Roundabout
An RP by PapillonCameo and Tachigami

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After his set was over Colin got off the stage and set his guitar down against the wall, putting his thumb and finger to the bridge of his nose and squeezing. He'd stepped down after the applause, which was actually pretty good considering the location. A country music-loving building, his acoustic worked wonderfully in the smoky, quiet atmosphere. Since Colin didn't sing---he didn't like to sing, didn't like to work with others, and didn't have the talent to compose songs that were unique and flowed well. So he relied on his music, which these people seemed to adore. He'd been on the little corner stage for over an hour and a half---he'd lost track after the fifth on his list, and when he'd begun to improvise and experiment with tunes he hadn't listed in his set to whittle away at the rest of his allowed time, letting his eyes scan the room. He wasn't looking for anyone, really, just taking them in. Seeing who he recognized from his past sets, seeing if anyone were new. He didn't notice anyone new, but a few people caught his eye with intent. These he ignored. Maybe later when he was drunk. But not now.

Now had come too fast for him. Colin was hurting again, and as he turned to head back around the stage to the private area out of sight, he dug in his pocket and unscrewed the lid of a small bottle, discreetly taking out a small white tablet and swallowing it dry, a habit born of practice. Setting his guitar in his black case, he zipped it up and shouldered it, wincing at the pain that shot up his shoulder. He'd have to walk easily until the pill kicked in, and paused, bringing out the orange bottle and reading the label. Every time his prescription was renewed and he went to pick it up, he made sure he could drink while taking the medication. Of course at this point if he had to choose, he'd give up drinking in a second. Colin knew he was an addict and he didn't give a damn, he'd prefer to feel little than to feel pain. Already he was feeling a bit more numb, the pressing inner pain that no one could identify or get rid of ebbing slowly. Colin shouldered his way through the mass of bodies, mistakenly brushing up against some people as he magicianed his way through the crowded room and slid to the bar stool against the wall, setting his guitar against the wall just a little underneath. A young-looking girl came toward him from the other side and leaned forward.

"Hey love, great set." She beamed, her bunned hair coming loose and falling a little. "Got anything on your mind?"

"Just whatever's strongest, in a large quantity, and under ten bucks." Colin responded with a vague sigh, rubbing his hair out of his face. That was useless, though. It just fell back over his forehead and eye in a cowlick. The bartender---she couldn't be more than eighteen so she definitely had a fake ID somewhere. She slid him a bottle and nondescript glass that just didn't match any other behind the scratched bar, and Colin set down his money. It would pay for the whole thing if he managed to down it all. It was some off-brand whisky, no label and a third of the way emptied. Colin didn't care---he'd take the bottle home if nothing else. Someone else was on the stage now, making use of the piano. He didn't pay attention.

Isaac walked into the bar with a look of pure determination. Strains of notes played on strings threaded through the rafters. The young man wandered to a shadowy corner of the room so he could observe the man on stage quietly, without being disturbed. There was a magic to it, the way fingers plucked sounds from metal. Isaac had often wished he could do that, but he was clumsy, awkward and usually shy. Tonight he was determine to turn over a new leaf. Partly because his friends kept egging him on, poking fun at him for being such a serious guy.

He tugged at his short sleeved dress shirt. It was plain, a nice burgundy color. Over it he had put a pinstriped vest, and a fedora completed his look. Isaac flicked a few strands of pale hair from his eyes before taking a few steps into the room. It was hard, and made even more uncomfortable by jeans that felt painted on. A different kind of music started then, a kind played on keys instead of strings. Absentmindedly, he searched for the musician from earlier, and before he knew it he was sliding onto the seat right beside the man.

"What'll you have?" said the too young bartender.

"Just ... Uhm .."

"Can't figure it out?"

Isaac shook his head and sighed. He never drank. How was he supposed to know what he'd like? What a dilemma! Nervously, he tapped his fingers against his thigh.

