Days Go By | lavashipping

-✰.

"You wanna go out tonight? Jay got me these tickets to some gig, you might like it." Kai began speaking and dropping off his things the moment he entered his flat, Cole had to take a while to process everything he was told. And fast—Kai was just passing the kitchen table he sat at with waiting food (Turns out, you could manage a lot while taking your thoughts on a walk.).

"Uh, sure, who's playing?"

"That's a surprise!" Kai called before closing himself in the bathroom.

Tapping against the table, Cole muttered to himself, "Well all right then," and sat in silence.

***

Getting to the gig, Cole tried asking a few more times who they were going to see but Kai did everything in his powers to keep the secret concealed. And since it seemed to matter to Kai that Cole had no clue, Cole let it go and tried to force his stomach to relax.

Who was he kidding, Kai behaved stranger and stranger with every day, changing like seasons from hot to cold, and Cole has never been good with puzzles. Rubik's cubes remained his sworn nemesis to that day.

"You want some drink?" Kai asked once they found themselves a nice spot with a good view in the underground bar.

"Maybe just some soda? I don't feel like drinking, really."

"You've got it!"

Cole watched after them, biting at the inside of his cheek. Even before he could begin thinking about trying to relax tonight, the band began taking their spots, and since their picked spot has such a good view, Cole got a good look at them and his face fell. And his heart, followed by his mouth but he quickly shut it back up.

Why the fuck did Jay give Kai tickets to the Upply?

No. No, no, no, this couldn't've been happening. Not now. Did the universe loathe him? He wasn't perfect but this was too ruthless.

Jay surely had to keep his mouth shut, why else would Kai agree to come?

Why else would Kai decide not to come?

The bar was way more crowded than Cole recalled, the heat rose and his clothes shrinked. His heart raced as if he just stared Death into the eyes but they were just his ey-boyfriend's.

Cole tugged at his collar when Kai came back and placed a glass in front of him. Maybe he should've asked for something stronger. He watched him from the corner of his eye sip at some bright cocktail, head spinning too fast to identify it.

"You good?" Kai asked and Cole could stare into his face for the rest of the night (which he did for the majority of it) and still be unable to decipher what he hid behind there.

"You know— I don't really feel well, maybe we should go home."

"Are you kidding? They just barely got on stage!"

"Well—"

"Please, Cole, let's try it. You'll ease into it."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to turn to the stage, nodding faintly as the lights dimmed and the Upply began playing a song that must've been new. Cole blinked back panicked tears and clenched the glass.

While he did talk to Plundar about sometime coming to their gig, this wasn't at all how he imagined it. In his head, it would've been a lot more fun. Instead, he curled in on himself and kept glancing between Kai and Plundar, hoping the drums beat louder than his heart. Occasionally he sipped on his drink only to regret it immediately afterwards when a wave of nausea spun him around.