Daniel's birthday was a rather predictable event, veering from arrival, to all out rager, before dwindling down in the early hours of the morning and stretching into the horizon, waiting for its moment in the sun. That isn't to say that Ade didn't enjoy it, he did, but Miriam was a welcome addition to the usual fanfare. That and she kept Abi occupied, giving Ade some much needed time with his best friend.

They were both holed up in Daniel's room, him squatting in front of his suitcase, Ade laying on his unmade bed. Daniel began rummaging through the case for a pair of jeans. He found two and held them up. "Black or blue?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Ade scoffed.

"No, but Abi really wants to get lots of pics tonight and she asked me to look nice on pain of dea—"

"Bro."

"What?"

"You sound crazy."

Daniel rolled his eyes and chucked the blue pair back into the suitcase. "You'd do it if Miriam asked."

Ade opened his mouth, negation sitting comfortably on the tip of his tongue until it was pushed aside by a truth. No, the truth, which was that he would. Embarrassing, yes, but suddenly everything Daniel had ever said about Abi, or rather how he felt about Abi, made sense. Not in relation to Abi herself, she would never make sense, but Ade understood what it felt like to be completely and utterly enamoured. How could he not? Miriam was beautiful and smart; she liked her space and respected boundaries, shoving them up with the best of them. With her, there was no need to play games, to push and pull, tugging on feelings until they snapped. If she needed him to embarrass himself, he would, and in return he got her. All of her.

"How's it going by the way?" Daniel asked.

"Good."

"Are you glad Abi suggested inviting her?"

"Are we really going to have this conversation?"

Daniel laughed. "Abi wanted me to ask."

"Could've guessed that."

"So?" Daniel pulled on the jeans and buttoned them up.

"Yeah, I'm still not telling you," Ade said. "If Abi wants to know, she's going to have to ask me herself." And, if she did, Ade had a million and one ways to frustrate her further.

"Whatever." Daniel grabbed his phone from the bedside table and stuffed it into his pocket. "I'm not getting involved."

"Great." Ade bounced off the bed. "Should we go downstairs?"

"How do I look first?"

It wasn't like Daniel to care, so Ade took him in with a considered stare before declaring, "Fantastic." However ridiculous, it was the least Ade could do. It was Daniel's birthday after all. And yet, Daniel still narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious," Ade said, "you look good. Now, let's go down. There's a bottle of whiskey with your name on it." And by extension his.

Unfortunately, by the time they reached the aforementioned whiskey, its contents were half-finished. The bottle was also decidedly not where Ade left it, but clutched in Brandon, Daniel's elder brother's, hands instead. Hands which raised the bottle in the air upon Ade and Daniel's arrival almost as if it was gifted to Brandon himself. He cheered nosily and Ryan joined in; Wes rolled his eyes. For once, Ade felt a sort of affinity towards him, however it was quickly wiped away when he noticed the dribble of whiskey sitting at the bottom of his glass. They'd all partook in squandering Daniel's present. Then again, Brandon was very persuasive, so Ade wasn't sure how much blame he could shift onto the others.

When he looked at Daniel, Ade noted the crumple between his brows and the slight downwards slope of his mouth, so he grabbed two glasses and wrangled the bottle from Brandon's grasp, pouring a generous helping for them each. "To Daniel," he cheered.

The others joined in, jeering wildly until Daniel was smiling. Their shouts turned into a chant, an incantation of sorts, building while Daniel chugged the whiskey and slammed the empty glass on the countertop with a victorious grin.

"That's my guy." Ade clapped him on the back.

"You can finally handle your liquor." Brandon poured himself another glass.

"I've—"

The sound of footsteps interrupted Daniel, turning everyone's attention the doorway which filled with Miriam's presence. Abi was there too, but all Ade could see was the supple curve of Miriam's midriff, exposed unapologetically for everybody's viewing pleasure. His eyes then skimmed upwards and locked with hers, which seemed darker than usual, stormy and intent. Finally, his gaze dropped to her lips, tracing the brown outline and bleeding red. They parted and he half-expected his name to float out, but instead she said, "Brandon?"

"Miriam, Miriam, Miriam." Brandon scooped her into a bear hug and twirled, placing her down once they'd complete two three-sixty turns. "You look gorgeous," he said, her cheeks clasped in his hands.

The very gesture, small and insignificant when compared to the rest, sent a lick of jealousy sprinting through Ade's mind, illuminating his frontal cortex in an eery green glow. What right did Brandon have to touch her so carelessly? It was enough that Wes did, Ade didn't think he could handle another.

"What are you doing here?" Miriam asked, returning Brandon's touch with a playful shove to the shoulder.

He jerked his head towards Daniel and grinned. "It's my brother's birthday."

"Shit, I had no idea Daniel was—"

"What, Wes didn't tell you?"

Daniel cast a sidelong glance at Wes; Ade figured this was news to him too.

"He works with Miriam's sister," Wes said by way of explanation.

"Yeah," Miriam added. "We all met at her housewarming last summer."