Not too long had passed, but he was already feeling pleasantly pain-free. He bit back the urge to swallow another pill in front of too many eyes, not wanting to come across as a publicly-acting addict. What was what he was, but he made sure no one was watching him pop painkillers like candy and more often than not chase them with a strong, cheap liquor. He'd poured half a glass at first, glared at it, and set it aside to drink straight from the bottle he wasn't about to share. So it was still there when a too-dressed-up type of guy slid into the seat next to him and stumbled over an indecisive few words. He laughed, feeling a bit nicer than he had a while ago, and slid the untouched glass over the scarred bartop. Then he nodded to the bartender and she shrugged, stepping away to take another order.

"You don't belong in a place like this." Colin said simply, turning in his seat a little to study the guy. He looked young. As young as Colin? Maybe. "Not with that getup. Should've gone uptown---this is a country place." He plucked at his brown duster-like coat, which hid the rest of his clothing that could only be described as 'casual biker'. A black leather vest over a dark green tank top and black, ripped jeans, and heavy boots because for some reason people liked to step on his toes. He paused to take another drink, and then shrugged out of his coat as the bodies in the large room seemed to raise the temperature uncomfortably. Settling the coat across his lap, Colin tilted his head at the newcomer. He definitely didn't belong in a bar, period. Did his friends drag him in then wander off while he was in the bathroom? His clothes screamed 'uptown dweller'. Among the battered western-style hats and boots, untucked checkered shirts, boot-cut jeans. At least no one tried to fake a Texas-style accent until they were stumbling.

A glass slid across the counter top, and automatically Isaac reached out to take it in his hand.He lifted it, and sniffled at the contents hesitantly. It seemed safe enough, even so he was wary. Horror stories ran through his mind before he took a sip and started to cough. Once Isaac had calmed down, he tilted his head to look at everyone else in the bar. It was hard not to look embarrassed once he realized the guitarist was right."Well, I may not look like it ... But I do like country." And it a few of his friends had said the music was good there, and that it was one of the safest bars they knew.

"Oh uhm, thanks for the drink." Leaning over, he peered at the whiskey again. It had a nice goldish color. The light just swept through it. "I heard you playing earlier. You sound good." Tilting his head, the blond eyed his companion with a mixture of admiration and jealousy.

Colin almost laughed out loud at the guy's reaction to the strong liquor as it went down. Maybe he should have warned that it burned pretty well if you weren't---or even if you were---used to it. Instead he bit his lip to avoid much more than a smile and set the bottle between them. "Could've fooled me." He said. This guy didn't look like the country-music-loving kind. He definitely looked like he was thrown into the wrong building by a malfunctioning sorting machine. But hell, that was how Colin felt sometimes. He just shrugged and motioned to the young bartender for a second glass.

"Sure." He said in response to the thanks. He raised a brow at the guy. He'd seen? Odd, Colin had been running his eyes over the congregation more than half the time. Maybe he'd been lurking in a corner and Colin just hadn't noticed. "Yeah? That's nice. Good. Hard to find a constant thing when you're not willing to sing though. Could probably do renditions of classical on piano... Thought about concert, but no one's taking me on." He shrugged, pouring a glass of the cheap whisky when he was handed one. "Anyway, that's not important... Why are you around here? You're definitely not a guy that gets out very much, sorry for sayin'. You just have that look." He studied the guy carefully. He definitely didn't have that 'habitual drinker' look, or that depressed glaze over his eyes, or that lowered posture he saw so much. And coming out alone definitely didn't seem to be in his ballpark.

Another sip of the strong drink had Isaac making a face. But this time he had braced himself for the burn. At least there was no coughing. That was already a big improvement. The taste wasn't as bad either, this time around. "I'm kind of envious really. Playing some kind of instrument, I've always wanted that. But I'm kind of a klutz." How was he going to explain why he was there? It was a lame excuse to go out drinking. It was even lamer since his friends weren't there to see he was actually sitting in a bar doing it.

