Never Not [BxB]

13 - with/without [M]

Late November

“Come on Jul, I'm sure it'll be fine to be in his vicinity at least.” Rina's muffled voice spoke from beneath the duvet cover.

Julian fixed his hair in the mirror and tugged at the sheer material of his top, “This is the longest we've gone without talking, I'm not sure about anything Rina.” He muttered.

Rina sat up on her bed and ruffled her own hair in mild frustration, “It's Dominic's birthday Jul, it'll be a little rude not to go.”

I heavy sigh left Julian, “Well I'm dressed right now aren't I? I just suggested that you and I leave earlier than everyone else.” He swallowed, glancing at the dark color of his hair and wondering if maybe his natural hair would hide him in a crowd. Nate probably couldn't remember him without the highlights. Hopefully.

“I'll stick by your side all night if it helps.” Rina offered.

Julian nearly agreed but remembered it was probably unfair of him to be acting like Nate was some obstacle for him to avoid, so he shook his head and puffed his chest out, “I'll be fine. We're going to have fun for Dom and then come here to sleep it off.” Normal things.

He offered his hand to Rina to pull her up from the bed and pat her hair down where it had become static.

____

Dom was glowing, excitedly greeting all his friends and dancing around everywhere. His smile was enough to make Julian feel guilty for giving him a rushed hug and shoving his present into his hands hurriedly after catching sight of Nate in the kitchen.

“Hey, enjoy yourself okay?” Dom practically ordered him before he let him go.

The apartment wasn't decorated but the lights were dialed down to a romantic glow and the music that blasted through the speakers from the living room was slow and sexy.

Julian saw a few familiar faces, stopping a few times to chat a little to his classmates or Dom's extended friend group. He glanced over his shoulder a few times and tracked Nate's movements idly, making sure to move along when Nate did.

He wouldn't ruin the night for him. Dom was one of Nate’s closest friends, and he was all smiles from what Julian had seen.

It made a pit of longing settle in his stomach.

Then he wanted it to go away so despite promising himself to stick to the light punch and sparkling flavored water, he found himself gulping down a bottle of flavored beer instead. And it was all downhill from there.

Rina had sat down on one of the couches, pressed close to Jai. Then she caught his gaze. She walked up to him when he swayed a little in time with the music. “Jul, how much have you had?”

“Uh, not much. I don't- think.” He mumbled into her ear and rested his head against hers.

She held back an amused smile, clearly worried but still enamored with Julian's ability to be cute.