Nemesis: Loud Like Love - 6. Chapter Six: Kitty Litter

CHAPTER SIX

Kitty Litter

‘You’re really going away the whole weekend?’ asked Zoë over the phone.

Nick sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘I need a break. And I want to see Brian. It’ll be good for me to get away from Windfield for a couple of days.’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘I know there’s not much I can do to stop you, short of having Richard arrest you or something.’

Nick laughed. ‘No need for that, I hope. Look, I know you worry, but I can take care of myself. We’re going to a concert, he’s playing. I’ll be fine.’

‘All right. Just promise to be careful, okay? And Nick, if you’re going to keep going to Birmingham to see Brian, I want to meet him. I know he’s not your boyfriend, and I know you feel safe with him, but I still want to see for myself what kind of person he is.’

‘Fine. Next time, I’ll invite him to come visit and you can meet him, okay?’

‘Good. Well, don’t let me keep you. Have fun.’

‘I will. Bye.’

Nick hung up. It was going to be a good weekend. He could feel it.

* * *

Brian picked him up at the bus station, delivering the customary kiss, and they went to his place. It was a tiny two bedroom flat that he shared with Dom, the guitarist from Adolescent Pushback. Nick knew that Dom and Brian had been shagging at some point, but these days they were strictly friends.

Nick put down his stuff in Brian’s room, and Brian was on him in seconds, kissing him and pushing him down onto the bed. Nick moaned softly, feeling Brian’s strong body on top of him, his lips and teeth on his throat. Brian palmed Nick through his jeans, before undoing them and taking him in hand. Nick tried to get at Brian’s fly, but the other stopped him.

‘No. Right now, I just want to make you feel good. You need this. We’ll have plenty of time for more later.’

Nick arched his back. It didn’t take long. Brian was right. He did need it. Somehow, Brian always knew how to give him what he needed.

Afterwards, Nick took a shower, and when he returned to the bedroom, Brian was already dressed up and ready to go. He looked beyond hot, in tight jeans and a tank top with some band logo or another on it, showing off his sleeve tattoos. Nick opted for his favourite grey skinny jeans and a Placebo t-shirt. He tried to do something about his hair, but Brian pulled him away from the mirror, combing his fingers through it.

‘Don’t change your hair. It looks really hot. You look really hot. Fuck, if we weren’t going out, I’d get you right out of those clothes again and have my way with you.’

Nick almost whimpered. Instead he put his arms around Brian and kissed him deeply. ‘Sure we can’t just do that instead?’ he murmured.

‘Hey, I said I was taking you out, so I’m taking you out. We’ll have a great time, I promise. And, I talked about trying new things, so . . .’ Brian fished a tiny ziplock bag out of his pocket. Inside were a few colourful pills.

‘What’s that?’ asked Nick.

‘MDMA,’ said Brian. ‘It’s harmless. It’ll make you high and happy. You can have one now, or wait until we get there, it’s up to you. I’m gonna wait until we’re there. I know the people at the door, so I can get you in without an ID, but I should probably be sober for that.’

‘I’ll wait too, then.’ Nick smiled. If Brian was taking it himself, Nick trusted him.

They hopped on a bus that took them three stops into the city centre, where they walked a couple of blocks before stopping outside a building with a giant rainbow flag outside. Nick could feel more than hear the thumping bass of the music being played inside. There was a bit of a queue, but not too bad. Brian, however, took him by the hand and went straight up to the door.

‘Hey, Raj,’ he said to the bouncer, smiling.

‘Brian!’ The man called Raj gave him a hug across the ropes. He was maybe in his mid-thirties, tall and broad shouldered, with a kind looking face. ‘Long time no see. Partying tonight?’

‘You know it. This is Nick, my new protégé. You should hear him sing, he’s got epic talent. Nick, this is Raj. You coming to my gig tomorrow, Raj?’

‘Stuck at work, I’m afraid. Good luck, though. So, you two want in?’

‘Well, if you can swing it.’

