Devil's Effect

Rum and Blood

Across the room, Ryan had managed his way in. He was happy for Amir. He knew it was a huge step for his friend letting Noah officially move in. Ryan was pretty sure Noah was the first live-in boyfriend Amir had ever had.

But the sight of Chester sitting on Mike's lap, feeding him cheese and crackers, was one he had to roll his eyes at. A flood of thoughts wanted to wash over him, everything from how lucky Mike was that Chester forgave him to how if things hadn't gone the way they did, he might have Jason standing with him now, holding his hand.

Instead he was alone, and Ryan felt that reality as he looked around. Devon had Caleb, Chester had Mike, and now Amir had Noah. Maybe I'm not meant to have anyone. It was a hard thought, and suddenly the idea of taking off his leather jacket and staying for awhile was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd wish Amir and Noah a good start to their new adventure, stay ten more minutes, and then he'd sneak out. He was pretty sure no one would miss him.

It was Amir who caught sight of Ryan first, hesitating in the hallway between the kitchen and living room. He hadn't even taken off his jacket, and Amir knew he hadn't been there long. He kissed Noah on the cheek and squeezed his hand, whispering in his ear, "I'm going to go say hi to Ryan. You coming? Or do you want to mingle a little more?"

Noah's instinct was to go along, to say hi to Ryan. After all, he's my friend, too. But that happy idea was crushed the moment he saw Ryan's long, unshaven face and brooding look. "You go ahead," he told Amir instead, figuring maybe Ryan would want to talk in private for a few minutes. "I'll come over and say hi in a minute."

"Don't be too long, Peaches," Amir said, leaving Noah's side for the first time that evening. He was in Ryan's space in a few quick strides, reaching out to clap a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Glad you made it," he offered, following Ryan's hollow gaze over to Mike and Chester. "Yeah, they're kind of in their own world right now. But that's fine. If all their drama starts to steal Noey's thunder, I'll have to kick them out." He tried a half smile in Ryan's direction, but Ryan didn't smile back. "You want a drink?" he offered, hoping maybe Ryan just needed to loosen up a bit.

A drink sounded nice, and Ryan said as much with a long sigh. He followed Amir through the small crowd to get to the wet bar that was just off the kitchen space. It included a cheesy 80s style mirror, with bottles of vodka, rum, tequila, and whisky lining the see-through shelves. It also afforded Ryan a clear mirrored view of Chester daintily sitting on Mike's lap and stuffing a cracker into his face. "So they're still having drama?" he asked Amir from the side of his mouth. "According to Chaz, they're happier now than they've ever been. Go figure."

"You know what I mean. Drama with the guys here. I know they're itching to get the real story behind what happened with the two of them. It didn't help that they were late to the party - despite the fact that Chaz lives here." Amir rolled his eyes and looked at Ryan in the mirror. "At least Chaz can get himself together to be presentable around people. Mike still looks like he got laid in the last ten minutes. I mean, look at his hair." He shot a withering glance to Mike's messy head before assessing his own hair in the mirror. He turned his head and winked at himself. "My hair looks great."

Ryan rubbed the side of his head. "God, I really need a fucking drink now," he muttered. He didn't want to think about why Chester was late for the party in his own house. Maybe one drink wouldn't be enough to get through the evening before he could escape. "I want something with rum," he stated, just as the tall guy at the wet bar turned around. Ryan recognized him immediately as Rob the pool guy from YRS. He wasn't sure why he was surprised. He'd been at Amir's birthday party, too. "Oh, hey, Rob," Ryan said, before he eyed the bottle of dark spiced rum in Rob's hand.

Rob took a moment to look Ryan over, his interest sparking a bit as he met the other man's blue eyes. "Hey," he offered back, "it's been a while, Ryan. How are you?" He waved the bottle of rum that had caught Ryan's attention. "Want me to make you a drink?"