Across the Room

“You know, pubs aren’t really my style,” Kellin says slowly as Jack parks the car on the side of the road. The two of them are going out to a local pub downtown—it was Jack’s idea, of course, and his main intention is probably to drink beer and find a girl to hook up with—and Kellin honestly isn’t really feeling it. Yes, it’s a Saturday night, and yes, this automatically means that he should be ready to go out and party, but tonight just doesn’t feel like a partying kind of night. He’s already been dragged into this, though, and no matter how much he argues, he knows there’s no backing out now.

“This one’s nice,” Jack assures him, though it really isn’t that reassuring. “And they have people performing, so it’ll be fun to watch. You’ll like it.”

“Are you gonna just abandon me to go flirt with some chick five minutes after we get in there?” Kellin asks knowingly as they hop out of the car and start to head over to the pub around the corner.

“What? No, I won’t do that,” Jack says in the tone of voice that implies that he totally will.

“Uh-huh. Right.” Kellin sighs. “Well, this should be fun.”

The pub is crowded, of course, since this is its prime time, and within ten seconds of being surrounded by large groups of people and beer, Kellin already wants to go home. He’s pretty much Jack’s only option, though, and he knows that Jack wouldn’t let him leave now, so he keeps his mouth shut as they sit down at a table.

“See? This isn’t that bad,” Jack says. “Right?”

“I’ve only been in here for forty seconds,” Kellin replies. “Give me some more time to evaluate this place.”

They order some food (Jack, of course, also orders beer, while Kellin goes for a soda), and as they’re waiting, they both end up paying attention to the music that’s being played. Most of it isn’t particularly spectacular (and some of the singers are horribly off-key), but they’ve got a nice variety of styles and different local bands. Kellin doesn’t think too much of it until a young solo musician named Vic Fuentes is announced to come up next.

Vic carries a guitar and appears on the stage with a nervous but award-winning smile, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater and self-consciously adjusting the beanie on his head. That alone is enough for Kellin to classify him as adorable, but when he starts to strum his guitar and opens his mouth, well, that’s when Kellin realizes that this guy is absolutely stunning. Not only is he pleasing to look at; his voice is pretty fucking amazing, high-pitched and almost whiny in a way that should be annoying but isn’t. It’s somehow both soft and rough—soft at the quiet, tender parts of the song, and rough at the more intense, emotional bits (well, as intense as acoustic sets can be). The fact that it’s acoustic might make it seem boring, but it’s actually the exact opposite. It feels intimate, and Kellin doesn’t even realize how intently he’s staring until Vic finishes the song and Jack says, “You like this guy, huh?”

Kellin has to take a moment to register who’s talking to him, since he may or may not have been in a little bit of a trance. “Um, yeah,” he says without even taking his eyes off of Vic. “He’s good.”

“And hot,” Jack adds.

Kellin does turn to him at that, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Jack holds his hands up. “What? I’m straight, not blind. Plus, you couldn’t have made it any more obvious that you think he’s good-looking, what with your intense ogling.”

Kellin is ninety percent sure he’s blushing at this point, and he shoves Jack lightly. “Shut up.”

Vic has already started his next song, but this time he’s looking right at the audience without flinching, having probably gained some confidence after how well-received his first song was. In fact, Kellin actually catches this guy glancing his way a few times, though he’s not sure if Vic is looking directly at him or at someone near him. Nonetheless, as much as he tries not to be so obvious, Kellin just can’t help but stare openly. Vic has talent, and he’s easily the best performer of the night so far. (And, well, yeah, he’s also hot. But that’s beside the point.)

By the third song, it becomes clear that Vic is definitely looking at him, both of them catching each other’s attention from across the room and holding it effortlessly. Kellin flashes Vic a smile, just to see what he’ll do, and, of course, he returns it in a heartbeat, his lips widening and then curling around the next phrase. Kellin briefly thinks that kissing him would probably be a nice experience.

When the fourth song rolls around, Vic’s cute, innocent smile turns into a flirty smirk, and even though he’s not saying anything to Kellin directly, Kellin knows that this is for him. Though the song is still acoustic, it’s a bit less soft, and Kellin can tell through the lyrics after the first minute or so that it’s supposed to be about sex.

Well, that’s one way to hit it off.

For the remainder of the set, the two share secret glances and gestures across the room, like passing a note back and forth right underneath the teacher’s gaze. Kellin might not be that great at flirting or body language, but this is surprisingly fun and incredibly thrilling. He’s suddenly thankful that Jack insisted on him coming here tonight.

When Vic’s set is over and the whole pub applauds him—definitely the most popular performance of the evening—Vic heads off the stage and disappears. Kellin’s sure that it won’t be for long, though.

“Dude,” Jack says, “are you two gonna fuck?”

Kellin nearly spits out his soda. “Um,” he says slowly, “I’m…not quite sure?”

At that moment, Vic reappears out of nowhere, standing right next to Kellin’s table with a knowing look on his face. “Hey,” he says. “Um, I’m Vic.”

Kellin tries to stay calm, but, God, Vic’s even cuter in person. “Hi,” he responds. “I’m Kellin.”

“Uh…” Vic turns to Jack, biting his lip awkwardly. “Can I steal him for a moment?”

Jack waves his hand nonchalantly. “Yeah, sure. Do whatever. As long as he’s back before I leave.”

Without another word, Vic gestures for Kellin to follow him, and then they head to the front of the club and out the door, standing at the side, near the windows. After a short moment of silence, Vic says, “Okay, so, I know I’m not exactly innocent when it comes to what just happened back there, but what was that all about? Like, specifically?”

Kellin narrows his eyes, not sure he understands what Vic’s trying to ask. “What do you mean?”

Vic brushes some of the hair that’s falling out of his beanie away from his face. “Like…all the things you were doing. Was that the look you give to someone you wanna kiss, or date, or fuck, or…?”

His bluntness surprises Kellin, who answers as honestly as he can: “I…I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t know what I want with you. I mean, I just met you. But…well, I liked what I saw.”

At that, Vic smiles a little. “Me, too.”

Kellin nods, trying not to show the way his heart is flipping over at whatever the hell is going on. “How about we take it slow?” he suggests. “I know a nice little 1950’s style diner that we could go to tomorrow evening, if you want. And then we could start it off for real.”

Vic seems to think for a brief moment before nodding in agreement, his smile widening. “I like that idea,” he says, and before Kellin can even process what has just happened, they’re exchanging numbers and talking about what time to meet up.

“Okay,” Kellin says finally, feeling somewhat calmer but at the same time not calm at all. “So I guess it’s a date, then.”

“Absolutely,” Vic agrees. Then, after a short pause, his smile turns into a playful smirk, and he leans in close. “Also,” he adds quietly, “don’t make this weird or take it the wrong way, but that sex song was totally for you tonight.”

Kellin doesn’t even get a chance to respond, because then Vic casually strolls past him and heads back inside the pub without another word.