‘Course I can.’ Raj unfastened the rope and let them through. He stamped them on the backs of their hands, and then they were free to go inside. Brian gave him a kiss on the cheek.

‘Thanks, mate. I owe you one.’

‘Nah, man, I still owe you for those concert tickets. Have fun!’

Nick had never been to a nightclub before, let alone a gay one. He didn’t know what he’d expected, from watching films and what have you, but his jaw dropped when they entered into a large room, three stories high, with lights and smoke and scantily clad men dancing on platforms. There was a DJ up on a stage and, much to Nick’s relief, the music wasn’t terrible.

‘Come on, bathroom first,’ said Brian and led him by the hand through the crowds until they got to the toilets. He pulled Nick into a booth and got out the ziplock bag again. He poured two pills into his palm and took one. ‘Open wide,’ he said, and Nick did as he was told. Brian placed the pill on his tongue, and Nick swallowed. ‘Now, let’s go dance.’

* * *

Dave and Patrick hopped on a bus headed for Birmingham as soon as lessons were done for the day. Dave had brought a change of clothes, and left his stuff in Patrick’s room before they set off. When they reached Birmingham, they started by getting a bite to eat and a couple of drinks, before heading to the club Matt had told them about. They queued for about twenty minutes before they got their IDs checked and were let inside.

It was loud, and full of people, and they headed towards the bar to get some drinks.

‘Wow, I’ve never been to a place like this before!’ Patrick almost had to shout over the din.

‘Me neither,’ said Dave.

‘What?’

‘Me neither! God, it’s loud in here. What are you having?’

‘Well, might be time to find out what a mojito tastes like when it’s not made by you.’ Patrick grinned, and Dave punched his shoulder playfully.

‘Bitch. Fine, mojitos it is.’

They got their drinks, and turned to watch the dance floor—which was full of people dancing, kissing, having fun—while sipping them. Patrick had been right. This was a much better drink than the ones Dave had tried to make at his birthday party.

When they had finished their drinks, Patrick took him by the hand and pulled him out on the floor. ‘If I’m in a gay club, I intend to make the most of it!’ he said loudly in Dave’s ear. Then he began to swing his hips to the music. Dave copied him. He wasn’t a great dancer, and neither was Patrick, but soon they were dancing like no one was looking, laughing at each other and themselves.

The evening was spent passing back and forth between the bar and the dance floor, and Dave found himself fairly tipsy after a while. Patrick was, too, and they cared less and less about how they looked dancing, and more and more about touching each other and kissing as much as possible.

All of a sudden, Dave spotted a familiar silhouette nearby, and froze. It was definitely Nick, and he was dancing with a dark-haired man with sleeve tattoos. Though dancing was the wrong word for what he was doing, grinding up against the guy like he just couldn’t get close enough. Dave turned away quickly.

‘You okay?’ Patrick called.

‘Yeah! Come here!’ Dave pulled Patrick towards him and drew him into a fierce kiss. He needed to forget what he had just seen, put it out of his mind, bring his thoughts back to Patrick, who looked and felt so perfect, and smelled so good. He wrapped his arms around him, kissed his neck, nibbled on his earlobe, and Patrick moaned.

‘Fuck . . .’ Patrick grabbed Dave’s arse and squeezed, and it was Dave’s turn to moan, returning to Patrick’s lips, running his tongue along them, kissing him desperately and grinding his pelvis into Patrick’s. He felt himself getting hard.

Then, he heard someone call his name. He didn’t want to break the kiss, wanted to get closer, to block out the world until he and Patrick were the only people in it.

‘Dave?’ called the voice again. ‘Dave!’ And a moment later, Patrick was pulling away, and someone was touching Dave’s shoulder. He turned around and found himself face to face with Nick. His pupils were so blown his grey eyes looked black, and he licked his lips, staring at Dave. ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked after a moment.

‘I’m . . .’ Dave cleared his throat. ‘I’m here on a date.’

‘Me too,’ said Nick, smiling coyly. ‘Let’s dump them.’ He moved into Dave’s space, and then he was kissing him. Dave was so shocked he couldn’t move for a few seconds, but then he backed away, and a moment later Nick’s date was there, grabbing his arm.

