The co-pilot’s door opened and Jamie’s small figure entered the car. He looked at the driver and managed a smile, but felt his voice cracking before he could even speak.

“H-Hey.” He cleared his throat. “Hey Elly. How was your day?” Jamie’s door snapped shut, and he pulled at his seatbelt, giving him an excuse to avoid those hazel eyes that looked at him.

“It was alright.” Elias said, turning on the engine. He gripped the wheel, annoyed that his friend still refused to meet eyes with him. “What about you? You’re already getting the autumn catalog ready right?” He drove off, smiling at the man in the security booth that let them out of the apartment complex.

“Yeah.” Jamie let out a soft giggle. “I don’t really like that a lot of the stuff is brown and muted, but they have some cute stuff.”

“Really? Anything you’d recommend for me?” Elias looked at his friend from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back on the road.

“You’d look great with the knee-high heels.” And they grew quiet. For a comment that would have ended with both of them laughing in normal situations, the car was silent except for its own soft purring. 

Elias reached for the stereo, turning it on only to have some sort of noise between them. He could see Jamie shifting in his seat, phone in hand.

Taking a better look at his friend, on a red light of course, Elias noticed that Jamie was dressed… Different from what he was used to seeing on the boy. His jeans, while still tight, were black, and on his feet were just as black combat boots. And was that a leather jacket? In this heat? Sure, it wouldn’t be hot inside the bar, but it was still too much. Since when did Jamie buy a leather jacket anyway? He always found them stiff and stuffy and he’d only ever wore them if it was for work.

The green light brought him out of his trance, and as he stepped on the gas, his phone rang with text notifications.

“Can you check that for me?” Elias said, seeing Jamie’s hand reach for the phone under the stereo and unlocking it.

“It’s Mia. She says they’re opening up later but that the door will be open if we get there early.” Jamie relayed the message, leaving the phone back in its place just as his own phone rang with notifications. “She just told me the same.” He said when he checked. “Al-right. We’ll-be-there-soon.”

The rest of the way was just as quiet, with Elias focused on his driving while Jamie looked out the window. There were moments when it seemed like Jamie wanted to say something, a letter or syllable leaving his lips, but before Elias could look at him, the boy had already pursed his lips shut, his sight out in the distance.

One. Two. Three. Four. Elias lost count of how many times he sighed in the last half of the way. He was thankful to see Madame Moon’s sign as he parked, it’s white-blueish like welcoming.

Jamie practically jumped out of the car as if he was being chased out, rushing to the wood door where he hesitated for a moment, looking back at Elias.

Blinking confused, Elias then smiled.

“Go on, I’ll go in a sec.” He said.

Nodding in response, Jamie entered the bar.

“Jamie!” Mia rushed to meet him as soon as she heard the door. “You guys really came early.” She smiled.

“Elly picked me up on his way from work.” Jamie smiled back.

“Oh that’s nice.” She stepped back, fiddling with her hands. “Um… About what happened on Sunday-”

“It’s alright.” Jamie said, walking past her and taking a seat on a table.

“I still wanted to apologize…”

“It’s really okay.” Jamie insisted, not turning when he heard the door behind them. “I overreacted, and you didn’t mean any harm.”

Mia looked at Elias, who walked up to them. She only mustered a shy wave before turning back to Jamie. “I’m glad then.” She said with a soft voice. “We aren’t opening in another half hour, but I can bring you guys something to drink.”

“Just water please.” Said Elias with a smile. “What about you Jamie?”

“The sweetest thing you have please.”

“Alright, I’ll bring it right over.” Mia said with a giggle as she headed to the bar.

The bartender pulled out rum, along with different creams and even milk, preparing something more akin to a milkshake than anything when a familiar face appeared from the hall at the back.

Citara had her hair up in a ponytail, her waves bouncing as she walked. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the boys sitting on the table, giving them a smile and a wave of her hand as she went up to them.

“Hello Elias, Jamie.” She said with calmly.

“Hey.” Elias answered, waving his own hand.

“Hi.” Jamie smiled, his cheeks a pretty pink, but looking back at the table right after.

“Jamie, you didn’t dress up today?” Citara asked, noticing his outfit.

“Ah- Y-Yeah.” He laughed. “Had a long day at work.”

His friend sitting with him raised a brow. Jamie had definitely dressed up. Not in his usual manner, but he had still gone out of his way to look good in… Something even Elias as a friend wasn’t used to seeing the boy wearing. 

“That’s a shame.” Citara scratched her cheek. “You looked super cute on Sunday.”

“... Thanks.” Jamie answered, but he never looked up to meet her eyes.

“Aaaand here you go guys!” Mia interrupted, putting a glass of water and a tall milkshake glass. “Water for basic boy and a creamy bushwacker with an extra cherry for Jamie.” She declared.

“Basic boy? But I’m just having water because I’m the designated driver.” Elias complained.

“Hey, I wanted to give you a funny nickname from the start, but you refused ‘pervy boy’.”

“Basic boy is fine.” Elias reached for his glass. “Thanks.”

“Thank you, Mia.” Smiled Jamie, lifting his head to look at her as he pulled his drink to him. “It looks really sweet.”

Mia smiled kindly, patting his shoulder. “Let me know if you like it, okay?”

“Yeah.” He giggled.

“I’ll be at the bar if you guys need anything.” Mia said, turning on her heel. “Give me a hand?” She said to Citara.

“Ah, sure.” Said Citara, following after her coworker.

Behind the bar, Mia made sure to give Citara a meaningful gaze.

