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It wasn't like they didn't want to talk to each other, it's simply that for the past few months nothing in their schedules had been lining up correctly. Going to your best friend's house late at night to watch old films until the early hours wasn't the best idea if you had classes or had to open shop that morning. With their dreams of being the most famous rock band in the world recently crushed, they had both decided to take their heads out of the clouds and figure out what to do next.
For that reason, they had both been too busy. In the few instances where their times off would line up perfectly, they'd hand each other an exhausted “Maybe next time.” You could imagine how bizarre it was when they ran into each other for the first time in months at a nightclub.
Thomas was there with a few acquaintances of his and they had somehow convinced him to go out with them late at night despite having a shift early that morning. He had thought about calling up Guy-Manuel to ask if he'd like to come over to watch a film of sorts, maybe they could go through some of the records he'd gotten from an old shop last week. Thomas remembered that Guy-Manuel had mentioned something about studying for exams that were creeping near, so he had let that idea go.
Thomas was just trying to kill some time, he honestly wasn't super interested in what the people around him had to say. He was on autopilot, a “Sounds cool,” here, a simple nod there. He could barely even hear them well over the loud thumping of the machines vibrating inside his head. The vibrant and saturated lights may as well have been sound in their own right, bouncing across the sea of people and drowning the rest of the noise and faces in brilliant streaks of color. Thinking back on this later, Thomas was glad he was being such a bad listener at the time because if he had been paying attention he would have missed the presence of his best friend entirely.
Now, Thomas had always taken a liking to Guy-Manuel. This much was true, there was just something about the way his eyes would light up for Thomas and Thomas alone, the way he'd give in and let a quiet laugh slip through his lips at one of his bad jokes. The way he was always at Thomas’ side no matter what, the way their thighs felt pressed together when the bus was too crowded and they were forced to sit so close together that they were breathing down each other's necks, the way his hair feathered down past his shoulders and the way he’d just let Thomas run his hands through his hair for hours on end. Occasionally Thomas would say something so dumb that he’d be rewarded with hearing absurd laughter tear its way out of his quiet friend. It would be understandable to say that sometimes the taller boy would say these things with the intention of hearing it again, one million times could never be enough.
It would also be safe to say that he felt his heart stop in his chest when he turned his head to watch the crowd around them again and spotted Guy-Manuel from across the club. He felt time itself freeze and adrenaline grip his heart as his best friend looked up from his conversation with his brother. His pale blue eyes scanned his unfamiliar surroundings for a while before locating and locking onto Thomas’ own. Ever the professional at schooling his features into that of a look of distant interest, the only thing that gave away the shorter boy's excitement was the faint jitter in his hands.
If seeing Guy-Manuel after all this time made his heart stop, then seeing what he's done with himself in that time made it continue at full speed. His once long flowing hair had been cropped to a few inches under his jaw, lightly dusting his shoulders. Thomas felt his cheeks go pink as he watched his best friend raise his hand and quickly wave at him. His heart was pounding in his chest, oh god it felt like his knees would go out at any moment, but he pressed himself onward to talk to his best friend.
“You cut your hair!” Thomas was incapable of holding back his buzzing emotions long enough to greet the boy before him, it had been way too long since he’d last seen Guy-Manuel, and more importantly…
“Yeah I did, well, I myself didn't. You can thank Paul for all of this.”
“It's just- I really can't believe th-tha-”
“Do you like it?”
Guy-Manuel was never one to cut in, that was Thomas’ job. The blue eyed boy met Thomas’ eyes with a shy smile, and he just couldn't hold it in anymore. Oh, and when were they ever this close? When did they get this close? The club had become more populated since they had both arrived, and they were once again just about being pressed into one person. It was like Thomas was able to observe the shorter boy with a microscope, colors and patterns flitting across his features and catching in his eyes. He felt his breath quicken, his cheeks heat up again. One thing was true.
“Yeah… You look really nice tonight.”
Silence was a typical response for Guy-Manuel. However, it was a controlled silence. From the tiniest gesture or the smallest movement in his face he could provide answers to any question thrown his way. He was calm, collected and always knew just what he wanted to say or do in response. Except for this one time.
