Come Sit With Me
That week was midterms week. Peter wasn’t sure how it would compare to finals week, but he still wanted to do a good job. If he hadn’t learned anything in the past seven weeks, there would be no point in continuing.
Peter spent every second of the week studying. Even his Arrow binge party with Scott had been temporarily postponed. The only breaks he took were to eat (and even then he still was usually skimming through a textbook) and to look at Steve’s Instagram. He was hoping Steve would post a new picture but he didn’t post anything all week.
When it came to the exams, Peter breezed through them, especially through the classes that the professors had given study guides for. At the end of the week, he was tired, but felt really confident and didn’t know why he had stressed so much.
That Saturday, Peter was ready to go to the bar once again. He felt he deserved to let loose and he wanted to see Steve again. He texted the group chat a simple, “Quicksilver tonight?”
He quickly got a text back from Carol which said, “Actually, we’re keeping it local tonight. Party at my place!!!”
Another text followed from Hope, “Thanks for the heads up…”
And then again from Carol, “It’s last minute so it’ll probably just be more of a kickback.”
Scott chimed in with, “You clearly don’t know how desperate people are for a party around here. You’ll be out of booze by 10.”
Carol then concluded with, “Whatever. You two buttholes better come.”
Peter was slightly disappointed. He knew he would have a good time at Carol’s but he had been hoping all week for another round at Quicksilver. He’d been daydreaming about what he would say to Steve and how he’d offer to buy him a drink. Peter didn’t even have a lot of money so it would mean something to spend a little on him.
He was interrupted from his disappointment by a text from Scott saying, “I’m there.” And then Peter had a terrible idea.
He quickly texted the group, “Same.” But he had no intention of going to Carol’s party.
That night, Peter pretended to be sleepy while Scott got ready for the party. He then told Scott he was tired and to tell Carol he was sorry. He got into bed and laid in the dark for a few minutes after Scott left. Then, he got up to get ready to go to the bar.
It was stupid. Or at least he thought so as soon as he had left campus. He got on the train and worried. He was nervous. It was his first time going to the bar on his own, and even if Steve was there, he didn’t know what he was going to say to him. Once he got off the train, he was tempted to turn back. But he’d waited all week for this. And he felt lucky because of how easy his midterms had gone. Maybe talking to Steve would be just as easy.
Peter felt just as nervous as the first time he’d gone to the bar because this time he was by himself. If he got caught, would he go to jail? Who would he even use his one phone call for? Aunt May was hours away and he would hate to call her up so late. He’d have to spend all night in jail and even if May was able to get him out in the morning, Scott would know that he had lied since he wouldn’t have been in bed. Peter wasn’t sure if Steve was worth all that risk.
As he approached the bouncer, he had the urge to turn around. If he left now, he still had a chance to make it back to the dorm before Scott did. He could even pop by a convenience store and buy a snack. But before he had the chance to do that, the bouncer nodded at him and opened the door. He recognized him from the past couple of weeks and didn’t even ask for his ID. Peter smiled at the man and went inside.
Peter wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next. If he’d been there with his friends, they would’ve gone to the bar to get some drinks and then gone out to the dance floor. Peter hadn’t even been able to pregame and was completely sober. And he didn’t want to go out on the dance floor by himself. Still, he thought buying a drink would be a good idea.
“What can I get you,” Clint the bartender asked when he approached the bar.
“Uh a...vodka cran?” He remembered the first drink Scott had made him only because it was so simple. Clint the bartender nodded at him and made it really quick with a lime wedge on the lid of the cup.
“That’ll be ten bucks.”
Peter was a bit surprised by how much the drink cost even though it was so easy to make, but he reached into his wallet and gave Clint a twenty. “Could I get the change in singles?” he asked.
Clint nodded and went to the cash register. Peter took a sip of his drink and smiled. It wasn’t as sweet as Scott had made it, but it was mixed enough that it was still sweet and he could tell there was alcohol in it. Clint returned with ten singles and Peter put two of them down on the counter for Clint.
Peter then looked around the bar to see if Steve was there, but didn’t see him. Had he made a mistake in coming? He knew the drag show didn’t start for another hour, so if he finished his drink quickly, he could still make it back home early. Not that he wasn’t a fan of the show, but his only objective was to see Steve.
He decided to go over to the small area with the couches and sit down at one of them. He told himself he would wait until the show started and if Steve didn’t show up by then, he would leave. Until then, he sipped on his drink as slowly as possible and looked through his social media apps on his phone. He quickly checked Steve’s instagram to see if he’d posted anything new. He hadn’t.
Peter waited until they announced the show would start in five minutes. He got up and looked around again to see if maybe he had missed Steve’s entrance, but didn’t see him. Peter chugged the rest of his drink, which was mostly melted ice, and then took the cup to the bar. Then he went to the bathroom, thinking he should pee before leaving just in case he had the urge while on the way back. However, when he walked out of the restroom, there he was.
Steve was sitting at one of the tables closest to the stage, waiting for the show to start. Peter had paused when he’d seen him, and as if he knew that he’d walked into the room, Steve turned his head toward him. The man waved with a smile and Peter repeated the gesture. Then Steve motioned him over.
Peter walked to Steve, not knowing what to do. He had been ready to leave but now that Steve was there, he was contemplating staying. “Hey,” Steve said.
“Hey,” Peter replied. “Did you just get here?”
“Yeah. I took a nap that was longer than I’d thought it would be and I had to scramble to get here.”
“Trying to make every one of Hulk’s shows?” Peter said with a slight laugh.
“Just her Saturday ones. Trying to show my support for a friend. Speaking of which, where are yours?”
“Oh, they couldn’t make it tonight,” Peter lied. He felt just as bad lying about it as he did about lying to his friends. But now that this beautiful man was in front of him, it was all worth it.
“Shame. So you’re here all by yourself?”
“Yep, also wanted to show support and watch the show,” Peter lied again. As if he wasn’t just about to leave.
“Then come sit with me,” Steve said, patting the chair next to him.
“Okay, thanks.” Peter tried to sound as casual as he could but on the inside was doing somersaults. He sat down next to him and could swear he could feel Steve’s body heat. He wished they could get physically closer, but settled for being able to sit with him.
The drag show started soon after, with Hulk’s voice booming through the speakers. It was entertaining as usual, as well as educational for Peter. There were some songs he’d never heard of that he had every intention of downloading later. He had so much fun throughout the show that when it was over, he had forgotten that he still had to go home.
There was still a slight chance he could get to his room before Scott, but he would have to hurry, especially if he wanted to take the train back. “Do you want a drink?” Steve asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Sure,” he replied before he could process what he was actually saying.
“What’s your poison?”
“Vodka cran?”
“A classic.” Steve went to the bar and left Peter there at the table to think about what he was going to do now. He could still get an Uber, but he didn’t want to spend a lot of money. And then he recalled what had happened last week. If he stayed long enough and he could get Steve to take pity on him, he could get him to drive him home. And then not only would he be able to spend more time with Steve, but he would get to spend time with Steve in his car. Just the two of them.
Before he had time to fantasize anymore, Steve returned with two vodka crans. “It’s a really good drink,” he explained, taking a sip from one of the cups.
Peter took a sip of his. “It really is,” he said, though he wasn’t talking about the vodka cran.