"Alright," Freddie said to Leo as they sat next to each other on the garden wall. "Now you know my sugar shame you have to give me something equally embarrassing. Fair's fair."

"I have no shame," Leo said.

"Yeah right," Freddie laughed knocking against Leo.

Leo shrugged as though daring Freddie to challenge him.

"Fine I'm looking at you and you're bloody perfect but I know deep deep deep down inside there's a secret no one knows and I'm gonna fish it out."

"Okay," Leo said.

"Okay? Is that permission? Well alright then challenge accepted."

The only reply Freddie got was a soft smile, and that felt like enough of secret to keep him going for a while.

They chatted about nothing until Freddie had to head to class. Without plans to meet again, the goodbye felt more significant, but Freddie held himself back from hugging because he didn't know if they were there yet. He wasn't sure at what point friends were allowed to hug each other goodbye. He took the question to Tim and Nikki over lunch.

"When can you hug someone?" he asked.

"Right now babe," Nikki said throwing an arm around his shoulder and giving him a quick squeeze.

"Thanks but I mean how well do you have know someone before it's okay to hug?"

"Is this a sexual harassment thing?" Tim asked. "Did you touch someone? Did someone touch you? Who was it I just wanna talk?"

"Bugger off," Freddie said. "I'm talking about two people who are sort of friends and not harassing each other."

Tim still looked concerned.

"Like say a casual hug goodbye?" he suggested trying to make it seem like a random example.

"Is there a new girl?" Nikki asked. "Did you double check she's into guys this time?"

"It's a friend, we're friends, I just wanna know if we're hugging friends yet?"

"I hugged you the first time we met," Nikki said.

"It's a guy friend," Freddie said.

"We hugged them first time we met," Tim added.

"It's different kind of guy friend," Freddie said.

"Ah he's straight," Tim translated. "Ask Dave."

"Yes!" Nikki said excitedly. "Dave will know."

Freddie did ask Dave.

"Just ask him dude it's weird you're overthinking it," Dave said with a shake of his head.

He didn't bother asking Lydia, he knew she'd laugh at him. At the end of the day all Freddie could say in his defence was that if any of them knew Leo, they'd understand.