“What?” Citara asked, tilting her head. Mia only looked at her like that if she did something wrong, or Mia disapproved of.

Shaking her head, Mia sighed. “You’re as dense as that idiot.” She pouted. “But I guess I can be pretty dense too…” She kneeled to look in the cabinets for a bottle, remembering how she had been anything but sensible last time at the mall. “What I’m trying to say is-” She stood up, a brilliant white wine in her hands. “Jamie did dress up today.” She looked at the boys, Elias showing his phone to Jamie, eliciting a laugh from him.

“Oh.” Citara gasped. “I- I didn’t mean that he didn’t.” She reached for her hair, twirling it in her finger.

“I know.” Mia smiled at her friend. “Guess we can be pretty bad at expressing ourselves.” She giggled.

“... Mia?” Citara fidgeted in her place, her cheeks red, but her eyes looking down. “Is it wrong that I felt better about myself when I saw Jamie dressed as a girl?”

Mia looked at her friend with wide eyes. Was that a trick question? More like, she didn’t know what to make of it. “Better… About yourself?” She asked, trying to clear her confusion.

“No, nevermind.” Citara laughed nervously. “It’s nothing.”

The bartender was about to ask more, but it was now opening hours and the first few customers started walking in.

That night it was a lot more lively than the first time the boys had been there. Elias recognized the ladies who had been looking at them back then, feeling a little better when he realized they paid them no mind even when they sat on the booth behind them. Jamie had actually smiled up at them and greeted them with a polite hello, which then forced Elias to do the same, as awkward as that made him feel.

After ordering some snacks, and three more drinks for Jamie, a light lit up the small stage on the corner. Cheers exploded from the crowd as Citara, who had been holding a tray just moments ago, now walked to stand behind the keyboard.

Elias turned to look at Jamie, noticing that his friend’s cheeks were flushed. Whether it was caused by the alcohol or the heat under the jacket or his feelings for the singer, he didn’t know.

“Hello everyone.” Citara said into the microphone after she had adjusted it to her height. “Thank you all for joining us tonight.” She smiled. “This time I prepared a much more uplifting song, so I hope you all enjoy it.”

She took a deep breath, her diaphragm visibly expanding under her uniform.

“All I need is you. You. You.” Her voice ran out, a tender melody accompanying her as she carefully played keys with long, trained fingers.

Many of the listeners bobbed their heads to the beat, tapping their fingers on the tables or their feet on the wooden floor. Elias found himself following the head motion of others, thinking how well it sounded when she rapped the verses.

From the corner of his eye he saw Jamie with his eyes glued to the front, but his expression wasn’t one of amazement or amusement. It was pain.

The boy bit his lip to keep it from trembling, and his eyes were glassy against the dim lights that reflected from the corner of the room. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jamie flinched, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up at Elias.

“All I need is you.” Citara ended her song, the last chord fading with her voice.

The bar erupted in cheers. Everyone clapped and there were a few whistles. But neither Elias or Jamie joined them.

Jamie was getting up, whispering to Elias that he was going to the restroom. Elias could only reply with an “okay” as he watched his friend head to the back, pushing himself as far away as he could so that he wouldn’t distract the crowd as he walked into the hall that was close to the stage.

The restroom felt small, too small. Jamie leaned on the sink, splashing his face with cold water, his bangs falling over his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, his cheeks still as red as before. Why was it so damn hot? Why had he even worn that stupid jacket?

“Ugh.” He grunted, pulling it off of his arms. It’s not like he would impress anyone with it.

“Why did I even think it looked good on me?” He berated himself, an accusing grin on his reflection. Dropping his head, the song he had just heard turned in his head over and over.

Had she been singing that for someone in particular? She did look happy as she sang it, just like how she had looked sad last time. Maybe she really had just picked a more cheerful song and he was overthinking. Yeah, he was just overthinking.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the restroom, walking into the room now filled with different voices and conversations. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Citara by his table, a bright smile on her face as she talked with Elias.

He felt his heart sink to his stomach- as if that could happen, but it sure felt like it did. His face that he had managed to refresh just moments ago was once again burning. His hands felt sweaty and his vision blurred with tears that welled in his eyes.

“I’m just drunk.” He wiped his eyes, but he knew that wasn’t true. Sure, he was a bit tipsy, but not remotely close to being intoxicated.

He gathered his courage and walked up to his table, where Citara smiled at him, but he was unable to return the gesture. Instead, he pulled at Elias’ sleeve, his voice small and quivering.

“I don’t feel well… Can we go home?”

Elias looked at his friend, his expression growing with worry when he saw Jamie holding back tears. He only nodded and stood up.

“Let me pay and we’ll get going.”

“I hope you feel better soon.” Citara said, still unable to see Jamie’s eyes as he never lifted his head to look at her.

“... Thank you.” Jamie followed behind Elias, who walked to where Mia was at the drinks bar.

“Have a good night guys.” Said Mia after Elias pulled his card from the terminal.

“Thanks. See you later.” Elias’ lips pulled to a faint smile, waving over his shoulder as he walked to the door, leading Jamie.

Mia looked at the door for a moment even after it closed. Maybe it had been a bad idea to invite them over. She had hoped to make amends with Jamie, and to chat with the boys and Citara before they opened, but things had backfired.

“What now?” She let out a loud sigh.

“Excuse me.” She heard a voice call out from behind her.

That’s right, work. She would have to think of a solution later.

“Yes! What can I offer you?” She smiled.