Adam had only just begun to find his figurative footing when he felt that rough touch; it was too like the dream, and too unlike it, with all its entitled forcefulness and none of its charm. In that dreamspace there had been a vulnerability to James he would not allow here. Here, he was Alpha, and whatever else there may have been between them, that fact reigned supreme. Still, the dream weighed heavy upon him, that hard brush, shoulder to shoulder, calling up memories best left where they lay. With a faint dusting of pink warming his pale skin he made his way to the table, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment at least from Alex's gaze. To his dismay there were only two options: Across from James, there to see him with every upward glance, or beside him. It was difficult to contemplate which was worst. In the end he kept a chair's width between them, leaving room for Alex to keep them blessedly apart.
He paused, then, his hand on the chair's back, feeling somewhat more in control of himself now that this minor decision had been made. He turned, looking back to Alex. "Need any help?" he asked. Save me, he might as well have said.