More of our 1st date...I mean..."Hangout"

Soon Dhiraj and Nakul reached a fancy Italian restaurant whose name Nakul concluded he could never possibly pronounce.

"I hope you like Italian food." Dhiraj let out a smirk, in hopes that Nakul would be at least a bit impressed by the extravagance of their "hangout" so far.

But a simple-minded Nakul didn't understand the motive after that remark. He simply replied, "I've never really tried much. Except for pizza and pasta maybe..."

"Oh. that's fine. We can always try out new stuff" Giving Nakul a quick wink, Dhiraj got out of his car.

And a dumbfounded Nakul could only think: 'from where does he bring so much cockiness?'

The restaurant was on the topmost floor. Dhiraj had already made reservations for them. Soon they reached the top floor and Nakul resisted his urge to run towards the window and have a look through the humongous glass windows. He concluded it would look too child-like and he already fulfilled his quota of "child-like-behavior" for the day. The movie, the fanboying, the jumping into Dhiraj's arms and the...nuzzling of Dhiraj. Nakul spaced out as he recalled that.

The waiter placing plates in front of him snapped him back into reality. 'What the fuck was I thinking about?' Nakul cursed himself in his mind.

[A/N: About your soon-to-be honey?!]

He felt somewhat embarrassed as he recalled the touch. Soon his eyes met Dhiraj's and he saw the other man smiling at him. 'Smug face.' He ignored Dhiraj's smile and took a look at the menu. He understood not even a single word.

Shortly the dinner was served. Dhiraj had placed the order since Nakul seemed confused looking at the menu. A part of Nakul felt out of place and soon his anxiety creeped on to his face. Dhiraj took notice of it. He extended his hand to hold Nakul's palm placed on the table.

Giving it a slight squeeze, he reassured Nakul," Hey, you will like it here. Trust me"

Even though Nakul was always suspicious about the motives of the man in front of him, he couldn't deny that he did feel a tint of comfort in Dhiraj's smile. He couldn't ignore the fact that, despite being practically strangers, he could just.....relax around this man.

That confused him even more. Why did he feel that way?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he pressed a small smile on his lips indicating that he'll be fine to Dhiraj. He took the 1st bite of the food and surprisingly, it was somewhat to his liking. It was a bit bland. But that was probably because his taste buds were used to eating spicy- tangy food.

They enjoyed their meal, having small talks in between. Towards the end of the meal Dhiraj casually asked Nakul,

"You won't mind getting a glass of wine, right?"

"I've never really tried much wine. But yeah. I guess." Nakul let out a small chuckle, somewhat embarrassed.

"You don't drink?"

"Just occasionally."

[A/N: Drinking isn't a common practice in India. Some people don't prefer to do it. That's why Dhiraj asked Nakul before offering him wine.]

Dhiraj opened the sparkling bottle of wine, the waiter had brought them and poured a cup for Nakul. Accepting it, Nakul took a sip savoring the taste.

"This is really sweet. But I like it." Nakul concluded.

'Phew. Thank God he likes it.' Dhiraj let out a mental sigh.

Nakul took his time relishing the taste and soon his eyes started to wander around. The place seemed to have quieted down a bit. Soft music playing in the background and the city view outside. He had a good evening. He soon asked for a refill and Dhiraj was more than happy that Nakul was finally relaxing.

Both of them weren't talking much. But the silence wasn't making things awkward. Instead, it brought a sense of comfort.

"I've tried wine a couple of times." Nakul broke the silence. "Once I went to a vineyard with my sister and my Jiju [Sister's husband]. There was this grape festival. It was the red wine though" Nakul looked somewhat tipsy.

"I assume you are really close with your sister"

"Yeah, I am. I never really had many friends growing up. And I think she noticed that. So, she played with me instead. You have any siblings?" a casual conversation started between them.

"Nop. I'm the only child."

"Must've been lonely right?" Nakul had started to get a bit tipsy.

"Not really. At least I never felt that way. In fact, I kind of liked it. Coz everyone paid attention only to me."

"What?" Nakul laughs out, "Dude, that kinda makes sense. Suits your personality. A bit self-centered."

