Wherever You Are - {ryden/joncer au}

Part 1

Part 1 : 1

"He's going to say no."

"You don't know that."

Brendon sighed, running a hand through his hair for about the fifth time in the last minute. At the other end of the bar where he and his best friend Spencer were seated, sat a boy with chestnut brown hair, a black, leather jacket over a white button up, and the most dazzling smile Brendon's ever seen. It's not like it's the end of the world that the boy will most likely turn Brendon down - again.

It's just. Brendon has always believed in love at first sight, and even this boy's obvious disinterest in him isn't swaying him one way or the other. He hasn't been creepy, though. As soon as the boy says "No," - straight lined lips and all - Brendon will just nod and walk away. He's probably even thanked him once.

Regardless. "He's said no the last five times I've asked him to dance with me," he says sullenly, "why would he say yes this time?"

Spencer smirked sideways. "Maybe your unwavering persistence will finally become endearing to him," he said as he turned to look at Brendon. His smirk faded, though, upon seeing the absolute despair in his friend's eyes. "Look, Bren," he said softly, "why don't you just give up on the guy? You said it yourself, he's shot you down five times already."

"You don't get it, dude," the brown eyed man says tiredly. "There's something about him, and I want to get to know him so badly."

Spencer sighed heavily - almost dramatically. "Then ask him if you can get him a drink," he concluded. "Technically he didn't say no to you the first time, anyway, he just said he didn't dance."

Brendon could've swore he actually saw the lightbulb flash above his head. "I'm such an idiot," he said, slapping a palm to his forehead. "Spence! You're a genius!"

Spencer shrugged. "I know," he said in a deadpan, "now go talk to that guy before you give me a headache."

Brendon nodded anxiously, pulling on his shirt to straighten it out before taking a deep breath and walking toward the end of the bar. He felt confident enough to take on a giant, but he probably looked too scared to even fight a mouse. Just as he was in earshot of the boy's voice, he took another deep breath before taking the last few steps before he was at his side.

He wanted to slap himself in the forehead for the second time that night when the boy looked up at him with an amused chuckle. "Well," he started softly, "hello again."

Brendon smiled like an absolute idiot as he nodded toward the boy. "Hi," he said softly. "You don't dance."

The boy chuckled again. "I don't," he agreed, "you're right."

Brendon nodded again. "Do you drink?"

The boy nodded, holding up the small whiskey glass in his hand.

Brendon felt himself flush. "Right, well," he said, "I guess I can't offer to buy you a drink, then?"

The boy hesitated for a moment. "I guess not," he said softly.

The man nodded again, deflated. "Well, have a good night."

Before the boy could answer, Brendon was turning on his heel. A few steps into his sad trek back to Spencer's amused and absolutely exhausted face, he stopped. He squeezed his eyes closed, taking a deep breath before turning back around. As he stepped back beside the boy, he watched his eyes somewhat light up. "Can I use the excuse of buying you a drink to sit here and talk to you?"