Ashkii had been sure once he woke up the next morning Gio would have up and left and sent him a text telling him how everything that had happened was a mistake. He'd spent the night restless, trying to force himself to sleep, and when he'd managed to, his eyes would periodically peel open to make sure Giovanni was there, sleeping next to him. Soon, exhaustion took him and when he woke up in the morning, he'd panicked when Giovanni's side of the bed was empty, sitting up in a rush as his mind flooded with theories about the man's disappearance, but when he got dressed and opened the door, Giovanni was just in the kitchenette making a cup of tea.

"Do you want some?" the taller man asked, looking at Ashkii's frazzled figure at the door.

Ashkii stared back at him, blinking a couple of times before nodding. Giovanni was wearing one of Ashkii's shirts, which hung low and concealed whether he was wearing anything underneath.

Ashkii's lips parted, but words didn't come out. He made a nonsensical noise, and then Giovanni smiled — bright and big, and all the anxiety in Ashkii just melted away. The younger man walked up to Giovanni, looking up at him and then at the tea stuff on the counter. He watched Giovanni make him a cup before picking it off of the counter and taking a sip. The heat of the cup warmed up his hands, and the liquid soothed his throat.

"How are you feeling?" Giovanni asked, eyeing Ash.

Ashkii sighed, blinking back a few times as he swallowed the tea in his mouth before staring into Giovanni's eyes. He felt a bit nervous. Happy, but nervous. The emotion wasn't overwhelming or desperate, but it banged steady and strong beneath the surface of his skin, waiting for anything to go wrong. It could have been yesterday — the sex, the talking — everything had been a bit overwhelming. "A bit out of it," he admitted, biting down on his bottom lip. "Anxious."

"Me too," Giovanni said, shifting his fingers against the surface of the mug in his hand. "I'm nervous."

Ashkii watched his older man's lean fingers cradle the cup in his hands a little more tightly. "Why?" he said, leaning forward, so they were in each other's space.

"I haven't dated anyone in a long time, and the last time I did, it almost ruined my life," Giovanni said with a shrug. "He's still trying to ruin my life."

Ashkii's lips parted when his thick brow knitted into a frown. He thought Giovanni would have been frazzled about the sex, and the words that they'd said to each other, but he was worried about dating — about them dating. "You want to date me?" Ash asked, blinking back a few times. "I—"

"I thought that was what you wanted?" Giovanni asked, eyes widening like a deer caught in headlights. "What the whole of yesterday was about, but if—"

"It was!" Ashkii said, interrupting him. "I just didn't think you would want to date me."

Giovanni frowned as his lips parted. He looked confused. "I told you I loved you. You tend to want to date the people you're in love with."

Ashkii shrugged. "I know... I — I don't know. There's been a lot of rules, and I knew you were touchy about relationships in general, so I didn't know if you'd want to date me... I just guess I assumed it meant we would be exclusive now. I'm fine if you just want to be exclusive. You don't have to force yourself to date me if you're unsure. I didn't expect..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders again as he looked up at Giovanni.

Giovanni's dark hair framed his lean face with the shorter style. He looked modelesque — beautiful in that overwhelming way that made Ashkii's chest throb, and he was all his now. They were exclusive, and Giovanni knew he was in love with him, and somehow Giovanni claimed to love him too. His mind had been so focused on Gio sleeping with other people that he hadn't had time to think of the possibility that they would date.

At all.

He was just happy that he wouldn't have to mince his feelings anymore or lay in bed awake dreading the possibility that Giovanni was seeing someone else.

Giovanni sighed, taking a sip of tea before looking at Ashkii. "I'm not saying I'm unsure about dating you. I want to be your boyfriend. I'm just nervous about how things will go. I don't want to screw things up."

Ashkii could hear the sound of his heart beating in his ears as his lips parted to respond to Giovanni. "I want to be your boyfriend too," he said, looking at Giovanni's face. He watched the man's expression soften as a smile graced his lips. The light dimples he had played close to the edge of his lips.

"Okay," Giovanni said, licking his lips. "Okay, so we're dating, right? I haven't done this in a while, so bare with me...." He trailed off and Ashkii laughed a little, stepping a bit closer to him. This time their knuckles brushed the liquid in the cups they were holding, shaking a bit as Ashkii stepped on his toes to reach Giovanni's mouth. Their lips bumped lightly, and the smell of tea, sugar, and milk overwhelmed Ash's senses when Giovanni opened his lips to deepen the kiss. Ash had to constantly remind himself that he was holding a cup of tea and had to remember not to drop it even though all his hands wanted to do was lift the big shirt Giovanni was wearing and touch him all over.

Giovanni broke the kiss, closing his eyes before opening them again. "I think we should finish the tea before we do anything else."

Ashkii laughed, staring at the lust in Giovanni's eyes. He was sure he looked similar — probably even more desperate. "Yeah..." he mumbled, sucking on his bottom lip before letting out a sigh.

