Out of Touch

7

Will's been confused, recently. James has been looking at him, staring, when he thinks Will can't see. He's been smiling, blushing, at most things that Will says. He doesn't know what to think.

He's not opposed to a close friendship. Hell, they already have that. They are cuddly, affectionate, trusting of each other, but James is difficult.

He's easy enough to entertain, with simple humour which Will has absolutely cracked by now, always knowing exactly what to say and when to say it to tickle the younger man... But he is still difficult, despite his usually open facial expressions, he can be hard to read. Or maybe Will's just oblivious.

He picks up his phone and messages James.

Don't forget we're recording today

James replies instantly.

I could never forget

Will smiles, a familiar warmth spreading throughout him.

How come? He replies.

I miss your face

Mildly uncomfortable. He can't help but respond.

Only my face? I'm hurt

There's a pause. Will sighs, thinking that perhaps he went too far. He picks up his keys, leaving his house and locking the door behind him. Mentally he checks that he's prepared for the recording, his hair is neat, his hat is spotless, his clothes ironed. Pretty snazzy, if he says so himself. Mikey has just finished editing another video, actually. He needs to pay him. Mikey probably wouldn't care if he didn't, mind. His phone vibrates. He taps the screen to see James' reply.

Miss all of you.

*

Will swears as his card gets declined. Again.

"Sir, do you have a different card?"

"No I fucking don't! Why won't this piece of shit work?" He shrieks, attracting the attention of every other customer in the quaint coffee shop.

It's adorable, really. A cosy little cafe with bookshelves lining either side of the room, whitewashed wood and dark oak accents. The lighting is warm and creates a welcoming glow- fake plants enriching the space with a splash of colour. The bitter aroma of coffee hugs Will's nostrils with a persevering grasp. It's very 'James', the shop, which is partly why Will decided to stop and buy coffees for the two of them as a surprise for the musician.

But after the fifth decline of his card, he's beginning to lose it. His phone is buzzing in his pocket, begging for his attention, but so is the cashier. Priorities in this moment didn't lie on his mystery texts.

"Look, there's plenty of money on it. I checked this morning." He practically growled.

"The queue is building, sir, please either leave without your coffees or pay with cash."

Will grumbles under his breath as he fetches his wallet from his jeans pocket. He doesn't usually carry cash. He spots a flicker of plastic and pulls it out, slamming a five pound note onto the counter. He doesn't want to admit that he's forgotten his Pin.

"I really have to be somewhere, just keep the change." He declares as he whips the coffees from the counter and carries them out of the cafe. A pleasant summer breeze hits him and he inhales deeply.

He doesn't entirely know why he even wants to surprise James. They always order coffees in anyway whenever they record, but he partially wants to see the gleeful expression on the taller man's face when he turns up with two fresh hot coffees in his hands. He knows it must be past their scheduled filming time by now, so he picks up his pace. He'd never confess how much he looked forward to their filming days. Every week without fail, James would turn up, overwhelmed by the train, fidgeting until after about ten minutes he would calm down and become his usual bouncy self. James had called Will after dropping him off at the station after the gig, to make sure he was okay. Will didn't mind public transport at all, it was more just a minor inconvenience some days when it would be particularly busy. The phone call had lasted twenty minutes, after Will had repeatedly mentioned that he really should be getting off the phone so as to not bother sleeping passengers. James had sounded sad when he'd hung up.