"Well my friends always are on my back, saying I'm too boring and unadventurous." He lifted the glass and took a large gulp. Isaac swallowed before he could make a face. "So yeah, I wanted to prove to myself that they were wrong. Silly, aren't I?" The young man laughed a bit, whiskey colored eyes glancing over the musician.

Colin watched the guy for a minute, hand lingering on the top of his glass. Then he nodded, closing his aquamarine eyes that people said looked so odd. "Yeah, it's pretty silly of you. I mean, to come out without them to even see it." He laughed and rolled his eyes, feeling his tongue loose in his head already. The stuff was stronger than he thought, but he realized the bottle was nearly empty as he downed the whole of what he'd poured himself and set the glass down, beckoning the bartender and simply pointing to the nondescript bottle of offbrand beer on the middle cooler under the shelves. She slid one over and he tossed a few dollars on the top.

"Seems to me you should've got them out with you." He said simply, uncapping the bottle with a twist of his hand and flipping the lid around the bar top. "Your grand plan was to come out alone, get drunk off your ass and stumble home with a call to your friends that you proved them wrong? Seems more tedious to me." He shrugged, flicking his hair back as he took a long drink and returned his gaze to the stranger. "You have any other ideas after this whole thing?" He used his free hand to gesture around the room, as if something more interesting would burst out of thin air.

The next long swallow actually tasted not bad at all. Isaac grinned. "I said I wanted to prove it to myself, not them. They don't need to know about my adventure, but I sure will. That's what's important." He finished off his glass, and poured what was left of the bottle right in. It only filled about half. That would be gone soon too. Isaac really had no idea what he would do once the whiskey was done. Probably drink some more until the bartender said it was enough, and he was drunk out of his mind.

"Nope, no idea at all. I was just going to get myself nice and more then buzzed and see what happened next. Maybe by the end of the night I'll have a wild story to tell to myself, you know ... Those 'I did this crazy thing when I was drunk' type thing." Isaac was actually looking forward to it. "Oh yeah, my name's Isaac." It seemed best to tell the musician now, before he forgot that it was polite to do so.

Colin shrugged. He misheard, obviously. But that didn't mean the guy didn't want to prove it to them too. He just laughed, draining his bottle and looking at it as if he hadn't expected it to be gone so fast. He nodded to the girl, who set another up on her way by. At least tonight he had money to burn. Five hundred, paid up front because the bar's owners knew he wouldn't balk and wander off before he made due on his scheduled play time. He'd been here before after all, he was trustworthy. As trustworthy as an addict could be, at least. But they knew him. He'd waste a bit, then hide the rest until he found another gig to play. Maybe at a rougher place. A biker bar that wanted something a little harsher. He was sure he could pull off a steel guitar, he just didn't own one, specifically.

He glanced sideways. "Well Isaac, nice to meet you. Colin." He inclined his head, as if only just meeting him. "If you're going for crazy or stupid decisions you won't go much further down than me. But you'd better be careful with that stuff... It'll hit you hard if you're not a big drinker." He laughed quickly, shaking his head. The guy---Isaac---probably didn't know what he was getting into. At the first sip Colin knew he'd never tasted whisky before. Or if he had, he forgot.

It was already hitting hard. Isaac smiled and shimied closer to the other man. After a few other swigs of the whiskey, the young man was leaning over and looking quite obviously at Colin. "You have some really interesting eyes. And, what do you mean, about not being able to sink lower then you?" A hand reached out, slid across an arm. That was nicer then Isaac had expected it to be. Usually he only thought about doing stuff like that with women, but this ... well tonight it didn't seem so bad to be reaching out like that and touching the mysterious musician.

"You haven't sunk that low, have you Colin?" That would be a darn shame. Isaac leaned back a bit to take another swig from his glass, but found it sadly empty. He frowned and waved the bartender down. Soon he was cradling a beer of his own, and taking small sips now and again. He didn't know what people were so worried about. He felt just fine, better then fine actually

Colin hadn't quite expected what Isaac did, but didn't pull away. He didn't mind the touch---actually, Colin was glad that he'd taken off his jacket. He drummed his fingers over the bar top and glanced sideways, looking around to the man and slowly closing his eyes at the comment about them. That was what most people said. Their first comment, usually. But this time it had waited a bit, and at least that was something.

