Against the Edge

The Guys' Night In

After lunch, Miguel and his father exchanged a firm handshake and a quick hug before parting ways. Harvey had to return to his case, leaving Miguel to his own plans for the rest of the day. Miguel strolled back to his apartment, relishing the quietness of a free afternoon.

Hours drifted by until his phone lit up with the buzz of his chat group. Ethan had just posted a message.

Ethan: "PS session at my place. Who's in?"

James: "You know I'm there!"

Louis: "Been waiting for this invite, count me in."

Miguel smirked at the conversation, glancing at the time. His apartment was warm from the lingering afternoon sun, and he could feel a bead of sweat on his forehead. He tossed his phone onto the bed and decided he'd freshen up with a shower before heading out.

As the water poured over him, Miguel leaned back, letting the warmth settle into his muscles. He wasn't even thinking, just feeling the steam envelop him, the silence of his empty apartment. It felt like he was floating.

When he finally turned off the water and wrapped himself in a towel, Miguel walked into his room and did a double-take. The sunlight that had filtered through his window before his shower was gone. The room was dim, painted in hues of dusk.

He glanced at the clock on his phone, blinking in disbelief.

7:15 PM.

His mind scrambled, trying to reconcile what felt like minutes with the hours that had passed. Five hours... lost. For a moment, he just stared at his reflection in the dim light, his eyes trailing the faint shadows under his eyes. Had he really spent that long in the shower, or just... spacing out?

Miguel shook off the foggy feeling and grabbed his phone, noticing missed calls from Ethan, James, and Louis.

Ethan: "Bro, did you fall asleep?"

Louis: "Ghosting us already? We're setting a PS record over here."

He quickly tapped out a reply.

Miguel: "Sorry, on my way."

Pulling on a fresh shirt, Miguel felt a chill that wasn't from the evening air. But he ignored it, grabbed his keys, and headed out. By the time he arrived at Ethan's place, the sound of laughter and video game banter reached him before he even walked through the door.

"Look who finally showed up!" Ethan smirked as Miguel entered, tossing him a controller.

Miguel laughed, putting on his best grin as he joined them, the strange feeling of the evening's lost time fading into the background of the game's noise and his friends' familiar voices.

As the game flashed on the screen, the room was filled with laughter and playful jabs. Ethan and James were locked in an intense showdown, with Louis shouting exaggerated tips and Miguel egging them both on.

"Bro, if you press that button one more time, you'll actually break the controller," Miguel laughed, nudging Ethan as he dodged an on-screen attack.

James rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. "Says the guy who nearly threw his controller the last time he lost," he quipped, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

"Touché," Miguel said, surrendering with a smirk. As they all chuckled, the conversation shifted from the game to random topics, the way it always did when they hung out like this. Eventually, James shot a side-eye toward Ethan and smirked.

"So... Ethan," he began, his tone playful. "When are you and Mia gonna make it official? Or are you enjoying that little friendzone too much?"

Ethan's eyes widened in mock offense. "Friendzone? Excuse me, I'm just taking my time. It's called playing it cool, James." He tried to maintain his composure but couldn't help grinning.