62 62- Denial Or Discovery

I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I know I'm not gay. The thoughts raced through Edwardo's mind. He was not, and has never been gay.

"I see you've met our seasonal hire, eh Eddie?" Howard delivered Edwardo's usual muffin and jam on a plate. "Michael, why don't you pick yourself something from the case. Safe to say I'm exchanging the usual one coffee for two? I have a feeling you two kids may want to get to know each other a little bit."

Edwardo nodded dumbly, quickly retrieving his phone from where it had fallen on the floor. He offered the cashier a shy smile. Their name was "Michael"… That was definitely a male name. Between that and the voice, there was no denying this very beautiful person standing in front of him was, in fact, a man. He wasn't gay. He was pretty sure he wasn't gay. There was just something about this one person in particular that was making him feel things that all of a sudden had him very, very, very confused.

They sat near the window, away from the door and the cold air that rushed in each time it was opened. Michael opted for a blueberry muffin, deciding it was one of the least messy things to go with. Their coffees sat steaming on the table between them. Michael had rehearsed all kinds of things he wanted to say, but now that the moment was here, his mind was frustratingly blank.

If you would have told Edwardo this morning that his after work snack run would turn in to a coffee date with a beautiful model, who just happened to be a guy, he would have called you crazy. Stuff like that doesn't happen. Yet, it was happening. What was he supposed to talk about?

"You're so pretty- I mean, your pictures! Your pictures are so pretty!" Edwardo stumbled over his words. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up any gender questions. "What ah, what camera do you use?"

Michael was red as could be. No way the hottest hunk of man in the city was getting flustered over him! Stuff like that doesn't happen. Was this really happening? At least photography was a topic he could hide behind.

"I use my phone camera." Michael tried to play it cool. "Then I edit them on my laptop, but it's nothing fancy."

"Your photos are breathtaking! You truly have a gift!"

"Well now you're just flattering me." Michael batted his eyelashes, trying to get his heart rate under control. "You're a photographer too, what's your go-to equipment?"

Edwardo had to loosen his tie a little. Is it even possible for a man to be that cute? "I have a DSLR, but it's just a hobby. Anyone can take the kind of pictures I do."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that..."

Talking of cameras and techniques was the perfect ice breaker. They were soon avidly discussing lens tricks as compared to editing software, getting caught up in their shared hobby rather than worrying who it was they were sat across from. Edwardo was able to forget his sexuality crisis, and Michael was able to get his thoughts mostly coherently flowing.

Howard kept half an eye on them from behind the counter, cheery glint in his eye. Maybe he'd known ahead of time that Eddie had taken a fancy to a certain person who posted colorful selfies online? Maybe he offered Michael a job to orchestrate this meeting? Don't get him wrong, he did need a seasonal cashier. Business always picked up around the holidays. Maybe wedding cakes were a great sale and he was playing the long game? He wouldn't tell. After the last few days, everyone needed something to smile about.

"There is one thing I wanted to ask you," Eddy began with caution after the topic of cameras dried up and their snacks were gone. Silence was stretching and there was something he had to know. It was eating at him. "I... Do you prefer to be addressed as male...? I mean- are you a male, because its just, online you kinda seem… And... Wait, this is a weird question, isn't it? Where was I going with this..."

"Did you think I was a girl?"

Edwardo backpedaled like his life depended on it. He probably just ruined every chance he had of meeting up with this amazing person ever again. "It's not that! You seem masculine, but you're in to feminine things, and I'm pretty sure you're omega, but sometimes you just don't know, and I don't want to offend you unknowingly is all, since I only know you from the internet..."

"So... how do you feel about dating men?"

Edwardo had to stop and think. "I don't know… I've never dated a man before…"

Michael grinned, tapping his foot against Edwardo's leg under the table. It was time to seal this deal. Time to show this alpha he was an omega worth pursuing. DTF Omega Mode: Activate!

"You know, the nice thing about dating another guy is they know exactly how to make a guy feel good."

You could pinpoint the moment edwardo.exe crashed. A coherent sentence refused to form. Did the most beautiful person he'd ever seen really just say that? He surprised himself by mentally calculating the distance of the five closest hotels. When he woke up this morning, he was really, totally, completely sure he wasn't gay. But with the way his body was reacting right now, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"What, too far?" Michael asked, suddenly worried his tendency to speak his mind just cost him a second date.

"Friday! Uh, I mean, that is," Edwardo cleared his throat, trying to collect his thoughts. "Are you free Friday? For dinner? Maybe?"

Michael traced his fingers down the back of Edwardo's hand from across the table. "I would LOVE to go to dinner with you Friday!"

"Th-then I'll see you Friday!" Edwardo got up to leave, making sure his coat was pulled down over his crotch.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Michael couldn't suppress his grin when he realized Edwardo's predicament. HE caused that!

"Forgetting... something...?"

Michael pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up like a clue. "Don't you need my phone number?"

Edwardo patted his pockets to hunt for the device, nearly fumbling it pulling it out. They exchanged numbers, and when he turned to leave again, Michael stopped him one more time.

"Promise I'll see you Friday?" Michael held his arms open, asking for a hug.

He knew Edwardo was trying to get away to hide his public boner, but honestly you couldn't tell unless you were staring directly at his pants. Besides, he just had to know. He had to know what it felt like to be in this person's arms. He didn't want to wait until Friday. Maybe under the circumstances it was selfish, maybe some would see it as mean. Maybe with everything going on, Michael simply needed a good hug.

With one look Edwardo knew if any kind of relationship became of this, he was going to have a hard time saying "no" to anything when Michael made that particular face, no matter the circumstances. The way his brows slanted upward, the way his lip stuck out ever so slightly, those gorgeous melting blue eyes... He gave himself a mental slap and pulled Michael to his chest.

The first thing he noticed was how perfectly Michael fit in his arms. So petite, a strong protective urge came over him. Another thing was his smell. At first Edwardo thought maybe the bakery had put out a new product, but that wonderful smell was definitely coming from Michael. Never had an omega smelled this good to him before. Did that account for something? Did this explain the way his body was reacting contrary to what he thought he knew about himself?

Michael wanted to melt in those arms. Even though Edwardo was giving him a somewhat awkward, ass out, chest only kind of hug, there was no denying the strength of the embrace. Under his coat, this guy had to be swole. And his smell? Delicious. Comforting... Couldn't he just stay in these arms just a little longer?

Edwardo was the one to break the hug, holding Michael out at arms length by his shoulders. "So then... I'll ah... I'll pick you up Friday?"

Michael's smile stretched from ear to ear. "I'm already looking forward to it!"

Edwardo's heart skipped a beat at that smile. There was no way the average adult male was capable of being that cute. Michael was actually interested in him? Dios mio...

Another round of promises to meet Friday, and Edwardo dashed out of the shop. Around the corner and out of site, he tousled his hair with his hands, trying to process what just happened. His chest was light, and he couldn't get the smile to leave his lips. Friday! He couldn't wait for Friday!

Michael was practically floating. Grinning from ear to ear, he couldn't stop the urge to dance in place a little. His crush was totally crushing on him! With all the shit going on, this was like a dream! He couldn't wait to tell Ryan! Friday... Why couldn't today be Friday...