Starboys

S T A R B O Y 1|4

A D A M

October 6th

Adam closed the door louder than necessary and jumped down the stairs, taking three steps at a time. There might've been the sound of the little wooden cross falling from its place on the wall next to the door. But he didn't care. Not right now.

He thought back to a few hours ago when his parents had asked him for the fourth time this weekend if there was a nice girl at university. And it was only Saturday evening.

'Not really', he'd said. There were a few girls in his class that he got along with, but he didn't have time or nerves for a relationship at the moment.

Which, technically, wasn't a lie.

For the most part, anyway. Adam really hadn't time or nerve right now, but he also wouldn't be interested in the girls later on. Or at any point in his life.

He wondered if his parents knew that he was gay. He hadn't come out to them yet, and he wasn't sure if he would, ever. But occasionally his mother seemed to suspect something, although the certain glimmer in her eyes always disappeared before he could ‌panic.

Adam strode down the street to the next Underground station to get to his favourite club, PipeDream. A brief glance at his phone made him hurry, his train was going to arrive any minute now. And precisely the moment he walked onto the platform, the Underground rolled in with squeaking brakes.

The doors opened and people pushed out, shoving their way around him, eager to get out of the full carriages. Stepping in, he scored one of the last empty seats and plugged in his earbuds, ready to drone everything out.

He looked straight ahead, where his reflection met him dead on in the dark windows. His familiar amber eyes critically took in his sandy curls, which were as unruly as ever. His face looked so much like his mother's. The glitter he'd applied to his cheeks made his freckles stand out even more, and that was fine by him. Contrary to most people, he liked them; they were the only feature he and his father shared and they never really left his face, not even on cold autumn days like this one.

Not wanting any more reminders of his parents, Adam closed his eyes and surrendered to the music's spell. He didn't need to see the names of the Underground stations flying by; he knew the way by heart. In fact, his pre-clubbing playlist would end exactly when the train pulled into its designated station.

Soon Adam stepped out of the Underground and onto the buzzing streets of London's Soho nightlife. He saw the queue in front of the club from afar, full of people shivering with cold and excitement.

PipeDream wasn't an explicitly queer club but very well known for welcoming its diverse patrons. Meanwhile by day, Café BEAUCHAMP above was a popular venue for stressed out university students, ever since Camille Beauchamp had taken over from her grand-mère. Beverages with names like 'Exam season is coming' or 'Look at all the fudges I give' or 'I have a paper due tomorrow and haven't even started yet' were always on high demand. They came with extra shots of caffeine or, if not ordered by minors, liquor.

Adam strutted past the line, coming to a halt in front of the bouncer, Pete. People behind him started mumbling their protests. Pete ignored them and crossed his tattooed arms over his impressive chest. "Here again?"

"You know it." Adam put on his most innocent smile, but Pete didn't budge, merely raising an eyebrow.

With almost 6'5'' in height and a physique worthy of the boxing instructor that he was, he certainly looked the intimidating part. He could and would kick your arse. But Pete was also secretly a marshmallow on the inside, if you knew the right buttons to push. And Adam definitely knew what buttons to push.