Then he opened his eyes and sighed. "Hell, I didn't have anywhere to sink." He noted, shaking his head a little. "I was already here." He gestured around, drinking down half his beer and setting it aside so he could turn to look more directly at Isaac. "But I don't care. See, I belong here. It's where I grew up, it's where I belong. I like it here, I don't know anything else. So sinking is what most people tend to do. I don't care, takes the edge off at least." He laughed hoarsely, sitting back and feeling rather heavy-limbed. "Hell, I don't mind being most peoples' one bad decision. I have my own bad decisions, make for good stories." He shrugged, glancing at Isaac and seeing he had definitely been hit hard. He was a bit of a lightweight, but weren't all first-timers? Especially when they started with something as hard as straight whisky. Colin was surprised he was still upright, let alone talking. "Feeling okay?" He asked, squinting a little in the semi-darkness to see Isaac better.

Isaac tilted his head. He put his beer aside and leaned forward. "I think you'd be an adventure, not a bad decision. Would I be one of you bad decisions?" Maybe he was drunk. He never talked liked that, never ever. Alright, so sometimes in his thoughts he did, but those were thoughts. Now they came spewing from his mouth like pellets from a gun. "How I feel? Well I feel great, better then ever." Isaac laughed. "Though I think I might be just a bit drunk."

Which was an understatement. His mind was a bit fuzzy, that he could tell. The beer didn't help the situation any, but Isaac kept drinking it anyway. It was fun, he had to admit. The fact that none of his friends were there only made it funner. There was no one there to hold him back from doing exactly what his fuzzy mind wanted to do. Reaching out, he let his hand slide across Colin's arm again with a bemused smile.

Colin shook his head slowly. He'd decided to turn specifically to look at Isaac now, abandoning whatever was left in his bottle and counting his blessings that he hadn't opted for the stronger stuff, and on top of it, had been forced to share the third-gone whisky bottle with someone that seemed to have never touched alcohol before. But he didn't have much to count as 'bad'. Everything he did was a decision and that was it. Just a decision. The barrier between good and bad, right and wrong, had disappeared a long time ago, the moment he decided 'just one more pill' was a stopping point and not a starting point to a bad dependence.

He laughed a bit, finding himself shaking his head again. "A bit? hell, Isaac, you're barely sitting up straight. You might've wanted to go slow if you don't make a habit of this." He gestured around to the bar and then turned his gaze to him. The hand that ran up his arm got his attention, and he turned Isaac's hand over so it was on the bar and he was able to run his fingers up the inside of his wrist, tracing the light blue veins. "Sooo... You wanna make a decision... maybe a bad decision... I think I can do something to speed that along." He pulled his hand up to Isaac's shoulder and pulled the man forward, pressing their lips together in a quick kiss. Who was there to care? Most of the people now were just looking to down as much alcohol as they could before closing time. They could have been in the middle of a desert for all the attention anyone, even the sleepy bar girl, was paying.

The blonde shook his head. "I didn't know any better." And then he didn't even care. Isaac was shivering under the other man's touch. There had to be more then just that. When there was, when their lips met, the young man leaned forward. He slipped off the stool so he could get as close to Colin as he could. "No, not a bad decision. An adventure, remember?" Isaac lifted his head, tilted it just so he could press his lips against the musician's again.

He liked the taste. Then there was a warmth, and a bubbling excitement like nothing Isaac had ever felt before. He didn't think he ever would again either. It didn't matter that anyone else might be looking. It wasn't like he knew any of them. Besides, how often would he wander down there? Maybe more often then he thought.Isaac didn't know.

