-Eric-

For how quaint the bar seemed during the day, it was rather remarkable just the sheer amount of people capable of occupying the space as the night progressed. After a few more drinks, I was wearing a light buzz like a soft blanket, my body comfortably warm and my thoughts a lot farther away than they'd been just a few hours prior.

Mason still hadn't replied, but fuck if I cared.

I'd even told Wyatt as much... a few times, at that. And then we'd ordered another round of drinks because why not.

A few of his friends had stopped by our table here and there, though they seemed to come and go with the flow of the night. Wyatt knew most of the regulars, but we did eventually settle for chatting with who he proudly introduced as some of his favorite besties.

The taller of the two, Rose, echoed the familiar sentiment regarding Wyatt not stopping by as often. They were wearing a neon pink crop top, washed, light blue jeans, and bright, pastel eye makeup that contrasted so perfectly against their dark brown skin, an assortment of colors shimmering against rich, glistening skin. They also had colorful beads laced along their braided silver hair, which shimmered every so often against the reflection of the dim, overhead light.

"You've had enough, y'know?" Rose informed Wyatt while taking his drink, giggling when Wyatt pouted in response. They affectionately caressed Wyatt's hair as he rested his head on their shoulder, sipping on the drink themselves.

"But I'm having fun," Wyatt explained, pouting up at Rose before turning towards another of his friends. "Huh?"

"Where's Dale?" the other friend, Thalia, asked a bit louder, chuckling when Wyatt just rolled his eyes in annoyance. As for Thalia, she was rather dressed down, wearing a red hoodie with our university logo and some grey sweatpants, her hair tied back into a tight ponytail, as if she'd just made her way over from class.

Honestly, she probably had.

"You think I'd bring him here? Hell no," Wyatt replied before seemingly realizing I was still here, peering over at me in amusement. "How are you holding up, Eric? And how the hell are you not wasted?"

I shrugged while continuing to nurse on my beer, swinging it back and chugging the rest to prove a point before hastily setting the bottle down. "Me? Oh, I'm fucked up," I confessed quite ironically, forcing a small smile as they all burst out laughing.

It was pleasant, though, just sitting there and listening to them animatedly talk about all their plans and exciting new endeavors. Rose was a drag queen, so they had a gig coming up at a bar on the other side of town this upcoming weekend. I was invited, apparently, though I was almost certain that I had some stupid class assignment to work on that day.

Thalia, much like me, just seemed happy to be there, smiling to herself while scrolling on her phone, enjoying listening in despite not verbally contributing much to the conversation aside from a quip here and there.

I was pulled back into the conversation by a shake of my shoulders, Rose's wide grin piercing right through me as they asked the question a second time. "Did he fool around with Sam?" they asked before narrowing their eyes mischievously. "He did, didn't he?"

Wyatt groaned in embarrassment while biting into one of the few remaining wings, furiously blushing as I nodded in agreement. "What a snitch," he muttered out under his breath, though he didn't seem all that bothered by it. "What's wrong with it, huh?"

"You're the one that said you were looking for something more serious!" Thalia interjected, looking up from her phone for long enough to pat his free shoulder comfortingly. "Remember?"

"And baby, Sammy is anything but serious," Rose added before sipping on their own drink, the words sounding almost rehearsed coming out of their mouth... as if they'd most definitely said this before.

Wyat huffed. "Yeah, yeah."

Then, his eyes met mine once again, a small smile peeking through as I nodded along. I couldn't quite place what was so funny, but he seemed amused all the same.

"How about you?" he asked suddenly, grinning deviously.

I frowned. "What about me?"

"Oh, c'mon. Are you interested in anyone?" Thalia added in, clearly intrigued by the prospect. "And it better not be my baby Wyatt over here, because he's deeply emotionally unavailable."

Wyatt scoffed.

I just chuckled, shaking my head slowly. "I—no. It's not like that," I tried, though the words felt weird coming out of my mouth, like I couldn't quite figure out how to phrase them. I busied myself with the glass bottle in my hand, squeezing down on the cool, solid base.

"It's not?" Thalia asked, properly confused, much to my horror.

I was usually good at this... at explaining myself. After years of being confused for Mason's boyfriend, I'd foolishly assumed that it was like second nature to laugh it off. I was cool. I was composed. I was comfortable.

"Nah."

"It's not for a lack of trying," Wyatt complained rather dramatically, clearly taking the heat off of me. All I could do was nod my head in thanks.

---

At some point during the night, long after we'd finished our wings and a drank a few too many more drinks, Wyatt had dragged me deeper into the bar, where a crowd had gathered. We had almost left with Rose and Thalia, who'd complained about needing to head to work early the next day and promptly dipped; however, Wyatt had whined about it being too soon, and I didn't really have any real reason to deny him that.

I let him pull me along the crowd of sweaty, grinding bodies. It felt strangely like an initiation, wandering hands grazing against my arms and waist and chest. I recognized some of the faces as some of Wyatt's other friends that had greeted us throughout the night, though the names slipped past me like grains of sand.