"Maybe. But that's how it was for me", Dhiraj casually shrugged off his shoulders.

"You are pretty confident about yourself, right?"

"I am" and Dhiraj's classic smirked return.

"That's a good thing. I wish I was so confident about myself" Nakul muttered to himself. And Dhiraj didn't really understand what Nakul said.

***

[A/N: There will be a song mentioned. Do listen to them so that you can get a better understanding of what these two babies are talking about. The song is Roslyn- Bon Iver, St. Vincent]

Dhiraj and Nakul were in the car, driving back to Nakul's place. Nakul was somewhat drunk and that made him let go of his guard. That did show Dhiraj some new sides of Nakul. He concluded that even though Nakul showcased that he was all tough and disinterested, his true personality was much more laid back.

Nakul was looking out of the window, watching something he hadn't ever seen before. The night view of the city. 'This has been the most amount of time I've spent with him. It wasn't...that bad.'

"Should we play some music?" Dhiraj suggested that as his last master stroke for a perfect date- meaning....hangout.

"Okay" Nakul's eyes sparked up. Good food, a bit chilly night, wind on his face and Music too? There was nothing more he needed.

"What should I play?" Nakul asked.

"Anything that you want?!" Dhiraj smirked.

'Smug face.' A small smile unconsciously seeped through Nakul's lips.

"I can understand why those women fall for you." Nakul remarked as he recalled reading an article about Dhiraj's messed up love history. In a pretentious reporter-like mocking voice, he blurted, "Dhiraj Raghuvanshi-the millionaire playboy". And laughed out loud at his own joke.

Dhiraj didn't mind Nakul mocking him. In fact, he was glad Nakul was enjoying himself. He too laughed out listening to Nakul doing the ridiculous mocking voice.

"Seriously. I don't understand how you can like guys though?" a genuinely curious Nakul questioned. He knew about the sexuality spectrum and did not judge people based on it. But he did feel the stigma around the "sexuality-talk" and he genuinely didn't understand how people can like people of same sex.

"I don't know. I guess I was always that way." Dhiraj on the other hand never really cared what people thought about him. If he liked something, if he wanted someone, he just knew he HAD to pursue them.

Meanwhile, Nakul, not paying much attention to Dhiraj, was focused on what song he should play. He choose a mellow, minimal instrumental song. It was Roslyn by Bon Iver. Soon the singer's deep sonorous voice and guitar chords filled in the car's atmosphere. Nakul laid back once again, staring at the view.

"I didn't know the lights looked so good at night." Nakul's drunk self took over him. "Can you slow down the car a bit?"

It was a request from his baby. How could Dhiraj not oblige?! He slows down the car.

The song sounded a bit melancholic, so Dhiraj naturally enquired about it to Nakul, "What's this song about?"

Nakul let out a small chuckle before answering that question, "I don't know. I tried searching it up. But people had their own interpretations of this song. Some say it's about a heart break. Some say it's about nostalgia."

~silence

"You know, every time I listen to this song, I feel like going to a place." Nakul started chattering to himself. The alcohol had finally taken over him. So now he just wasn't afraid of letting this man into his mind. "More like, there's a place where I want to go to and listen this song"

"What place is that?"

"I.....imagine snow when I think about this song. White snow everywhere. I'm standing in these dark, black woods covered with snow. No traces of leaves. It's just all white. And all silence. And then there's snow slowly falling on my face. I want to know how that will feel-"

Nakul closes his eyes, as if trying to imagine what it would feel. "- And then, the sun peeks out from the clouds. And I close my eyes. Trying to feel the warm sun rays." He smiles to himself as he slowly opens his eyes. Looking directly at Dhiraj, he finally said, "That's the place I wanna go to one day."

'You will babe.' Dhiraj continues to drive as silence takes over them once again. The guitar strings of Roslyn kept playing in the background. And for some unknown reason, the song now brought them peace.

The song soon ended, and Nakul didn't play another song after it, but it felt as if the guitar was still playing.

Shortly after, Nakul said,"Hey.....I wanted to thank you."

