Rava's fingers gripped his unopened wineglass, knuckles bone-white. His gaze flickered nervously to the pocket where Blaine's silent phone resided. Each time a server passed, balancing a tray, he flinched subtly.
Blaine, to his right, seemed to be a source of unstoppable energy. He was in the middle of some animated story, gesticulating with a meat-laden fork.
"So I tell the tattoo artist, 'Shouldn't I bend my elbow?'" Blaine paused, waiting for Ivi's fit of laughter to subside. "You should've seen my face when he started apologizing!"
Even the usually morose Iris was unable to keep from smiling. Rava felt a genuine, involuntary upward curl of his lips. Seeing this, Blaine shot him a quick wink, as if to say, "See? Not so bad, right?"
"Hey, Swift," Blaine nudged him lightly, "any ink, man? Besides the basic 'I love coffee' you've got on your forehead?"
Rava snorted, brushing a loose strand of hair from his face.
"As if. My boss made me take my earrings out - the holes sealed ages ago."
"That's tyranny!" Blaine dramatically raised his hands to the ceiling, accidentally bumping a passing waiter's tray. "Oops, sorry!" He immediately sprang to his feet to help gather fallen napkins.
In that moment, Rava realized he hadn't thought about his phone, the calls, or what awaited him after the evening, for at least fifteen minutes. He watched Blaine tipping the waiter "for emotional distress," while apologizing.
"You alright?" Blaine asked upon returning, leaning in close enough that Rava caught the scent of his cologne.
"Better." Rava responded honestly. And it was true.
Blaine smiled and, unseen by others, gave his hand a swift squeeze beneath the table – brief enough not to be embarrassing, but long enough to communicate: I've got your back. Rava's heart hammered against his ribs.
As their boss raised a glass for a toast, Rava took a deep breath and felt, for the first time in ages, like... just part of the crew. Not a streamer, not a victim of circumstances, not someone's possession. Just a person having a drink with colleagues.
He caught Blaine's eye and nodded - a silent thank you. Blaine just winked back and immediately drew him into a heated discussion about whose coffee was better at their shop. Before he knew it, Rava, shedding his usual caution, was passionately arguing that cinnamon lattes were sacred while everything else was simply a compromise with one's moral compass.
The phone in Blaine's pocket remained silent. And it was glorious.
Rava sat, clutching his wineglass so tightly his knuckles were white. An odd, almost detached feeling started to spread, from the wine, the anxiety, the chilling sensation of being observed.
Happiness is fleeting.
He downed the rest of his wine, signalling the waiter.
"Another. Two of them."
Blaine, fully engrossed in a debate with Iris, kept glancing over. Rava caught one of those glances and forced a smile. The subtle flush colouring Blaine's ears went unnoticed.
The third glass burned. The fourth tasted like nothing. The table swayed as the laughter of his colleagues blended together. Ice clinked behind him.
"You okay?" Blaine's warm hand encompassed his wrist.
"Peachy!" The lie felt empty.
Later, Rava stood too abruptly, knocking his knee against the table. No one noticed. Darkness danced at the edges of his vision as he wove between tables, his skin prickling with imagined stares.
Don't look. Don't react.
Close by, three men in unbuttoned shirts. One, thick-necked, broad-shouldered, rotated a whiskey glass between stubby fingers, tongue darting across his thin lips. Their eyes met. The man smirked at his friends. Boisterous laughter followed.
Rava quickened his pace.
The restroom door slammed shut behind him. He braced himself against the sink, hands trembling violently. Cold water. More. Droplets trailed down his collar. The anxiety clung.
The mirror revealed his pale face, pupils widened.
"Should get back..." He ran fingers through his dishevelled hair, swaying slightly.
"I forbid you to drink without me," a voice echoed in his head.
Rava sat on the man's lap, his legs dangling while the man's feet were planted on the floor. The man tenderly stroked Rava's long hair, smoothing out the small knots. He inhaled Rava's scent and kissed the back of his neck. – "You're adorable when you drink. Only show it to me." The man began to pepper Rava's back with kisses. His hands, which had been stroking Rava's hair, travelled down to his neck, then abruptly gripped his thigh. Rava giggled at the ticklish sensation. Feeling the building arousal, he wrapped his arms around the man's face and captured him in a kiss. The man, who was waiting for this, turned Rava to face him and deepened the kiss with his tongue. Clothes started to fall to the floor, and the heavy breathing of both men foreshadowed a long night.
It was a horrific memory.
The door burst open. The thick-necked man from earlier loomed, expensive suit rumpled, movements loose with liquor. His glazed eyes fixated on Rava.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The stranger smirked drunkenly, clicking the door shut. "Looks like a celebrity..."
Rava felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He spun around quickly, leaning against the sink for balance.
"You're mistaken," he managed, forcing clarity into his slightly slurred words. "Just a cafe employee. No big deal."
"Oh, come on!" The man took a step closer, reeking of pricey whiskey and sweat. "I recognized you right away. You're that streamer who… well, you know."
He made a suggestive gesture. Rava's jaw clenched.
"Leave," he said coldly. "Or I'll call security."
"Security?" The man barked a laugh. "There's no one here!"
Another step forward. Rava recoiled against the wall.
"Listen…" His voice wavered but then steadied. "I'm not who you think I am."
"Yeah, sure." The man reached for Rava's waistband.
BANG!
The restroom door swung open.
"There you are!"
Both men turned. Blaine stood in the doorway, swaying slightly but with a predator's grin.
"Ooh, a new friend?" He sauntered in, twirling an empty wineglass. "Rava, you didn't introduce us!"
The stranger scowled. "None of your business, kid."
"Ooooh, scary!" Blaine fake-shuddered, then straightened suddenly. His voice became frigid. "Now step away from him."
"Or what?" The man sneered.
Blaine tipped his glass. "See this stem? Fragile. Very sharp when broken." Light glanced off the crystal. "So scram before I reconsider."
A moment's hesitation… then Blaine took a step forward, smile vanished.
"I'm not kidding."
The threat in his tone finally forced the drunk to retreat. "Freaks..." He stumbled out, slamming the door behind him.
Silence.
"You okay?" Blaine's face softened instantly.
Rava exhaled. "Yeah... Thanks."
"Anytime." Blaine grinned. "But next time you disappear, give me a heads-up? Thought you'd fled my brilliant humour."
Rava snorted, tension melting away.
"Back to the party?" Blaine gestured towards the door.
"Yeah. Let's go."
They went back out into the noisy room.
Upon rejoining the group, Rava immediately noticed that the corner table where those men had been sitting was now empty. Only discarded napkins and half-finished drinks remained, as if they'd left in a rush.
Rava sank heavily into his chair, suddenly aware of the weight in his legs. He caught a waiter's eye and gestured to the water cooler.
"Just water, please."
Blaine, settling in beside him, watched with quiet scrutiny.
"By the way..." Rava hesitated. "Any calls?"
Blaine raised an eyebrow, then pulled the phone from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Not a peep! Not even a vibration."
That was… peculiar.
Rava frowned, turning the device over in his hands. The screen showed nothing, no missed calls, no messages. Nothing at all.
"Are you certain you didn't hear anything?" he pressed, although he knew Blaine wouldn't lie.
"Positive." Blaine shrugged. "Maybe they've finally given up?"
The water helped Rava's body and mind steady themselves. However, as his thoughts cleared, a new realization struck him—Blaine was acting rather oddly. He never inquired into Rava's life, never asked inquisitive questions. And he'd been strangely unaffected by the entire phone incident.
Almost as if… he already knew.