NO FUN CLUB

8

Gerard woke up to his phone ringing and his head throbbing in pain.

How much alcohol did he have the night before?

At least whatever happened was now a blur, because he was sure he did something embarrassing.

The phone kept ringing and he picked it up just to make it shut up, not even checking who was calling him. 'Hey,' he mumbled.

'What happened last night?' a female voice said on the other side, with a rather demanding tone. Jamia.

That only added more to the confusion. He tried to remember his head felt like it was about to explode, and nothing came up. 'What do you mean?'

'Don't play dumb with me! What happened with Paco? You went outside, then he went to check on you, and neither of you came back.'

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?!

He remembered feeling sick and going outside for air –

'Victor called me,' Jamia continued. 'He told me Frank never came home.'

'Well, I don't know what you're insinuating, Jam, but he's not here and we didn't sleep together.'

Gerard sure hoped they didn't because it would suck not remembering.

He went through the whole night again. He was drunk, really drunk. Then they started playing Never Have I Ever – and oh shit, he did say things he shouldn't have – and Paco was with Victor. And then he went outside – and Frank went to check on him. And –

Oh no –

He – he kissed him.

Frank kissed him.

He remembered now. How warm his lips were. How his body felt like electricity when he was near him. Fuck.

No.

He didn't have the right to kiss him.

Gerard knew it was just out of pity. Paco was just too nice and felt bad for him for not having kissed anyone before. But Gerard didn't want his first kiss to be a pity kiss.

But it felt so good.

God, why did he have to like Paco out of everyone?

'Gerard, are you there?'

He had already forgotten he was still on the phone. 'Yes. I just – I think I'm sick.'

He wasn't lying. He ran to the bathroom and threw up. Yayy, anxiety!

***

'Honey, you slept here again?'

Frank heard his Aunt Jo said.

When he opened his eyes, and saw his grandfather lying on the hospital bed, still unconscious. He came straight here after what happened with Gerard. He didn't know what else to do.

He knew he couldn't face Victor. He didn't want to, to be honest.

He just needed a moment.

Everything was chaos lately. With his grandfather, and the pharmacy, and not knowing what to do now. Frank knew it wasn't fair to Gerard, the last thing he wanted was to drag him into his mess.

But Gerard was the only thing that made his day a little better, and he truly cared about him. A lot. He liked him since he started working at the bar. But he knew he wasn't the kind of guy who slept around. He knew he couldn't give him what he deserved.

But it hurt to see him crying. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't true. That someone did like him, he was just too stupid and unfit for relationships. He wanted to tell him that everyone else had been too blind not to see his beauty and his kindness. That he was sorry he had to be alone for so long. He wanted to tell him that he liked him.