For Katia :)
Syed could feel the sub bass echoing through his chest. The sweat from the man squashed next to him at the bar felt sticky on his arm. It seemed as if he had been there, feebly waving a twenty pound note at the supercilious bartender, for most of his life. Making a mental note to let Christian buy his own bloody drink next time, and he'd stay on the dance floor, he finally managed to catch someone's eye and handed over the money.
Looking forlornly at the small amount of change he received, he wondered if he should have just offered a kidney as payment instead.
'Should have taken out a mortgage for them' he mused, stuffing the coins into the back pocket of his jeans. He slid the glass of orange juice and the beer bottle from the bar and looked across the seething mass of people, wildly lit by the strobe lights, for a familiar figure.
He had thought finding Christian would be easy. Tall, muscly, fit, he usually stood out in a crowd. But the room was full of men meeting that description, and so many vests. Syed wondered if he had accidentally strayed into an international vest convention, or the finals of the world Mr. Vest competition.
'Christian would win.' he decided, allowing himself to admire some of the bodies dancing in front of him for a moment, before bellowing "Excuse me!" to deaf ears.
He pushed himself between the gyrating figures, realising with dismay that, from all the buffeting about, he was soon going to be wearing most of the expensive drinks on his sleeve.
'He'll just have to suck the beer from my shirt.' he thought cheerfully.
He opted to go up the stairs and find a better vantage point, and somewhere to put down their drinks. Leaning over the barrier and surveying the crowd beneath, he spotted Roxy. Her vivid blonde hair swirling around her, arms in the air, surrounded by young men, he hoped she wasn't trying to corrupt Shabnam, and then remembered that his little sister was quite capable of taking care of herself. But he could see no sign of Christian.
As he scanned the throng he accidentally caught the eye of a short paunchy man who was nodding his head rhythmically in time to the beat. Syed groaned inwardly as he approached.
"Do I know you?" he placed a small hand on Syed's arm. Syed shook his head in denial, and shouted back. "I don't think so."
To make yourself heard above the music you were forced to an intimacy with strangers that Syed was finding uncomfortable. He felt his own lashes brush the man's cheek.
"Ooh, I do. Never forget a face me, especially not one as pretty as yours. Now let me think.." he stood back slightly and scrutinised Syed with his head on one side.
"I've got it! You're that straight friend of Christian Clarke's! We met outside some grotty old pub. You were just back from your honeymoon, remember me? I was his boyfriend, well, except I wasn't really." his face fell sadly "But it was nice to pretend for a little while." he perked up. "What are you doing here? Is he here? On the pull I bet. God that man is just to die for."
Syed felt a small tug of remembered pain in his stomach.
"Leyton, isn't it? Yes, he's here, somewhere."
Leyton clapped his hands excitedly.
"Where can he be! I'll find him, I can always spot a looker."
He leant rather dangerously far over the barrier, squinting at the writhing crowd below. He started to wave furiously and Syed wondered if he should grab onto his legs to stop him falling, or give him a little sly push to send him on his way.
"Chrissy! Chrissy! Up here!"
Syed felt cheered by Christian's alarmed double take, laughing inwardly as he filed away 'Chrissy' to use as ammunition later. Christian looked desperately about him for a means of escape. Realising there was none, he lifted his hand and waggled it half heartedly. Syed stepped out of the shadows and bared his teeth in a fake smile, making Christian bow his head with embarrassment. He paused, trapped, before starting to push his way up the stairs. Glistening with sweat and bathed in gold light reflected up from the dance floor, Syed felt his heart tighten at the sight of him, and he could sense poor Leyton was almost apoplectic with desire.
"Hi, Leyton. Nice to see you."
Christian was grappled into a bear hug and mouthed 'help' at Syed over the top of Leyton's head. Syed narrowed his eyes, Christian could sort this out himself.
"Look at you, still glorious. Have you missed me? It's been an age!"
"How have you been Leyton? Enjoy the Eurovision this year?"
Christian wanted to kick himself. It wasn't helping that Syed was looking utterly gorgeous, leaning nonchalantly against a pillar and he couldn't reach him because Leyton was blocking his path.
"It was fab. You should have come. I was Dana this year." he puffed himself up slightly "My boyfriend went as Cliff Richard, he looked divine."
Christian heaved an audible sigh of relief.
"Boyfriend, good for you. Is he here?"
Leyton gestured towards the bar.
"He went to get some drinks, bless him. I suppose you're still wild and free, playing the field?"
Christian looked over the top of him and stared deep into Syed's dark eyes, never dropping his gaze he replied;
"I'm very, very much in love with someone."
Almost as if he could sense the heat, Leyton looked behind him and then back to Christian. Raising a shocked hand to his mouth, he giggled,
"I don't really know why I'm surprised. You could turn anyone."
Christian edged by and stood beside Syed, pressing a slow kiss onto his soft mouth.
"Actually, he turned me. He turned me into the happiest man alive."