Colin felt dizzied from the kiss, the alcohol, the general darkness of the bar as a whole, and the now prerecorded music was playing from the speakers all around. No one was messing about, only talking, muttering, close to one another, much like Isaac was close to him, between his knees, hands on his shoulders. Colin's hand ran along his arm, over his neck, feather-light, up to his face to trace his jaw. "Adventure, then." Colin laughed quietly, pulling away just enough to speak. "Sounds better than a random drunken decision, eh?" He laughed a bit, sliding off his stool and pulling his jacket on. "Wanna come with me? I don't got much to do than head home and... well, nothing." He shrugged, bending down to grab his guitar case and using the wall for support. Then he slung it over his shoulder and made sure his wallet was in his jacket's large pocket. It was, and he glanced toward Isaac. "Your place, mine, or neither?" He asked with a playful grin. He was rather steady on his feet still, but Colin felt like he could do just about anything and not regret it.

Eagerly, Isaac nodded. "I'd like that." He was a bit breathless, and oh so excited. Hopefully the night wouldn't be a hopeless blurr when tomorrow rolled around. That, that he was sure to regret. "Yours?" If he was going to be reckless, might as well do it to the extreme. Besides, Isaac was curious. What kind of place did Colin live in? He couldn't wait to find out. The young man found himself wobbling precariously. To stop himself from falling, he wandered closer to the other man. Leaning up against him, Isaac sighed happily. He felt invincible. Nothing could go wrong.

When he was turned away from Isaac Colin popped another painkiller, secretively stowing the things away and turning to grasp his arm. "Careful." He smiled a bit, leading Isaac to the door and pushing it open. Cool night air hit them and brought Colin back a little with some surprise. "Ooh, cool out tonight." He shook a little, grasping Isaac in case he was to lose his balance and fall into the road. It was quiet, but still, falling into a road was just a tacky thing to do when one was drunk. He smiled at the thought, pulling him along left. "It's not too far. I live above a bakery and cafe, so it's a small place, but smells great." He grinned, shaking his head. "Live there for free since I play there three out of six nights."

He led Isaac across the street, then onto a small, nice road that looked almost residential. It was quiet, but a few places were still open in hope for a late-night customer or two. He paused outside a small two-story building with a protected metal staircase leading up to the second floor balcony, which Colin took, pulling Isaac along. "Just about there." He said, bringing Isaac up onto the balcony then fishing for his keys. He pushed the door open, then flicked on the light beside the door. It was a small room, and he set his guitar on the floor beside the lamp. The small room was wood-flooring, dark wallpaper, with rather cheap furniture that was more comfortable than what he found in any high end store. Then a door far off led to a kitchen, and beyond that, a bathroom. To the left was the door to his bedroom. "Not much to see." He shrugged, lifting his hand to absently finger the piercings in his right ear. He closed the door to the cool air sliding in.

The cool air hit him like a hammer. It woke him up a bit, and had him lifting his head to stare at Colin a bit. He wanted to play with that long hank of hair that kept covering those amazing eyes. He would. Definitely. "Sounds like a nice arrangement." Isaac found himself biting back a comment about a smile like the moon, with teeth like pearls. Apparently, he was a sappy drunk. A giggle left his lips before he could stop it. What an embarrassing thing to have happen! Especially while they were walking down the street, and towards Colin's apartment.

A bell tinkled, and someone walked out one of the other shops on the street. Isaac ignored them in favor of following Colin like a lost puppy. Up the steps, well kept though old, and into the apartment they went. He liked the wood floors. "Cozy." But it wasn't what Isaac wanted to think about. Tilting his head, he lifted a hand to let his fingers play across Colin's other ear lightly. "Now what?"