"Why?"

"For the movie. And the dinner too."

"Nakul.....the pleasure is all mine" Dhiraj gave him a sincere smile. He meant it.

Nakul looked away, smiling as more lights passed by.

"You know I always hated watching movies." Nakul began again, his voice a bit more serious. "Because I wasn't able to understand what everyone loved about them." He let out a small laugh, "But today...I could"

He giggled a bit more and soon fell into a deep slumber.

***

20 minutes had passed since Dhiraj had stopped the car in front of Nakul's apartment. His baby was still asleep, and he had no heart to wake Nakul up. So he decided to quietly observe Nakul from a distance.

Nakul was indeed asleep like a baby. All furrow lines had vanished, and he was at peace sleeping like a little kitten curled up. Observing Nakul at a distance was becoming a rather painful event for Dhiraj. Memories of past days flew in his mind. How they met, the color rush, his baby's pouty face, their banters, that hug at Nakul's place, his face as he saw the movie and him jumping into Dhiraj's arms.

'That was something unexpected.' He remembered the feeling of Nakul's arms around him..... and the warmth of his neck....and that moan that escaped from his lips. He felt a slight bulge in between his legs. 'Fuck.'

Dhiraj looked away from Nakul, an unsuccessful attempt to suppress his lust, only to stare back at his baby a second. His eyes soon fall on Nakul's plum lips. 'Totally suck able.' And an unholy thought was taking form in Dhiraj's mind.

'I wanna kiss him. Just once.' He was unable to resist that sweet temptation.

'Fuck. No. He's sleeping.'

[A/N: Yeah, reasoning might definitely help him get over such thoughts👀]

'Yeah. He's sleeping. He won't know. Just a quick peck on his cheek will do.' He found the devil whispering in his ears.

Dhiraj had never felt so conflicted ever in his life. It was as if he was a 13-year-old, crushing for the 1st time. He didn't even remember when was the last time he had a crush on someone so bad. He bit his finger in frustration.

Giving in to the temptations of the forbidden fruit, he leaned forward to place a small peck on Nakul's cheek. The distance between them reduced. He reached Nakul's cheek. They were only a few millimeters apart when Dhiraj's hair brushed on Nakul's eyes and Nakul let out a raspy, "ummmm..." irritated from the hair.

For a second, Nakul looked like a small kitten not ready to wake up from sleep and that small "ummmmm...." made the bulge in Dhiraj's lower half more prominent. Dhiraj immediately lunged back to his seat.

'Fuck. What was I going to do?' The hardness between his thighs made him feel frustrated. A mixed emotion of wanting something so bad but knowing you can't touch it. Agitated, he hit the steering wheel of his car and a loud horn was heard.

Nakul woke up with a jerk.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up" Dhiraj quickly removed his jacket and placed it on his boner.

"No.....was I asleep? Did we reach home?" Nakul was still disoriented.

"Yeah"

"Why didn't you wake me up? Has it been too long?" Nakul rubbed his eyes.

"No. Just a few minutes"

"Okay. I'll go now. Sorry it got so late because of me" An apologetic Nakul said as he realized it was 10:43 pm.

"No, that's totally fine"

"Okay. Sorry once again"

"All fine" Dhiraj's boner was completely gone now

"Yeah. And thanks.....for...today. It was fun." he said to Dhiraj with a smile and gratitude in his eyes. He opened the car's door to leave but paused for a second to say, "Do let me know.....about the next time"

Saying that, Nakul quickly left the car. And Dhiraj was trying so hard to stop smiling.

He. was. So. proud. Of. himself.

Finally!! Finally, he felt a small sense of accomplishment. He kept looking Nakul till the man was out of his view. And when that happen, he replayed the song that Nakul had played earlier.

~Roslyn by bon Iver

Listening to the soulful voice of Iver and the guitar strings, a hopeful Dhiraj had already started to make plans for their 2nd dat- hangout.

***

Trivia:

Dhiraj isn't really into music.

He rarely listens to songs or even music as such. Roslyn was the 1st song he actively listened to and was interested in. And his baby was the main reason for that!!