Eighteen Years
by Edward Kyle Stokes
Chapter 7
A Sympathetic Friend.
"Tonight we could go to the club," Harry suggested as they finished up their morning coffee. "What do you think? A proper night out."
Aled smiled, the idea actually sounding brilliant. He finished his shift at the pub at 8:00 PM and had the whole of Sunday off, so the timing fit nicely. By the time they walked through the doors of the Flamingo Rose, the Saturday night crowd was already out in full force. The music was a physical thud in their chests, and the dance floor was a sea of moving bodies under a canopy of flashing neon.
They grabbed a cider and a gin and tonic, finding a spot at the far end of the bar where they could lean back against the wood and survey the scene.
"Alright," Harry said, leaning in close so Aled could hear him over the music, a playful glint in his eye. "Now that you're an educated man, you have to tell me who catches your eye. Pick your hot favorites. No holding back."
Aled blushed, but with a drink in his hand and Harry's arm resting comfortably against his shoulder, he felt a sudden rush of confidence. He scanned the crowd, his eyes lingering on a tall, athletic guy with dark hair and a tight black t-shirt with writing on the front, who was laughing with a group of friends. "Him," Aled whispered, nodding in the general direction. "The one by the speaker, black t-shirt . He's... yeah, he's really fit."
"Oh, good choice," Harry chuckled, nodding approvingly. "Nice body. My turn." Harry's eyes drifted over the crowd, stopping on a shorter, blonde guy in a white vest who was moving effortlessly to the beat. "See the blond one near the centre? Total hottie. Very much my type."
Aled laughed, a genuine, unburdened sound. Sharing this with Harry felt incredibly freeing, a far cry from the stifling secrecy of the valley.
"Come on," Harry said, setting his glass down on the counter. "Let's go."
He pulled Aled onto the dance floor, guiding him right into the thick of the music. At first, Aled was a bit stiff, conscious of the people around him, but Harry immediately wrapped his large hands around Aled's waist, pulling him into his rhythm. They danced close, their bodies moving together in perfect sync, the heat between them instantly igniting. Harry's hands slid down to Aled's hips, pulling the younger boy back against his chest, their skins slick with sweat under the strobe lights. For a while, they lost themselves in the music and each other.
Eventually, panting and overheated, they retreated off the floor to catch their breath. They stood near the exit, cooled by the faint breeze from the doors, watching the room begin to wind down.
By the time they checked the clock, it was already ten past midnight. "We should probably head back," Aled said, leaning his head against Harry's shoulder.
But Harry, always possessed of a keen eye for hotties, didn't move. His gaze was locked on the centre of the floor. "Wait," Harry murmured, nudging Aled in the ribs. "Isn't that... look over there."
Aled looked. There, in the now thinning crowd, was the very guy from the pub they had previously talked about. It was Callum.
He was on his own, entirely lost in the music. He was gyrating, his hips moving like a fluid wave to the deep house beat, his eyes closed and a loose, happy expression on his face. He looked effortlessly beautiful in the shifting coloured lights.
As if by magic, just as the song shifted into a heavier rhythm, Callum turned in their direction. He lowered his arms, blinking against the strobe, and his eyes locked right onto them. An instant, broad smile broke across Callum's face. He didn't hesitate. Raising a hand, he gestured enthusiastically, beckoning for Harry and Aled to leave the edge of the room and join him out on the dance floor.
Harry glanced down at Aled, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. Aled gave a small, definitive nod, and off they went, cutting back through the dancing bodies.
The three boys now moved and swayed with the beat, forming a tight, intimate circle in the middle of the floor. Callum welcomed them seamlessly into his space, his movements fluid and hypnotic. They danced together for a long moment, the initial awkwardness melting away into the heavy bass, until the DJ brought the music down, transitioning into a much slower, deeper tempo.
"Drink?" Harry asked, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
The three of them retreated to a quieter corner near the back of the club, fresh drinks in hand, suddenly sharing a close, private moment together.
"You guys are great dancers," Callum said, leaning against the wall, his bright eyes darting between Harry and Aled. "I didn't expect to run into you here tonight, Aled. Especially not with a boyfriend this fit."
Harry grinned, wrapping a possessive arm around Aled's waist. "I could say the same about you. Aled told me how you handled that prick at the bar yesterday. Thanks for having his back."
"Always," Callum said, his gaze lingering on Aled a fraction longer than necessary. He took a sip of his drink and checked his watch. "Listen, the club's about to close and people are leaving. My flat is literally a five-minute walk from here. Do you guys want to come back for an after-midnight coffee? Just to wind down?"
Harry looked at Aled, seeing the quiet curiosity in the younger boy's eyes, and then looked back at Callum. "Yeah," Harry said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Why not?"
They left the club and walked through the cool, quiet streets of Chester, chatting easily. Callum asked Aled how he was settling into the city, making him laugh with stories about the quirky regulars at the pub. Within minutes, Callum was unlocking the door to his flat and guiding them into a small, modern kitchen.
"Alright, let's get that coffee going," Callum said, reaching for the kettle.
"Not coffee," Harry said, stepping up to the counter and leaning against it, his blue eyes flashing with a knowing, heavy intensity. "I think we're past the coffee stage, Callum."
Callum paused, a slow, wicked smile breaking across his face as he picked up on the sudden shift in the room's electricity. "A nightcap, then?" he suggested softly, pulling a bottle of whiskey and three clean glasses from the cupboard.
All the time, Aled sat on one of the kitchen stools, watching both Callum and Harry. His heart was beating quickly. He could feel the air thickening, the unspoken implications of Harry's teasing words from Wednesday night suddenly manifesting right in front of him.