When they were done with tea, they migrated to the couch and talked about other things — Ashkii's school, and Giovanni's adventure at the hairdresser's. They avoided talks about the bar and Leslie. Ashkii didn't want to think about his boyfriend's exes right now, and he didn't want to see the smiling flirty Giovanni get moody and skittish like he did when with Leslie. Ashkii knew a good chuck about what happened, but not the fine details. To him, Leslie was a rich asshole closeted ex-boyfriend who didn't want to leave him alone, but he knew there was more to it. There was a pain that wasn't there in Giovanni's eyes when he talked about his other exes. Giovanni wasn't one to give fine details, but he hoped that the both of them being romantically involved meant Giovanni would let his guard down a bit and be vulnerable, because Ashkii wanted to know him better, and Ashkii wanted to help.

"By the way, I got you a sled for your birthday," Giovanni said, looking up at Ashkii. He was sprawled on the sofa with his head on the younger man's lap. "Do you remember I had something for you? I just wanted to figure out the details first."

Ashkii nodded, letting his fingers run through Giovanni's hair. "I remember that."

"It was delivered today — at my apartments..." Giovanni trailed. "I didn't think I'd be at your place for this long. Sorry..."

Ashkii shook his head. "You can stay here as long as you want."

Giovanni smiled a little. "Thank you, but I think I'm starting to be a nuisance—"

"Never."

Giovanni blinked, looking up at Ashkii. The man's dark eyes were shrouded in the pinning that tainted every interaction they had. He was so... romantic? It caught Gio off guard sometimes. It had been that deep yearning in him that initially had terrified Giovanni about the prospect of them being together. What if he messed up? What if his past and own personal issues made Ashkii see him differently in the future? Ashkii would graduate college — and probably have to leave town for something viable in his field, and he would see people more stable and less uptight, and Giovanni would be alone again...

The older man fought back the thought, sitting up before throwing his legs over the edge of the couch. He could work himself up about the relationship that started maybe an hour ago being sabotaged when his other problem was out of town and far away. "Do you want to go for a drink in the evening?" Giovanni asked, staring into the living area. The TV was off, and it was hard to tell the time in a basement suite, but it couldn't be past noon."

"Sure," Ashkii said, shuffling close to him so that their thighs touched. "I'll have to eat something because you might be taxed with carrying me back if I have more than a glass."

Giovanni chuckled, remembering what a lightweight Ashkii was. "We should go to a bar a little out of town. I don't want to run into Leslie..." he trailed, and Ashkii nodded.

Ash took one of his hands and squeezed it. "Is this okay?" Ash asked, making Giovanni blink at their joint hands before looking up at him.

"Of course..."

"Is it okay, outside?" Ash asked, licking his lips.

"Are you asking me if I want the relationship to be public?" Giovanni asked, cocking his head. Ashkii nodded, and Giovanni felt warmth crept through his face. He felt weirdly ashamed. Ash was thinking of all these caveats of what was okay and not because he'd been a dick at the start of it all and Ash hadn't shaken himself out of that yet.

"I've always been out, Ash. I don't care if we touch in public. If anything, I'm okay with keeping things private until you're comfortable coming out, but I don't do that forever..." he trailed, staring down at their hands. "You know why."

Ashkii nodded. "I just — I don't know if you wanted time to think about things first. I don't mind holding your hand or kissing you in public..." he paused, bringing up the hand he was holding to his lips to kiss. "That's why I asked. I want to be able to."

"Ashkii..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry," Giovanni said. "I treated your affection for me like it was a joke. I gave you a really hard time. I hurt you—" Giovanni paused. Now that he was letting himself feel what he felt for Ashkii, the mere thought of him being with someone else made him distressed. And even Ashkii — who had a cause for doubting how Giovanni felt about relationships expressed this, it upset Giovanni that he would even think that in the first place. It must have been how Ash felt when Gio called his affections for him 'a phase.' He had teased him, undermined his feelings, and waited for him to get over them.

He had loved Leslie so hard and got nothing but grief in return, so he hadn't believed it — had thought it had been a cosmic joke from the universe to throw him another 'gay for you' man who claimed to be obsessed with him, but he'd been wrong to make that comparison. Ashkii was nothing like Leslie. He was so full of love and patience, and based on the little they'd been through together, Ashkii seemed like he was willing to do anything for him.

"It's okay. You had your own thing going on, and I understand why you doubted me. I'm just happy that I get to do this now," Ashkii said, kissing Giovanni's hand again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Gio whispered, shivering at the feel of Ashkii's lips on his knuckles.

A/N

Cold Touch is 5 chapters ahead on Patreon and Radish Fiction.

Just look up 'Saint Caliendo' on Radish Fiction, or go to my profile for the direct link. My Patreon is also linked to my profile if you'd rather read it that way

Patreon is also ahead on multiple other stories if you fancy my other stuff!