"This one knows how to party," Brandon said as he jerked Miriam beneath his armpit.

Ade expected her to push him aside or step away, but she simply snuggled close and laughed, eyes fixed on the sharp angle of his jaw. "He's exaggerating," she said.

"Oh no, she literally drank me under the table and managed to win a free dinner over a game of poker. I still owe you that, by the way."

"I'm not sure that was so much a victory for me as it was for you," she said.

Brandon grinned. "Perceptive too. I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Aside from my winning smile and witty repartee?"

"Did I really say that?" he asked, pitching his voice higher.

"Yeah, it was tragic."

Ade had to forcibly tune them out and tear his gaze away. However, it was like a car crash you couldn't help but watch, and even as he strolled towards Daniel and Abi, grabbing the whiskey and pouring himself another, he kept one eye on them. Brandon had captured Miriam's hand in his and swung it too and fro while she laughed. Belly laughed that is, almost as if Brandon was imbued with spirit of Kevin Hart himself. Which, Ade knew, was impossible because Brandon didn't have a funny bone in his body.

Ryan slid towards Ade and grabbed the whiskey from his hand. "If you thought Wes was competition," he said in a hushed whisper, "then what is he?"

"Nothing," Ade snapped.

"You sure about that?"

Ade turned to look at them just as Wes joined the conversation. Miriam shifted ever so slightly to the left, welcoming him into the fold, and Brandon said something which made the two of them laugh. With Wes there, the tension Ade noted, closeness, danger, melted away, giving the interaction a friendly air rather than steamy, and leaving all the condensation to collect in a sticky puddle around their feet.

"Small world," Daniel said, watching the three of them.

Ade decided it was safe enough to end his surveillance, so turned his back on them and nodded. "Tiny."

~*~

Ade began the night with Miriam by his side. Granted, he had to wait for the arrival of Brandon's friends to shift his presence, but when the lights went down and the music began to blare, it was just the two of them. Exactly how Ade liked it. They slunk through the party, their permanence seeming to exist only when they were together, going from the kitchen to the games room, outside and back again. They danced and laughed and drank and ate and Ade felt like this was beginning of something. A capital letter, a sentence, an ellipsis.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Miriam said at a quarter to one.

"I'll be here."

She pressed a kiss to Ade's cheek, her scent thick and heady. It hung in the air until Ade swallowed it whole and held his breath for a beat, exhaling as he watched her slip through the crowd, her hips bouncing along to the music. She disappeared through the door, leaving him to finish his drink in a crushing gulp and turn in search of more alcohol. Unfortunately, in doing so, he seemed to catch Ryan's eye. Ryan was nowhere near drunk enough for Ade to duck away, so he joined the huddle of guys by the open patio doors and accepted the bottle of beer Ryan offered.

"I've got to give it to you," Ryan said while Ade took the first, refreshing sip. "She's down bad."

"Did you expect any less?"

"A lot," Ryan laughed, "but you came through."

"I've told you, you've got to play to win and maybe you'll start seeing comparable results."

"Play to win my—"

Wes barrelled towards them, bottle of water to hand. "Have you seen Miriam?" he asked.

"Bathroom," Ade said.

Wes tilted his chin and finished what was left of his water. "Thanks man," he said. "Anyway, Brandon found the pool cues, a game's about to start if you're down."

"I'm good," Ryan said, speaking for his friends.

"Ade?"

He jolted at the sound of his name. Wes had been cordial all weekend, but this was downright friendly.

"Don't worry," Wes said, "I'll text Miriam, let her know where we are."

Ade itched the back of his neck, heat spreading up and out as he ducked into a nod. "Sure," he said. "Why not."

They headed towards the hallway, taking a sharp left and jogging down the surprisingly well-lit stairs which spilled into the converted cellar. The room had a low ceiling which was combated by the orange spotlights dotted across it. The lights released a warm glow, close and soft, creating the sense of intimacy within the otherwise drafty space. It was beneath one such spotlight that Ade saw Miriam. She was bent over the pool table, eyes narrowed to a point, focused on the shiny white of the ball. Meanwhile, Brandon encircled her, one hand pressed against her waist, the other brushing up and down her arm positioning the pool cue clutched in her grasp. He whispered something; she laughed, jolting forward to send the ball spinning straight for a red. It dropped into the pocket with an audible plunk, and she twirled, arms raised above her head, mouth stretched into a gorgeous grin.

"Well done," Ade said, stepping towards her before Brandon could monopolise the moment.

Her smile grew, the joy palpable, and she threw an arm around both Ade and Brandon, hugging them close. She then turned. "I couldn't have done it without you," she said, her back to Ade.

"Even more reason we need to go to dinner," Brandon grinned.

"Maybe tomorrow will be your lucky day."

Ade choaked on a mouthful of beer. Surely it was a joke. It had to be. That or she wasn't serious, not really. There could be no Brandon with him in the picture. Who would want Brandon when he was in the picture? Especially since he was standing right there. And yet, she'd said it, offered up her time, her life, a chance, just like she had with him.

Fuck.

***

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