Callum poured the drinks and handed them out. As they each took a sip, the room went completely still. Callum set his glass down, turning his full attention away from Harry and locking his intense, dark gaze directly onto Aled. The playful bartender persona was gone, replaced by a raw, undeniable honesty.
"I fancied you from the first moment I saw you walk into the pub, Aled," Callum told him, his voice dropping into a low, quiet register that made Aled's breath catch in his throat. He shifted his gaze slightly to include the tall, broad rugby player standing right next to him. "And your boyfriend is really hot too."
Aled's breath caught in his throat. He felt the sudden, heavy rush of energy in the room, his cheeks instantly flaring a deep crimson. He looked toward Harry, unsure of how to navigate a moment this intense. Harry didn't hesitate, he moved closer to Aled placing a firm, protective hand on his shoulder. He offered Callum a warm smile, he didn't exclude him, but simply made their relationships clear, intentionally breaking the heavy tension with a dose of reality.
"Callum, I'm flattered—we both are," Harry kept his voice calm but steady. "But I need to be straight with you. Things are actually pretty dramatic for us right now. Aled is completely new to all of this."
Callum blinked, the seductive air evaporating as he picked up on Harry's serious tone. He leaned back from the table, crossing his arms. "What do you mean?"
Harry looked down at Aled, who gave a small, encouraging nod, giving Harry permission to share.
"Last weekend, Aled came out to his family over Sunday lunch," Harry explained gently. "They are a very traditional and conservative Welsh farming family. It went about as badly as it possibly could. His dad gave him an ultimatum, and Aled walked out. He was basically chucked out with nothing but a few clothes in a duffel bag. He's been staying in my tiny single bedroom at the halls of residence since last Sunday."
"I've only ever been to a gay club a couple of times. Tonight, well, we kind of just wanted to forget everything," Aled added softly, his voice a little thick as the raw emotion of the past week bubbled up. "Everything is happening all at once. Getting the job at the pub with you... it was the first good thing to happen since I left home."
Callum listened intently, his expression shifting from disappointed suitor to a sympathetic friend. He was a good listener, nodding along and letting out a soft, understanding sigh as Aled spoke.
When Harry finished explaining their situation, he looked Callum dead in the eye. "I like you, Callum, and you've been brilliant to Aled at work. But him and I are a couple. We're a team, and we're just trying to find our feet."
Callum let out a breath, a faint, self-deprecating smile touching his lips. "Well... Hell," he said, shaking his head gently. "That's life, isn't it? I'm always too late or losing out on the good ones." He paused, looking at them both with genuine warmth. "But look, I'm really sorry you went through that, Aled. Truly. Coming out is hard enough without your own family turning their backs on you."
The honesty in Callum's voice cleared away any remaining awkwardness in the kitchen.
"Look, it's freezing outside and it's really late.You want to stay?" Callum asked hesitantly, his voice dropping into a quiet, hopeful register as he looked first at Aled, then at Harry.
"Ah..." Aled stammered, looking up at Callum, his mind spinning around with too many thoughts. He didn't know what to answer. He looked toward Harry, instinctively seeking a cue on how to handle this entirely new territory.
"Please, I'd like it," Callum added quickly, sensing the sudden shift into awkwardness. "I've got an empty spare bedroom." He looked up, his gaze meeting Harry's first, then softening as it settled on Aled. "And I've maybe got a good idea for you two."
The sincerity in Callum's voice cut through the weird atmosphere in the flat. There was a genuine loneliness here, a desire for connection that Aled recognised all too well.
Harry turned his head toward Aled and gave him that same kind of secret, questioning look he used when he wanted to make sure Aled was entirely comfortable with a situation. It was a silent check-in, a reminder that Aled's feelings still came first.
Aled looked at Callum, then back at Harry's reassuring blue eyes, and felt a sudden wave of warmth. The world outside the valley was proving to be far kinder and more welcoming than he had ever dared to hope.
Aled nodded softly.
Harry smiled, turning back to Callum. "Okay," Harry said, his voice warm and easy. "We like you too. We'll stay."
The next morning, the bright Sunday sunlight poured through the kitchen window, replacing the intense atmosphere of the night before with a warm, relaxed domesticity. The three boys sat around Callum's small wooden table, cradling mugs of strong coffee and sharing a casual breakfast of toast and eggs.
As the morning wore on, the conversation shifted away from the club and on to their actual lives. They each began to relate a bit about who they were and where they came from. Harry talked about his final weeks at university, the looming stress of his exams, and his dreams of pursuing a postgraduate degree. Aled, feeling increasingly safe, spoke softly about the valley, the isolation of the sheep farm, and the terrifying but liberating choice he had made just a week ago to leave it all behind.
When it was Callum's turn, he leaned back in his chair, staring thoughtfully into his coffee mug.
"I actually used to share this place with another guy," Callum explained, gesturing toward the hallway. "But he moved out a couple of weeks ago to take a job down in London. So right now, I've got that spare room completely empty. It's a great space, but honestly, it's a massive stress. The landlord is breathing down my neck, and I desperately need to find another lodger to help split the rent, otherwise, I won't be able to keep the flat, not by myself."
Harry froze, his piece of toast halfway to his mouth. He blinked, the pieces of a perfect puzzle suddenly clicking together in his mind. He looked across the table at Callum, and then turned his head to look at Aled, his blue eyes wide with a sudden, brilliant spark of excitement.
"Perfect," Harry said, a massive grin breaking across his face. He reached out, placing his hand over Aled's on the table. "If Aled agrees... we need accommodation. At least for the next six months while we work and save up before going travelling."
Aled looked from Harry's eager face to Callum, who was already beaming at the sudden, perfect solution to both of their problems. The terrifying question of where Aled was going to live, and how they were going to afford a place in the city, had just vanished over a Sunday morning breakfast with a new found friend.
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