Colin locked the door with a simple chain, something easily taken off by anyone that might be inside. He liked to keep it locked with a key whenever he wasn't around, however. Now he shivered slightly at Isaac's touch and turned to face him, grasp the front of his shirt and pull him forward. "Now what...? Well, I have a few ideas... They're pretty similar." He smiled, and walked Issac back slowly, leaning in and teasing his lips lightly, reaching up to push the door to his room out of the way then ducking down to nip Isaac's ear. "Still not regretting this?" He asked slowly, leaning back to push the door closed. His room had two windows. One looked down to the alley, the other looked into the park across the street. His bed was large, and draped in dark blue and green blankets. It wasn't hard to put Isaac off balance and let him fall onto it, and Colin shed his coat, setting it down on the floor. "Pretty clumsy right now, aren't you?" He asked, tilting his head and letting his hair fall into both his eyes.

He smiled too. Isaac couldn't help it. Easy, too easily really, he let himself be guided back. "No, not one bit." What was there to regret? It was an adventure after all. Like any adventure, there was much the blonde didn't know, and an enormous amount to learn. Before he knew it, Isaac had fallen back with a thump and a small laugh. He looked up at Colin and started playing with his hair. "Yeah .. Just be careful with me. Haven't done this before." Even so, he slid his free and up and around so he could pull Colin closer. As close as possible, really.

***

Colin woke with a start and immediately regretted not closing the curtains to the park. The sun slanted right in and hit him directly in the face. Sighing, he shifted and then froze. A combination of pain radiating all through him, a familiar but still unwelcome sensation, his head was pounding and he felt someone was near. Too near. Right beside him. And of course, there he was. It took a moment, but Colin managed to recollect what the guy's name was. Isaac... something. He didn't get that last name. He shifted a little more, feeling himself, then remembering most of the night before. Of course. He'd had a well-paying set at that country bar. Then he'd sat at the end of the bar afterward and drank a bit, but not as much as he would on weekend nights. This was Friday. And Isaac hadn't seemed to touch a drop of alcohol before meeting him, so he'd quickly gotten drunk. Probably faster than Colin thought it was possible for someone. He shook his head, reaching onto his bedside table and grabbing the bottle that sat there, dropping two pills into his mouth and forcing them down. They'd take effect soon enough.

Then he stiffly rolled over, sat up, and an important bit of information was recalled. "Haven't done this before." Right, so Isaac hadn't. He might have been experimenting, or he was newly out. Colin didn't want to think about it, it made his head pound. Getting up, he stretched and gathered his clothes, tossing them into the basket near the door. Then he grabbed up a generic brown wallet and grabbed some fresh clothes, stuffing the wallet into his pocket and taking it with him. He was stiff still, and feeling rather bad, but not awful. Sighing, Colin slid into his bathroom and closed the door. A shower would wake him up, something scalding, and then he'd go downstairs to talk to the cafe-bakery's owner. He thought little of Isaac at first, then couldn't help but think a bit hard on him. Would he be gone? Would he be waiting around? Would he come back sometime? The one night stands Colin was used to were experienced, more so than Isaac was. And he'd obviously never had one. He was too... something. Reeled in. Nothing like Colin. He sighed, resting his head against the tile in front of him.

Isaac felt cold seeping into his bones. Then a pleasant kind of soreness pushed him ever closer to actually being awake. The young man groaned, stretched his fingers out and curled them into the sheets. A bit rougher then the ones on his own bed, they smelled different too. Isaac sniffed a little, and slowly slit his eyes open. This wasn't his room. Bread cooking and pastries, the scent wafted up from bellow. It had Isaac sitting up, and peering down at himself. He was naked!

The blond frowned. What had happened? He remembered walking into a bar, listening to music, sitting down beside the musician ... Then things started getting fuzzy. There had been a kiss and ... by the soreness he felt, probably more then that. His first time had been with a stranger, and a man at that. Isaac fell back with a groan, and flopped an arm over his eyes.

He couldn't even remember anything of what had happened, except for the start! And it wasn't like he could expect anything to grow from a random encounter in a bar. Now what? Panic grew like a seed from his heart. Isaac had no idea what to do.