He chuckled when I pointed out that he was acting like this was a club, holding onto my shoulder for stability as he danced against me, clearly having a good time all on his own.

As for me, I couldn't quite decide how I felt.

The music was pouring out of the speakers like a roaring geyser, rushing through the building relentlessly. It commanded attention in a way it hadn't for most of the night, the barrage of pop songs drowning out even the most enthusiastic of patrons.

I kind of wished I was high, if only so I could let that last bit of tension go. Because even in that moment, despite being probably a bit more drunk than I should have been, I felt almost too aware of my surroundings. Like I couldn't quite let go of whatever was holding me back.

Like something was holding me back, my body coiled up in anticipation.

"I thought you'd run off," Wyatt confessed eventually, once we'd settled by one of the far walls after the rush of the night turned into a lulling drone, his head pressing back against the cool surface as he cleared his throat. "I'm glad you didn't."

I snorted at that, nudging his shoulder with my own. "Why would I? You're not that intimidating."

Wyatt thought about it, biting on his bottom lip before shrugging. "I—I don't know. Just thought you might."

And honestly, yeah. Probably.

I didn't really react much when he leaned against my shoulder, just as he had with Rose. Even when he pressed a soft kiss against the fabric of my shirt, I merely peered down curiously, unsure of what he was vying for.

"You're not even a little bit curious?" he asked, grinning up at me with the same intensity from earlier that night, before he'd gone off with Sammy.

I couldn't tell if Wyatt was testing the waters or joking around; though, it did make me pause for the briefest of moments, my hand reaching up to pat his head. He was cute. And so eager to please. Perhaps in another circumstance, I would've lost a grip on my inhibitions.

"I'm not some blushing virgin," I muttered in response, peering down at his lips, hesitating before nudging him off. "I get... the gist of it."

"The gist of it? So romantic," Wyatt jested, elbowing me before sighing to himself, his eyes suddenly gazing out into the crowd as if he were searching for something else altogether.

"I'm probably heading out with Samuel," he mentioned honestly, sighing to himself before looking back at me. "His shift ends soon."

I nodded slowly, aware that he was likely worried about me. It was sweet, even if he didn't have any reason to feel that way. "I'll be fine," I promised, flashing a small smile. "I'll even keep it a secret this time."

Wyatt grinned widely, pressing a soft kiss against my cheek before merging back into the crowd, gone just like that.

---

By the time I made it back outside, I couldn't recognize any of the passing faces. I poured out of the establishment with a few other strangers, shivering against the chilly night air before settling for leaning against the nearest wall, fumbling with my pocket while reaching for my phone.

I tried walking towards the crosswalk while unlocking it, only to chuckle weakly at the way the ground seemed to shift under me. Oh hell. Yeah, no, that wasn't happening. Not anytime soon.

I was greeted by another low battery warning as I glared down at the screen, though this one was slightly more concerning. But that was fine. There were a few missed calls, and the more recent ones were thankfully from Mason.

Despite my better judgment, I tried calling him back first.

And against all odds, he answered on the second ring, yawning into the phone before mumbling about being left alone.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Mason hummed curiously before clearing his throat, clearly not fully awake yet. "Fell asleep."

I rolled my eyes while warily looking down the unfamiliar streets as they stretched in either direction, only faintly recalling having crossed the street earlier in the day. But not much else.

"Can you come pick me up? I asked before we could continue our conversation, aware that I probably only had a few minutes left before my phone shut off on me. "I can send my location."

"Bro, I can try."

I rubbed at my temple in disbelief, wondering what the hell he'd gotten into this time. But then I heard another voice in the background and it all clicked into place. "Is Ricky there? Are y'all smoking without me?" I gasped in disbelief. Wow.

This motherfucker was stoned out of his mind.

"I—never mind. Don't—just go back to bed," I chastised, cursing under my breath and doing everything I could to suppress a smile. God, he was such an idiot sometimes. But even in this moment, the timing was comically irritating. "And there's no fucking way y'all smoked without me!"

"Hmm, whatever," Mason replied sleepily before hanging up.

And suddenly, it was just the silence and I hanging outside of a gay bar, likely too drunk to stumble back home without passing out in some fucking alley. I groaned in annoyance while melting back against the dirty brick wall behind me, scrolling through my contacts, hastily trying to remember who else even had a car. Or even lived nearby.

Mel did, though she was probably busy if Ricky had ended up at our house until two in the morning.

Fuck, I just wanted to sleep.

I considered my options while peering down at the low battery sign. I could always wait until I sobered up, yet my phone would be long dead by then. And so, the only real option left was also the most illogical.

So, yeah. I obviously went with that one.

I tried not to think too hard about it as I dialed the number, knowing damn well I'd talk myself out of it otherwise, my pulse picking up with every ring. Hell, I didn't even know whether to be relieved or mortified when the call went through.

"Look, I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important..." I explained nervously.

---

A/N:Thank you for reading.