The bass thumps through the floor, a steady rhythm that almost drowns out the thoughts in my head.
Almost.
Khaotung disappears into the crowd, already pulled in by the music, the lights, the chaos.
I stay at the bar, turning my glass between my hands, grateful for the noise.
At least it's louder than the memories.
That's when I see him.
Barcode.
He's hard to miss. Twenty , bright-eyed, the kind of person who always seems to know everyone.
We've crossed paths a few times. A mutual friend's birthday. A neighbor's party.
Enough for him to smile when he spots me, but not enough for me to know what he's thinking when he walks over.
"Hey," he says, sliding onto the stool beside mine. His grin is easy, like he doesn't notice how stiff I am.
"Didn't think this was your kind of place."
I shrug. "It isn't, really."
"Guess you're here to try something new," he says. There's no teasing in his voice, just curiosity.
I look at him properly for the first time. He has the kind of face that still belongs to someone who believes good things are always coming.
I can't remember the last time I felt that way.
"Maybe," I say.
He glances at the dance floor. Then back at me.
"You want to dance?" he asks, careful, like he already expects me to say no.
I hesitate, then shake my head. "I'll watch."
Barcode doesn't look disappointed. He just nods and slides off the stool.
"Alright," he says, a small smile tugging at his mouth. "Then watch."
He disappears into the throng of moving bodies.
A moment later, I spot him again under the colored lights, arms lifted, hair falling over his eyes, a bright blur in the darkness.
He keeps looking back, checking if I'm still watching.
I am.
Elsewhere, in the space between
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
He shouldn't be here.
The city makes it hard to breathe.
It isn't his.
But still, he lingers at the edge of the club, invisible in the bright neon spill.
Watching Jeff watch the boy.
Watching him sit alone, drink in hand, heart hidden under all that quiet.
He wants to be angry.
Wants to believe Jeff has forgotten.
But even from here, he can see it isn't true.
Some part of Jeff still belongs to him.
And some part of him will always belong to Jeff.
He drifts back into the darkness, before the city pushes him away for good.
Before he has to see more.