“Oh… Thank you…”
Thomas felt his fluttery excitement dampen and twist into something sicker, why would he say something like that and make Guy-Manuel uncomfortable! Months without speaking and the second they see each other in person again he blows it! Maybe if he'd just stop running his mouth before his brain all the time he’d be able to say something of use, maybe he’d be able to-
“You do too.”
He felt his freight train of thought come to a sudden halt and met his best friend's eyes again, they acted as reflective pools as the multicolored lights above them swirled in nonsensical patterns. His eyes were glittering, he was giving Thomas the brightest smile he had ever seen, his cheeks and nose dusted pink. He felt himself melting into his shoes, nobody should ever be allowed to look like that…
“I thought you had exams coming up?” Thomas was just able to choke out the question. Guy-Manuel let out a faint puff of air, “I do, but Paul wanted me out of the house so he could play his music as loud as he wanted. And then he decided to come with me the second my foot was out the door.” Thomas couldn’t help but smile, though at the mention of his best friend's brother, he had noticed that the younger de Homem Christo was nowhere to be seen. “He’ll be fine,” Guy-Manuel said as if reading the curly haired boy's mind, “He had said something in the car about not wanting me to embarrass him. He’s probably off chatting up some people about his “superior music tastes.””
As the shorter boy spoke, Thomas couldn't help but hyperfocus on the way his best friend's hair moved like water around his shoulders and the way he kept sweeping it back out of his face in quick motions. Freshly cleaned hair never stays where you want it to, after all…
Whatever response Thomas was formulating in his head was quickly and thoroughly thwarted by the crowd around them. The beats that were previously shaking the walls had turned into something more recognizable and people were rushing to the floor. It was a song that Thomas could recognize from anywhere, one of the first that he and Guy-Manuel had ever truly connected with each other to. It was quite the odd song to play in a club such as this one, but people don't really tend to look into lyrics when they just want to dance. That being said, Thomas almost missed the first words as his best friend shrieked and grabbed him by the hand to drag him to the floor along with everybody else.
Once I had a love and it was a gas,
Soon turned out, had a heart of glass
Songs that have a deeper meaning behind their surface sounds are always intriguing, and while that's half of the artistry of the music, sometimes we shun the true meaning of the words because the music we hear is so enthralling and all we can do is dance. The same was true for everyone in the club that night, including Guy-Manuel and thomas. Between people screaming their praises and the booming music thumping through the cramped hall, despite being just in front of him, Thomas could just make out the sounds of Guy-Manuel singing along to the infectious tune.
While it was a song that he has heard himself and his best friend sing countless times, it was still a new situation. Here they were in a random nightclub in downtown Paris together at some unruly hour of the night, dancing and singing together while masked by the people around them, living the same experience as everyone else yet at the same time not at all.
Out of every nightclub in Paris, how likely was it that they'd met each other in the same club? On the same night? Without ever having discussed it? Thomas thought he had made a mistake complimenting his best friend like that yet there they were, side by side, secretly watching eachother like they're made of nothing but wonder when the other wasn't looking. There had to be something greater at play here, things like this simply weren't allowed, things were never allowed to be this easy.
Lost inside,
An adorable illusion and I cannot hide
Except for the times when it truly is. Disregarding the simple moments in life is incredibly easy, overcomplicating things is what we do best as a society. Sometimes the best we can do is to take a step back and reevaluate what's in front of us.
Thomas felt his hand place itself on Guy-Manuel's waist before he even truly registered what he was doing. Once the thought clicked he felt horrified, but when this action was reciprocated in earnest, earning him his smaller friend's arms around his neck, he felt as if he were on cloud nine. He was also rewarded with seeing those wonderful blue eyes scan his face with an elated smile as they got closer.
In between,
What I find is pleasing and I’m feeling fine,
Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind
He felt himself press his face into Guy-Manuels neck with a dopey grin as they moved together, listening to him continue to breathlessly carry the melody. He could feel his best friend's rapid pulse that was matching his own with precision. As they continued dancing and singing the night away, he decided that he quite likes the nightlife in Paris, and would take it upon himself to make sure he got as many moments like this with the smaller boy as often as possible. He had no idea what life would hold for them the moment they stepped out of this club, but for now they were present, they were in each others arms dancing together, the closest they had ever dared to get and they had no intentions on stopping soon.
Sometimes looking at something that's right in front of you, that has been under your nose the whole time, can be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. The answer was there the entire time, maybe all you ever needed was a little push.
And a really good song.