When I’m back here at the start
And, now, we’re stuck in the same place
I don’t wanna be here
Don’t wanna be alone tonight, you know
-
Same Place By Joy
Quin waited, almost drinking the whole bottle through the process. After more than half an hour passed, a knock sounded at the door.
Standing up to answer, Quin swayed in his walk. When he reached the door, he held it tightly, feeling like his world was off-kilter.
On the other side held an annoyed Theo. Once he saw Quin’s posture and tinted face, he clicked his tongue. “Did you seriously call me over here while you are drunk?”
“I am not drunk.” Quin slowly pushed out, not wanting his words to slur. He used to be a heavyweight, but going years without driving heavier drinks caused him to become a lightweight.
Theo clicked his tongue again, pushing Quin out of the way, almost causing the man to fall. He entered the house, getting ready to sit on the couch when he noticed the close-to-finished alcohol bottle.
He grabbed the bottle and entered the kitchen to pour the remaining amount into the sink.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Wait!” Quin tried stopping but stumbled on his steps, almost falling. He quickly held himself up.
“Shut up. You called me here when I was enjoying my time. You kept bothering me when I told you to leave me alone. Furthermore, you better feel lucky that I came because I did not want to. Now, what the hell do you want?” Theo was growing beyond annoyed with Quin.
Sometimes he wondered why he decided to stay friends after breaking up with the possessive man.
“I talked with Nine. We had a fight, and he packed up and left. I don’t know if we are over.” Quin answered. He grabbed his phone, squinting as he checked if Nine had replied.
Nine did not answer, but it showed that he left Quin on read.
“So, you called me over for what, Quin?” Theo tapped his fingers on his arm, growing impatient.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t want Nine to leave me.”
“Why? Do you love him?”
“I-” Quin paused, sighing as he closed his eyes, pinching his nose bridge. He stopped his mouth from speaking the truth because he knew the alcohol coursing through him made his lips loose.
And Theo knew it too because he pushed again, “Do you love him?”
It only took Theo asking again to break him; Quin was always weak to Theo.
“You made it clear that you don’t want me back, Theo; extremely clear. So, if Nine leaves, what will I have?”
Theo laughed in disbelief. Honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised by Quin’s response. The man has been making it known since they broke up that he still wanted him. Nine keeps Quin distracted from bothering Theo more than he already does.
“You are despicable, Quin; truly scum.” Theo walked up to Quin, tapping his shoulder hard, causing Quin to stumble again, “Here is what you can do: you can leave me and Nine alone. Leave his ass because you don’t want nor deserve Nine. He is better off without you. And I recommend a therapist too, so you can work on your shitty self.”
Then Theo stepped away, walking towards the door. “And don’t text or call me until you learn how to be a sensible human.” He closed the door behind him, leaving Quin in silence.
Quin could only stare at the closed door, not knowing how to react to Theo’s words. He grabbed his phone, sending one last text to Nine before staggering to the bedroom.
Quin: Nine, if you want to leave, then talk with me.
When Nine first received Quin’s text, he was in Lee and Cassy’s guest bathroom. He was cleaning his face when he heard his phone ding. Sitting on the closed toilet seat, Nine unlocked his phone, reading Quin’s message.
Even though he knew he should break up with Quin, his heart still dropped from the message. He hated how Quin made him feel. Even if that man could never love him, Nine still did.
He started typing, only to erase his message and start over again. He repeated the same process for a few minutes until he gave up and left Quin on read.
Nine dropped his phone in his lap, rubbing his face hard. He didn’t know what to do. Well, that is wrong. He knew what to do, but he could not push himself to do it. Seven years was not something anyone could throw away like nothing. He put everything in those seven years, so it is difficult to walk away.
He started rubbing his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Why is this so hard? Nine thought.
Taking a deep breath, he started typing a message to Quin when he saw a new message coming from Vee. He deleted his message to Quin and clicked Vee’s.
Vee: What are you doing?
Nine bit his lip. He could ignore Vee’s message, seeing that everything was crashing at the moment. But he wanted to forget Quin and not think. And being with Vee gave him freedom.
Aren’t I doing the same as Quin by using someone as he did to me?
His fingers shook, hovering over the keyboard as he continued gnawing on his lip in thought. It couldn’t be too bad to want to have something else occupying his mind.
Nine: Can I come over tonight?
Nine held his breath, waiting for Vee’s reply. It did not take long as the man quickly responded:
Vee: [sent location] come.
Quickly pocketing his phone, Nine finally left the bathroom. He looked around before silently making his way to the door. Feeling relieved that he did not see Lee or Cassy, meaning he did not have to explain himself, Nine left the house.
He hopped in his car, clicking the location Vee sent him. He turned on Bluetooth, connecting his phone as he buckled himself up. Once everything was good, he drove off, following the directions on the map.
Sorry, I know I am not thinking straight. Nine thinks while driving.
He is indeed using vee in a similar way to quin using him but the major difference is that quin was using nine as a “boyfriend” but giving nothing in return for nine’s love. At least in the case of vee, vee is only expecting sexual stimulation not love or a deep committed relationship.
I agree.
But vee does deserve some love as does nine. We all deserve to be loved.
He does. They both do. But it will be hard because they are both used to their ways.