martini and looks impishly at Alec. "You can tell him my cup is already spoken for."
"Sure thing, bro," says Emir, swiping away the martini.
Alec and Nadim gulp down the last vestiges of their drinks. "Want to get out of here? Go for a walk?" Alec nearly whispers as he leans in closely. His whiskey-laced breath tickles Nadim's ear. He nods. Once the bar tab is settled and they are nearly out the door, Nadim does not miss the positively menacing look Alec shoots at the man that tried to buy Nadim a drink.
They end up meandering towards the park. As they cross the street, Alec trips slightly on the curb. He yells out, "Jupiter's cock!" and giggles adorably.
Nadim sidles up to Alec, slinking his arm around the other man's, palm splayed around his bicep. "Don't think I've heard that one before."
"I don't know where that came from. I think I'm a little tipsy."
"Lightweight," teases Nadim, squeezing his arm.
They come to a stop in front of the large lit-up fountain in the middle of the park. They are now facing each other and Alec is looking down at him with a joyous grin, the light from the rocketing water highlighting his features. Alec takes Nadim's left hand and sets it against his shoulder and then takes his right hand to hold in his own. Alec's free hand comes to a rest on Nadim's back.
"What are you doing?"
"Teaching you a simple box step," replies Alec as though this is a perfectly normal venue in which to dance.
"Is your hand usually this low when you're teaching someone a box step?"
"No." They begin, Alec leading while mumbling a constant refrain of "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and…"
Once Nadim has the steps down, Alec smiles and moves to twirl him in a fluid movement. As Nadim turns he hears a sharp metallic clash of steel against steel and out of the corner of his eye catches a cruel glint of blood-crusted iron…
Nadim blinks his eyes dazedly as he is pulled back into Alec's strong arms. One look up towards Alec's shaken expression tells him that the sudden illusion of archaic combat was not his alone.
He is not sure what he expects Alec to say in this strange moment when he sees the man struggle to open his mouth.
"I'll walk you home?" Alec suggests with faux-nonchalance. Nadim nearly tears up in gratitude when he realizes that Alec is choosing to ignore the still lingering phantoms.
Once they reach Nadim's apartment, the tension is nearly tangible. Nadim breaks the silence. "I'll call you tomorrow," he says in a hopeful voice that wasn't supposed to sound hopeful. He clasps Alec's hands tightly.
Much like that first night, Alec catches Nadim off guard as he swoops in to kiss him. This time, Alec's mouth lands on Nadim's own and he can sense a forceful crush of emotion behind it. The kiss seems to last too long and too briefly at the same time, and before Nadim can comprehend reality, Alec has once more disappeared into the night. He hears the persistent little voice in his head saying he can't just ignore what happened in the park. He decisively smothers it with the glowing pleasure left behind by Alec's lips.