Picture Us

Chapter 8: Tam

JUST IN CASE!! There is an intoxicated person, AND when looking after someone who is very drunk, do NOT leave them unattended, look up for more details!

Tam paced the dorm before it dawned on him.

"What the hell am I doing? He's out there somewhere probably self-destructive and I'm here wasting time" he grabbed two jackets and started sprinting, he didn't know where, but he knew he had to find him.

Through the streets near the bar he worked at, to each alleyway, to the shops. Keefe wasn't there, the sky was cloudy and darkening. He struggled to find his phone in a rush, anxiously tapping away at his screen, he texted Keefe, then finding maps for nearby bars.

Two results near their campus, one being his work.

"Oh, thank God, thank you so much." Tam whispered, still panicked and began running towards the second bar. It was further away than expected, dark thoughts entered his mind while he ran.

'What if I don't make it in time'

'What if Keefe isn't there'

'What if...'

He pushed these thoughts back. His priority is Keefe right now. Not the what if. He couldn't risk spiralling from the thoughts. That never ended well.

He took a deep breath and ran, the air cold and his mind clear. Now was not the time for panicking. He would do that when Keefe was safe, well and in bed. Preferably over a cup of coffee.

The bar came into view, multicoloured lights flashed and he entered, people, people and more people. Each corner he turned he got less and less hopeful and he got more and more panicked.

"He's not here" he breathed turning back towards the door, heart pounding and blinking back tears of worry, feeling defeated with no more options, his phone dinged.

Keefe: Heeyyyy cuteie

Keefe: Iam ta teh prark nerar hte bar i drikned at

A wave of relief washed over Tam, Keefe was okay, he was fine.

Hold on...what...

Tam brushed it off, he's obviously drunk and doesn't know what he's saying. But a familiar saying creeped into Tam's mind. A drunk man's words is a sober man's thoughts. The idea that Keefe Sencen found him cute made him feel funny. A sensation rose in his stomach and settled just as quickly. Now was not the time to contemplate crushes – not that he had one. He had to make sure Keefe was okay.

The park was pitch black. The fallen leaves and trees were coated in the mystery of night; an escape from the revealing daylight. He could see nothing apart from a singular streetlight, and below the streetlight on a lonely bench was a familiar silhouette lying motionless on the cold seat.

"KEEFE!" Tam yelled from the distance, the silhouette stirred, he heard a groan as his head and face turned towards him.

He was sprinting, he didn't know when he started, but he was. Making his way towards the obviously wasted Keefe. Once Tam made it to him, he was hit by the stench of alcohol. The strong odour was something he still had to get used to at the bar, but his head still ached just from the smell.

"Get up, we're going back home." Tam sighed, pretending to be annoyed, alas, a smile was creeping onto his face. A desperate, failing smile, that seemed to keep falling the more he looked at Keefe.

"Okayyy!" Keefe laughed in his drunken state, then groaned in discomfort.

Tam grabbed Keefe's arms and lifted him off the bench, he was shivering slightly as the cold hit him. Of course he brought him a jacket, he knew Keefe wouldn't have thought that far ahead, draping it over Keefe's shoulders as they started back to their dorm. Keefe took a few shaky steps, knees buckling every so often, lost balance, clinging onto Tam's shoulder before regaining his balance. Another few steps and Keefe clung to Tam, muttering profanities at the ground.

"Fucking hell Keefe, I didn't even know you knew those words." Tam snorted, his mood was dull, but the drunk Keefe was somehow lightening it.

"It's not my faurlt the scheppid groundskeeps moving!" Keefe said, as much as it sounded stupid, his annoyance was serious. Tam could tell. His eyebrows were knitting, and his mouth was pulled downward in a childlike frown. Tam pretended not to have noticed this.

"I'll make sure you don't fall, Keefe." he breathed, his tone was a lot nicer than expected, which would have surprised Keefe if he wasn't incompetent.

They both walked together. Keefe was chatty, and Tam stayed mostly silent, he didn't know how to deal with this Keefe. He's drunk out of his mind and will. Not. Shut. Up. Now that he thought about it though, that was very typical for Keefe.

Eventually, after what seemed like centuries, they made it back to their dormitory. Keefe still stumbled over every step, but didn't complain about how the floors seemed to hate him, and Tam took that as a victory.

"You'rrrre reeeeallyyyyy cuuteee," Keefe giggled. His eyes got all squinty and he groaned as he took in the blaring light. Tam switched off the lights in a swift flick of his wrist. Now, they were bathed in the blue tinted moonlight pouring through the windows. Keefe looked strangely beautiful like this. His blond hair wasn't the bright, alarming yellow that it was under regular lightning, and his features were so soft under the cool hues. The way his face didn't seem to hide from the shadows, as if the shadows were just a veil was beautiful to Tam. Keefe pouted. "You're gonnnnna ignore meeee? I fucking shooted my shot and nowwww you're not even sayinngggg anythinggg."

"What the hell am I supposed to say?" Tam said, sucking in a sharp breath. "You want me to tell you you're gorgeous? You want me to ask you out?"

"Does that sound sooooo badddd?" Keefe giggled. Tam knew Keefe only said it because he was drunk, but he took a second to reflect on the question.

"Absolutely," Tam answered. "You're my rival – and don't even pretend it's one-sided. We can't like each other. Especially not like that. And besides, I'm not ready for a hook up. I've had hook ups, okay? They all suck. I need a boyfriend. And you're not that."

Keefe pouted so well, Tam thought he deserved an oscar for his pathetic performance. "Whooooo saiddd anything abowt a hook upp? I can beee yuer boyfrand. Whatz so baddd abowt that?"

Tam hesitated for a moment. He breathed again but let the breath out in a shaky sigh. He found himself leaning forward. He was so close he could see Keefe's face like he was part of him. Every little bump and spot and every crevice in his lips. He could see his own terrified face in Keefe's eyes. Keefe leaned forward too, and the blond closed the distance between them in a gentle kiss. He tasted vaguely of alcohol, but Tam was too busy to focus on that. He was busy being lost in the sensation of kissing Keefe Sencen. Before he could stop it, Tam found himself wrapping an arm around Keefe's waist and losing the other one in Keefe's hair. Keefe was similar, grabbing Tam's jaw and holding it like it was the only thing that mattered. Keefe reached over to Tam's shirt, stretching out the fabric teasingly. He pulled it an inch up and Tam gently pushed Keefe away. He could feel the warmth in his cheeks and the shortness of his breath.

"That's more than enough Keefe," Tam stammered. "I meant what I said earlier. No hook ups. This was blurring the lines as is."

Keefe just smiled widely.

Tam continued. "You need to go to bed. And stop looking at me all sad! You need to. I have a feeling I'll be shoving down semi-healthy food down your throat tomorrow morning."

"I'm not sleepy," Keefe said, and then he promptly yawned.

Tam grabbed Keefe's arm and lead him to his bed. "You have to sleep on your side, okay? Not your back, not your stomach. There, you have it."

Tam quickly ran and fetched a bucket he'd been hiding. Keefe was not the only one who got absolutely knocked out by alcohol. The only difference was that Tam left it in the past. He placed the bucket to Keefe's bedside.

"Just yell if something feels wrong." Tam said. He walked away, then turned back for a fleeting moment. "And goodnight, Keefe. Sweet dreams."

Tam walked out of Keefe's vicinity with one thought in his mind: What the fuck was that?