Re: [Secondhand books: Hannah & Aleksi]
The tap on his shoulder startled him even though he’d heard the whisper of feet approaching. Aside from Dietre, no one had touched him in a very long time. At first, that fact had almost driven him out of his mind, since both the man and the wolf had been so used to constant physical contact, back before - but since he’d adjusted to it, the concept of such a casual touch was now both intensely strange and achingly familiar. Being touch-starved wasn’t actually conducive to being in a good state of mind, he’d found, and even now
“Apparently,” Aleksi conceded with a small smile of his own, accepting the ridiculous nickname with as little argument as he had when they’d been dreaming.
Turning, he faced her a little more fully, and the neatness of her clothes made him suddenly aware of his own sweatpants and t-shirt, which, although clean, didn’t exactly make him the most well-dressed individual. It was instinctive for him to take note of her scent, some back part of his brain storing the knowledge away. He couldn’t help noticing her lack of shoes, something he could absolutely relate to, though he’d forced himself into sneakers for the sake of keeping up some sort of appearance of normalcy.
“It is nice to meet you. Really meet you, I mean,” Aleksi offered, stumbling a bit over his words and feeling a little ridiculous for it.