The Stronghold

Friends Can Be TOO Close

The room that I had fallen into was wide and well-lit with certain areas enveloped in pink and blue smog. There were curved sofas around circular tables and people were curled up on them. The tiled dance floor was filled and strobe lights were flashing different colours across people's faces. A floating camera whizzed around, filming people and displaying them on a screen behind a sleek, silver bar. All the staff were dressed in tight, sequinned, lycra clothing in metallic colours. The men had short shorts and the women had short skirts. Both genders wore matching eyeliner and had glitter in their hair. I wasn't going to judge - I was wearing denim on denim.

"This is pretty cool," Tom said in my ear, helping me to my feet. I nodded my agreement and looked around. Seeing some police crash through the door I moved away, mingling with the crowd and hiding in plain sight.

Tom vanished momentarily and then re-appeared, holding out two glasses of water.

"Take off your jacket," Tom hissed.

"What?"

"Take off your jacket!" he repeated.

"I heard that," I said, "I was just wondering why."

"You need to look as if you've been dancing for ages so take off your jacket. I'll pour a bit of water over you."

"Ew, but okay. Will it show up on my shirt?"

"You could work here with that shirt."

"Then I will!" I cried. I yanked off my jacket and tossed it into the corner of the room. With the glittering silver reflecting the lights I stood out greatly but still managed to blend in.

"Your trousers are wrong," Tom remarked. "All the men have very short shorts on. You have black jeans."

"So? I can be a floating upper half."

"No, you can't."

"Stop arguing!" I whispered suddenly. "Look like you're dancing." I snatched the glasses off him and half emptied one down his front.

"Hey!" Tom glared at me and I flicked my eyes towards the approaching police officers. He paled slightly and so I took over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir," I said loudly in the best American accent I could, "I'm so, so sorry! Here, let me get you another drink for free." I took hold of Tom's elbow and led him to the bar, pickpocketing a staff worker's membership card as I went.

"Glass of water over here," I called. The bartender nodded and shimmied away to fetch Tom's drink but got halted by two police officers.

They began conversing and I turned to Tom, wide eyed and getting more and more anxious by the second.

"Somehow, they're going to end up talking to us," I said. He nodded, frowning.

"I can only think of one way to stop people from speaking to us but you probably won't like it," he replied.

"Why? What is it?" I asked suspiciously. Tom sighed and glanced over at the slowly advancing officers.

"Please don't murder me," he murmured, taking my face in his hands and kissing me.

Inside my head I exploded. I wasn't against gays but I wasn't one! People were bound to talk, the one thing that I didn't want to happen. Low profile: nil, shouting yourself at the world: one.

Again, please don't kill me, Tom said.

Never, ever speak of this again.

Can you still breathe?

Yes. You smell of mints and soap.

Okay, I didn't need or want to know that. Are they over here yet?

Nope. They're staring at us. Mainly because I have my eyes open and are staring back.

Either shut your eyes or follow my lead.

My eyes are not shut.

Then trust me. Tom broke away and grabbed my hand, leading me past everybody towards an exit at the very back of the club. Nobody apart from the police officers had noticed us and for that I was glad.

I was dragged out into the open air and immediately jumped backwards from Tom, back pressed against the brick wall.

"What was that about?" was the first thing I said.

"Nobody talks to people who are in the middle of a kiss," Tom said awkwardly.

"And you would know that because?"

"Common sense."

"I knew that." I shuffled my feet and kicked a bit of the wall. "We should probably run right now."

"Yep."

We both sprinted, scrambling up ladders and jumping from roof to roof. Nobody could catch us when we were up by the clouds, silhouetted in the moon. I was speeding forwards and then backwards and somersaulting in every direction, moving further and faster than Tom was. He was content to take a more conventional route, swinging from beam to concrete and springing over gaps.

"Guess what's in my head right now?" I called to him.

"What?"

"New Perspective. Sums up what just happened." I grinned and let the song play in my brain, almost distracting me from my course.

"Hello, boys," an American voice drawled. "Loved the kiss earlier. You got some real chemistry going on there."

I stopped in my tracks, wobbling on the edge of a building. Tom caught me up and watched the figure dressed in tight, dark leather sway towards us.

She paused and put one hand on her hip. "Tell me," she smirked, "which one of you had the boner?"