The Invite

Chapter 1

Despite working at the same company (mostly) and hanging around with the same friend circle, Up and Kao aren't that close.  At least, that's the case until Bruce's birthday party.

After a few drinks, Up's mind is fuzzy enough that he isn't completely sure how come the topic has drifted toward relationships, but he thinks it has something to do with Karn showing up with his new girlfriend. His tongue let loose with the help of a few drops of alcohol, Up just can't stop complaining about how he isn't cut out for any of that relationship stuff.

"I just don't get it—" he says, ignoring the way Vinn is already bent in half in laughter and leaning against Ben for support. "There are some exceptions, yes, but. . . everyone needs their space. How can you just want to be around one person all the time? I get. . . for a while, but the excitement wears off—it always does. And it doesn't feel good anymore, and if you're choosing to stick around for all that leftover crap, then everyone is unhappy."

Someone suddenly pats him on the back. Up whips around to face them, and—once he blinks and gets rid of his blurred vision—the person turns out to be Kao. A slanted smile is curled up on his lips and his eyes—glazed over with alcohol—are glimmering in the colorful lights hanging around the living room.

"I get you," he says. "Relationships come with too many expectations. Once you can't live up to one of them, the other person will either get pissed at you for something you can't change or find someone else who can."

Up nods, throwing his hands up in the air at the notion of finally having found someone who understands. Most of his friends are either in happy relationships—and they're clearly the exceptions—or happy on their own. And maybe Up's bitterness comes from having yet another relationship turning sour, but that's how he really feels, and that fact only proves his point that relationships just aren't worth the hassle.

"Right!" Up agrees, craning his neck to look at Kao again. "It's impossible to find someone who's just perfect for you and thinks you're perfect for them. It's always either a one-way thing or you're temporarily blinded, thinking everything is cool and dandy until it isn't and you feel so miserable and—"

Ben gently pushes Vinn off his shoulder so that he's clinging to Saint instead and stands up, walking over to the other side of the coffee table to take Up by the arm in the middle of his rant.

"You're getting too worked up," he says, and despite the amusement, his voice carries some semblance of finality that doesn't let Up protest. "Come on, let's get some fresh air."

He complies.

The last thing he sees before Ben leads him to the balcony is his friends laughing and Kao taking his spot on the puff to pour himself another drink with a silly grin on his face.

On the terrace, Up isn't forced to make conversations even though people are lounging around the space; he breathes in, breathes out, and lets the summer-carrying wind sober him up. Ben is nice enough to grab him a bottle of water, even, and when Up is clear-minded enough, he feels grateful to have a friend that cares about him so much. He waves Ben off when some of his friends come by to pull him away, saying that it's okay, that Up can stay on his own now.

He turns back towards the city stretching in front of him, trying not to look down. The glimmering lights make him feel a bit dizzy and the polluted air is far from fresh, but the music is quieter here and the chatter around him leaves him with a smile on his face.

He's alone for mere minutes before Kao appears next to him, turning his back towards the view and leaning back against the railing. He offers Up one of the glasses he's holding. "It's a raspberry mojito," he says. "Mariam was making some and I asked her to make them for us too."