Fuck, Colin thinks. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He trips when he starts putting his pants on. He needs to slow down a bit, or else he’ll wake the sleeping presence next to him. He has convinced himself that if he gets out of here as soon as possible it will all go away. Along with this, he’s told himself that Jamie doesn’t want him to stay.
So he leaves.
He doesn’t bother putting his sunglasses on. It’s the middle of the night, and it’s not like Jamie isn’t his friend. Plus, no one’s out anyway. (He hopes.)
He doesn’t have his car, Jamie drove him home from the club, so he walks. He decides he doesn’t want to go home, not yet. He starts the trip to Mae’s instead.
He doesn’t think about Jamie.
He takes a deep breath, that shudders in his chest as he walks inside. It’s almost empty, except for the three guys that are always staring at him and the lads from across the room, and-
“Keeley?”
Keeley looks up from the cocktail that she’s burning a hole in with her eyes. “Oh! Hi, Colin!”
Colin isn’t sure he’s ever seen Keeley at The Crown and Anchor before. He always assumed it wasn’t her style.
She pats the stool next to her and Colin accepts the offer. She’s got a fake smile plastered onto her face, Colin can tell it’s fake, because his is, too. (This doesn’t mean he isn’t happy to see Keeley. He is. Always.)
Colin waves to Mae, and she brings him a pint. He takes a few sips, and then finally, asks, “Are you alright?”
Keeley turns to face him, and Colin can tell by the flush on her cheeks and the way her eyes lag a bit that she’s at least tipsy. “I think I did something bad.”
Keeley is the nicest person Colin has ever met in his life. He knows whatever she did isn’t bad bad. It’s not like she hurt someone. He knows this. But he pries anyway, because if Keeley did kill someone, he’d like to make sure the body is hidden. “What is it?”
“I shagged my boss.” Keeley picks up her glass and downs it. Colin copies, because fuck it.
“Oh,” Colin replies lamely. “Well, was he nice?”
“It’s a she. But yeah. She’s really nice.” Keeley doesn’t seem nervous about the revelation, not really. Maybe he should’ve known before. Did everyone know? For a gay man, his gaydar is horrendous. “Do you think she’s going to fire me?”
Colin clears his throat. “Well, it was consensual, yeah? That’d be a pretty shit thing of her to do if she did.”
Keeley smiles — it’s real this time, and orders them a round of shots. And a second. And a third.
After their third, it just tumbles out of his mouth. “My boyfriend broke up with me.” He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “And I slept with Jamie.” Keeley’s eyes widen and she stares at him, dumbfounded, and he thinks he might’ve said the wrong thing until she pulls him into a hug. He has to grip the counter to make sure he doesn’t tip over onto the hardwood.
She pulls away and puts her lip in between her teeth. “Why did you two break up?” Keeley’s always been very direct, but the alcohol seems to have made her more so.
“He was upset about that Bantr ad. I get it. I shouldn’t have done it, but I couldn’t just come out and say I wasn’t single anymore. It’d be too many questions.” He could’ve handled it, though. If he really tried, if he had really wanted to. (He doesn’t say that part out loud.)
“Shandy shouldn’t have made you guys do that. She’s a total bitch, you know. She put a sheep in my office earlier and it shit all over the place!” Keeley throws her hands up in the air. “Then me and Jack drank her vodka, and well, you know what happened after that.”
Colin furrows his eyebrows and points a finger gun at her. “Wait, so you came here right after?”
“Yeah! Why? Am I a mess? Is my shirt on backwards?” Keeley starts double-checking her appearance. Colin puts his hand out to reassure her.
“No, no,” He laughs. “It’s just that I came from Jamie’s. Like, just now.”
Keeley grabs both his hands in hers. “Colin, we are like total twin flames!” She shrieks. “I think we were supposed to find each other tonight.” He squeezes her hands tight. He thinks it might just be true.
Keeley lets go of his hands and leans forward. “So,” She says, dragging it out, “Do you like him?”
“He’s Jamie Tartt,” Colin says with a shrug, because it’s the best answer he can come up with right now. Keeley seems to get it.
“I don’t think Jamie’s the type to sleep around anymore,” She informs him. “He probably really likes you.”
Colin can’t help the blush that rises from his neck onto his cheeks. “I doubt it. He was probably just upset the match and wanted to blow off some steam.”
“Did you do it because you were upset about the match?”
He swipes his tongue over his teeth. “No.” Keeley turns her palms upwards, as if to say see?
“Do you like Jack?” He imitates.
“Yeah, I think I do.” Keeley leans her head onto her hand that’s resting on the counter. “But I still love Roy.” Colin doesn’t know what to say to that, considering he’s never been in love before. Keeley gives up on her sulking, and sits back up with a grin on her face. “But enough of that, yeah?”
Colin nods. “Fuck ‘em.” He picks up the glass he just noticed was sitting in front of him, and holds it to clink with Keeley’s.
“Yes! Fuck ‘em.” She presses their glasses together. “We should hang out more often.”
She may be drunk, but Colin thinks that she really means it. He agrees, obviously. He feels
much better than he did an hour ago. Although, he’s always known Keeley is great company.
“Do you want to stay over? We can watch movies and drink wine!” Colin doesn’t think he’s ever been invited to a sleepover before, not even as a child, so he smiles just as wide as Keeley and says yes.
They end up passed out in the living room, Colin with a full face of Keeley’s makeup, and Keeley with an empty wine glass in her hand. It is the best night of his entire life.
The next morning, when Keeley takes Colin to get his car, Jamie will be waiting for him. When he asks Keeley how he knew he’d be here, she will respond with a smile and a shrug. He will roll his eyes and act bothered, but when his first date with Jamie that night goes extremely well, he’ll drive over, have some wine, and tell her he’s never been so grateful for another living person.
Colin never asks why she came to The Crown and Anchor, somewhere she knew her friends and acquaintances frequently visited. He thinks that, perhaps, she had wanted someone to find her. He thinks, maybe, he wanted someone to find him, too.
He’s glad it was Keeley.