‘Hey, come on, Nick. What are you doing?’

Nick smiled. He looked almost blissful. ‘Kissing my boyfriend!’

The guy with the tattoos pulled Nick into his arms. ‘All right, come here. Let’s get you some water.’ He looked up. He was very attractive, with dark hair and dark eyes, and several piercings adorning his ears, as well as one in his eyebrow. He looked like a rockstar. ‘I guess you’re Dave, then,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, mate. Come on, Nick.’

He steered Nick away from them, and for a moment Dave just stood there, not sure what to think or feel, but still feeling Nick’s lips on his.

Someone took his hand, and Dave turned towards his date, towards Patrick, who stood there, looking concerned. ‘You okay?’

Dave shook his head. ‘Can . . . Can we get out of here?’

‘Of course.’

They made their way through the crowd and left the club. The night air felt pleasantly cool on Dave’s skin. They walked half a block before they stopped and Dave slumped against a wall.

‘So, that was Nick, huh?’ said Patrick, softly.

Dave nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘And I guess that was whatshisface, Brian?’

‘Probably, yeah. Never seen him before. I get the attraction. He’s hot.’ Dave rubbed his face with both hands, trying to get out of that headspace, away from Nick’s wide, glassy, black eyes. ‘God, he must have been utterly pissed.’

‘Or high,’ Patrick supplied. ‘Hey . . . Did you see them, before you kissed me?’ Dave looked up at him, and he knew the guilt was etched on his face. ‘That why you just tried to all but fuck me on the dance floor?’

‘I didn’t—’ Dave licked his lips and looked down at his feet. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Hey.’ Patrick touched his cheek gently and turned Dave’s face towards him. ‘It’s okay, I get it. I mean, I would have liked you to ravish me because you wanted to rather than to make your ex jealous, but hey, can’t have everything in life.’

‘I wasn’t trying to make him jealous,’ said Dave helplessly. ‘I was hoping he hadn’t seen me. I just . . . I needed . . . Fuck, I’m so sorry, Patrick. This was supposed to be your night.’

‘Seriously.’ Patrick took Dave’s face in his hands and kissed his lips softly, tracing his cheekbones with his thumbs. ‘It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Not like you knew he’d be there. I’m not angry. I’m not even upset. Okay? I knew going in that you still have issues with him.’

Dave shook his head, covering one of Patrick’s hands with his own and turning his head to kiss his palm. ‘How can you be so calm and nice about everything?’

Patrick gave a soft chuckle. ‘I dunno. Guess I’m just a good person.’

‘The best,’ Dave murmured and pulled him into his arms, holding him close and kissing him again. ‘I don’t want to fuck this up, with you. I . . . I really like you, Patrick. You’re hot, and you’re cute as hell, and you’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.’

Patrick smiled. ‘You’re gonna make me blush.’ He took Dave’s hand. ‘Come on, let’s go home. It’s late, anyway, and I should really be getting back to campus.’

‘You could come home with me instead,’ said Dave, hope rising in his chest, but Patrick shook his head.

‘Not tonight, Dave. Don’t get me wrong, I want you so badly it hurts sometimes. But I want you to be in your right mind when we . . .’ He blushed slightly. ‘I want you to want me just as much as I want you, and I don’t want you to be distracted.’

Dave hung his head. He knew Patrick was right. Knew that, as much as he’d wanted him from before, right now he just wanted to forget what he’d seen, forget about Nick and Brian dancing, Nick kissing him. And that wasn’t fair to Patrick. Kind, sweet Patrick, who was so understanding that it nearly broke Dave’s heart.

‘Okay,’ he said at last. ‘I think the buses have stopped running. Let’s find a taxi, yeah?’

Patrick took his hand again and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you, for tonight. Best birthday celebration I’ve ever had, right up until the bit at the end, there.’ He gave Dave a half smile. ‘We can talk about the rest of it tomorrow.’