Only Hurts The One I Love

1.

1.

The boy sitting at the corner by himself was new.

Alex knew it, and possibly the whole club would figure that out in half an hour. He had been working at the bar for months and this was the first new face since April. A nice one indeed, although the mod hair was kind of amusing. Alex's eyes were fixed on him as the lights dimmed further. He could be around the same age as Alex himself. Slightly slender but probably a bit taller than Alex. Most importantly, he had really long, elegant fingers –

It was hard for Alex to not stare when the new lad kept twirling his beer mug like that.

He didn't fit into the atmosphere of the club at all. If Alex remembered it correctly, he came with Jamie Hince, who had disappeared upstairs within the first ten minutes since they got here. Upstairs were for those who at least wanted some privacy, while down here it was the real den of iniquity. Very soon on the side stage, tonight's performance would begin and by three in the morning, on every flat surface there would be people having sex with each other.

Now it was still early, the club was relatively peaceful. Alex was busy serving drinks to the customers, making smalls talks he didn't really care much and repeatedly declining the few invitations that kept coming stubbornly. In between, he casted curious glances to where the new boy was sitting. Usually Alex wasn't the kind who looked for romance in a bar, especially when he worked here. However, something about this boy seemed so strangely intriguing. He simply drew Alex in. Alex noticed that his glass was empty a while ago. It seemed that passing through the couple in front of him was too difficult for the boy when the man was dressed in nothing but underwear and knelt in front of the lady. They were kissing so loudly that people upstairs could probably hear them as well -

Alex couldn't help but chuckle when the boy recoiled not so subtly as she slapped him on the ass. "Bring me a drink, love." She mouthed, and then turned to smile at Alex. That was Jane, who always remembered to wish Alex a good night before leaving with her partner. She gave Alex a small wave as Luke, her new sub, crept obediently towards the bar. The boy stared at the man's motions with a look between uncomfortable and curious, while Alex observed him.

Many people were not allowed to walk. That explained why the floor was so soft. Alex walked out of the bar to pass the man a mojito. The whole process was silent - without her permission, he wasn't allowed to talk.

When he went back behind the bar, Alex was surprised to find the new man standing right before him, looking like a deer caught in a trap. "Hi." He said in a strained, nervous voice, hands in pockets. A closer look and he seemed even more familiar to Alex. "Have you seen my friend Jamie? He's about this high-"

"Jamie Hince, is that right?" Alex nodded, offering him a smile. "He went upstairs a while ago."

"Oh, thanks man! I just started to think he's dumped here. Can you show me the way-"

"Well, I'd advise you not to try finding your friend." Alex interrupted him kindly. Under the terrible yellow light, the colour of the man's eyes was like a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Alex liked him even more when the young man finally understood what he meant. His eyes went wide, and a hint of colour hit his cheekbones.

He stuttered, trying his best not to fidget.  "I...I gotta go-"

"Fancy a smoke?"

The man looked at Alex as if Alex just asked him for his left ear or something. But to Alex's surprise, he nodded. "Ah...sure?"

He didn't sound very sure though. Alex's stomach went pleasantly heavy as the boy began to bite on his knuckles- he certainly had sinful hands. One of the things Alex had got used to eventually was to avoid attachment and simply enjoy himself. In front of him, now the boy seemed to be a perfect choice for tonight. "Give me a minute." Alex told him. "I'm Mark."