Alcohol is a funny thing↠ dylmas

1

His hazel eyes were looking at the front door, waiting almost impatiently for the familiar head of dirty blonde hair to make its appearance. And he couldn't find it anywhere, which wasn't good at all.

He had made sure of inviting Thomas to his birthday party; and he said yes instantly, his voice sounding so happy through the phone line that Dylan could've sworn to see that bright and contagious smile of his. Also, Dylan could've sworn to feel his heart beating faster inside his ribcage and his stomach becoming a knot every time Thomas laughed; the feeling was nice, but it was not welcomed because he just shouldn't feel that way towards his friend - a really, really close friend.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Tyler at his right side while pouring himself a drink in a red plastic cup.

"Umm, yes," Dylan answered, his eyes going from side to side across the room, and for a second they stopped at the boy next to him.

He leaned onto the crystal table of the dining room where they put the drinks and snacks. The dining room was next to the living room and he could watch directly from there at the front door of the apartment he shared with his best friend, Tyler. Then, he looked down and sighed.

"You've been here for about ten minutes, you know? Everyone's having fun while you're just standing there, looking at the door waiting for... whatever you're waiting for," said Tyler before taking a sip of his cup and stuffing some chips into his mouth. "And dude, honestly, you look desperate."

All Dylan did was roll his eyes.

"Seriously," Tyler added. "Are you waiting for someone?'

"No? Of course not," Dylan lied, and God, he was such a horrible liar.

"Okay, I'm going to give you some advice; you really need to work on the lying-thing," Tyler replied in a mocking tone and grinned at Dylan's annoyed expression.

"Alright, let me give you some advice too," said Dylan looking straight at Tyler with a sarcastic smile. "Stop asking stupid questions."

Tyler snorted and drank from his cup. He stared at Dylan for a while like he was trying to read the boy's thoughts and understand what he was so worried about. Suddenly it all became clear and he raised his eyebrows with realization, almost choking on his drink.

"This is about Thomas, that's what got you worried!" said Tyler, his voice louder.

"Please, speak a little louder. I think the neighbors didn't hear you," Dylan answered. He tried to look irritated, but it was difficult not to laugh. "And I'm not worr-"

"Oh, c'mon! I already told you you're not good at lying."

Dylan looked at the table, seeing his feet through the cold glass beneath his hands. He hesitated for a little bit and sighed. "I don't think it's necessary to tell you, right?" Tyler shook his head. "Fuck, I just want to share this night with him. That's all."

"Are you going to spend all your life secretly loving him?"

"What?", inquired Dylan between laughter. "One, I don't love him."

There were seconds of silence after Dylan spoke and he kept looking at Tyler with a half annoyed expression; the other half just wanted to crack a smile at his friend's words and face.

"Is there a number two? 'Cause then it doesn't make sense if you say 'one'."

"Shut up, you idiot," Dylan said while shaking his head and laughing at his friend.

"You, my friend, are deeply in love with that Thomas guy," stated Tyler, pointing at his best friend's face with his index finger before drinking what was left in his plastic cup. "Seriously, in all our years of friendship I have never, ever, seen you like this for a man. And I say never, ever, because you never told me and I had no idea that you were gay or something. Well, until I knew about the whole Thomas thing."

"I'm not gay, Tyler", declared Dylan for the thousandth time since he opened up to him about his feelings. "Trust me, me being like this for a man it's something that never crossed my mind before. I don't know how it happened, but- but I like Thomas... I like him a lot." His voice got lower and lower, his pupils focused on the table again and his fingertips tapped on the glass as a way to distract himself.

"Just... Just tell him. That's all you need to do."

"Oh, yeah! Never thought of it before. He'll tell me he feels the same way and we'll live happily ever after, that's for sure!" replied Dylan in a sarcastic manner; Tyler's words seemed to be a bad joke to him.

"Dylan." His friend started, face softening and voice sounding serious about what he was going to say. "You won't lose anything. Tell him, he might feel the same. Even if things don't turn out the way you want, at least you can know you tried."

"I can lose something; his friendship, for example."

"Man, if you never try, you'll never know!"

"I'm afraid of losing him..." Dylan admitted. He looked hopeless as he talked about the boy he likes, or rather, loves. "I mean, if I can't have him as something else, not having him as a friend would be, definitely, the worst thing that can happen to me."

"C'mon, you know Thomas is not like that." Dylan gulped meanwhile he listened to Tyler, his eyes scanning the room he had in front and his mind thinking of the different situations that could happen once he confesses his love to Thomas. Damn, almost all of them ended in a total mess. "Life's all about taking risks. That's the fun of it, isn't it?"

"I'll think about it."

"Just- Just don't think about it for more than a year, okay?" Dylan rolled his eyes. Whenever he had this kind of conversations with Tyler, he would roll his eyes more times than he should. But it was okay; he loved that dumb, goofy, smiley guy that always knew how to cheer him up.

Dylan nodded, a tiny smile being painted upon his lips, and went back to gaze at the door, his short nails clacking on the crystal table.

"Alright, now that is settled, you really need a drink," Tyler said as he took a clean red plastic cup and poured some liquid unknown to Dylan because he wasn't paying attention. "Here."

"What's this?" He asked, analyzing the cup and its content. The smell of alcohol was strong once he put the cup close to his mouth and nose.

"Alcohol. What else could it be?"

"But, I need to know what I'm drin-"

"Dude! Just drink and come to party with us. Thomas will come eventually, you'll see. You need to enjoy and relax, it's your birthday for God's sake!" Tyler shouted in his usual cheerful voice. Dylan couldn't help glancing at the door one more time, thinking about just staying there and declining on his friend's offer. But then he thought that Thomas could possibly arrive late or he just wouldn't arrive, and it wasn't worth standing there all night while everyone was having fun at his own birthday party. Tyler was right; it was his birthday and he should be partying, not waiting impatiently for someone who might not come.

He swallowed a good amount of alcohol; it tasted like vodka but he wasn't sure. A burning sensation made its way through his throat, flowing down until it faded.

"That's what I'm talking about! Let's go have some fun." Dylan smiled, and though he hoped Thomas would come soon, he decided to put all his thoughts about the blonde boy aside and go have some real fun.