After a few extra minutes to calm his headache and pained joints as the medication took hold, Colin was out and halfway dressed as he stepped out of the bathroom and ran a hand through his hair. He'd brushed it, but letting it lie down against his head was uncomfortable and he had to loosen it up afterward. Sliding on a sleeveless black shirt, he peered into his room and tilted his head at Isaac. At least he still remembered the guy's name. "Hey, still here?" He smiled a bit, leaning against the doorjamb and crossing his arms. "Thought you'd want to sneak out... But shows how much faith I have." He glanced at the clock. Nearly nine. Josey would have opened the cafe a long time ago, and he could already smell the baked goods wafting up through the floorboards.

"Need a lift out?" Colin asked. He realized that they'd walked back, so Isaac might have a car in the bar's parking lot. Still, it felt only right to help the guy out otherwise. "The owner's a friend, lets me use her car when I need to." He pointed downward as if they could see beneath the floor.

He sat up, straight as a board, when the shower stopped running. Isaac stared at the door, breath held, wondering all the while if the mysterious air surrounding Colin had been nothing more then the byproduct of a buzzed brain. When the other man stepped through the doorway, he knew it wasn't so. The musician was every bit as mysterious and intriguing as the young man remembered. It was hard to think. Though the moment Colin spoke, Isaac found it easier to snap his thoughts back into shape.

"Sneak out? Well, I don't even remember where this is ..." said Isaac with a sheepish smile. Belatedly, he realized the sheets had fallen far too low. With a blush, he pulled up the blankets to hide his waist, which just embarrassed him more when he realized just how futile his attempt at modesty was. Colin had already seen everything there was to his body. "Anyway, I would appreciate the lift. I took a bus down. As a student in my last year at the university, I haven't really been able to afford getting a car." He relied on loans for everything, but it was worth it if it meant getting the job he wanted after everything was over.

Colin bit his lip to keep his chuckle from escaping. But he definitely didn't stop his eyes from doing a quick sweep of the young man. "Yeah, I guess you got a point." He nodded, stepping forward to grab his jacket and hang it up. He didn't have any country bar to play at today---just the cafe and wherever he could arrange today. "Yeah, I'll drop you off. Get dressed, I'll be waiting outside, down the stairs." He moved out and away, grabbing his shoes and a pair of clean socks and slipping out of the room, pulling the door to. Perhaps in the light of day, he would be having regrets. Didn't everyone, at least once? Of course, Colin had a lot. One a week, if he were counting. Which he wasn't. Sitting on his old, worn couch, he pulled his socks and shoes on, buckling them tightly.

He didn't think this was a regret, as far as regrets went. But he wouldn't call it an 'adventure'. He'd refer to it as that for Isaac's sake, who he'd been very careful with the night before. He was definitely a virgin. Colin worked away a smile and shook his head, digging into his pocket and sliding another chalky tablet onto his tongue. It was an absent maneuver, born from several years of doing so. Then he stood, going to the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water. He drank half in a single gulp and set the glass aside, grabbing his keys and sliding them into his pocket, leaving the small apartment and taking a deep breath. At least his headache was beginning to ebb, and the light wasn't so awful on his eyes. Still, he shielded them on his way downstairs, and sidled into the cafe. Josey was behind the counter, as she always was, and smiled brightly when he entered. "Hey, Sweetie, how's it going? Got a hangover?"

"How'd you know?" Colin smiled a bit, pointing to the medium coffee cup on display on the counter. Josey nodded, brushing back her black hair and turning. "Yeah, went to the country bar 'couple streets over, made five hundred."

"Ooh, so you gonna start paying rent?" Josey joked, turning around with a black coffee and setting it on the counter.

"Haha, no. But do you think I can borrow your car for a bit? Gotta get groceries today or I'll be eating honey buns for lunch and dinner today."

Josey smiled, digging in her pocket. "I'll be expecting an extra fifteen minutes of you on the piano then, young man."

Colin rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Sure, sure. I'll be here fifteen minutes early!"

"Oh no you won't!" Josey's voice followed him outside, where he leaned against the brick and sighed into his coffee. He wasn't looking for more than the scent, and it helped kickstart his foggy brain, at least.