Yours Is The First Face That I Saw

VII

Getting Tyler out of Bianca’s party was easier said than done. Hauling the drunk boy up from the ground was already proving to be a difficult task; Tyler’s muscles weren’t doing anything to make Sebastian’s job easier. It took some coaxing and cajoling before the two of them finally found a dark corner of Bianca’s backyard to hide in, and once he was certain that Tyler wasn’t going to stumble back out, he went back to the poolside to gather their things. His phone, which he’d flung haphazardly before diving into the pool, was ringing. It was a call from his mom.

“I’m still at the party,” he said into the phone before his mother could say hello. There was nervous laughter from the other end, followed by his mom asking when he’d be home. “I honestly don’t know. I might stay at a friend’s house. Is that okay?”

“With one of the Luna East kids? In their house?” For a moment, Sebastian was worried that his mom would say no, and he hoped that Tyler would be kind enough — and sober enough — to have his driver drop him off at home. “Sure! Take pictures!”

For once in his life, Sebastian was grateful that his mother was a bit of a social climber.

—

It took another half hour before Tyler’s driver arrived and led them out through the back gate, but Sebastian was grateful nonetheless. He hadn’t even expected the driver to arrive at all; Tyler had mostly slurred into his phone, half of the words unintelligible to Sebastian. From the quick and practiced way he deposited Tyler in the back seat, Sebastian guessed this was at least a semi-regular occurrence. The man said as much when all three of them were inside the car.

“You better get used to this if you’re going to be his friend,” the man said as they pulled away from Bianca’s house. “If you want to be a better friend, help him stop making a habit out of this.”

Tyler groaned from the back seat, followed by slurred declarations of like for Sebastian and his apparently perky ass. The driver gave him a look; Sebastian cleared his throat and looked out the window.

“Has he always been like this?” Sebastian looked at Tyler in the back seat and quickly looked away when Tyler pulled his shirt up and started scratching his belly. “Don’t his parents get mad?”

He shouldn’t have been surprised by the snort he got in reply.

---

This wasn’t what he expected Tyler’s house to be look like.

First off, it wasn’t even a house but a condominium unit in a development tucked away from any major thoroughfare. He could see Roxas Boulevard from the main bedroom’s floor to ceiling windows, but that was mostly because of the floor they were on rather than the proximity.

The building itself was older than most of the big rises that had spring all over the city in the past couple of years, its exterior covered by a thin but noticeable layer of grime. The elevators were in a similar rundown state, the light from its fluorescents dimmed by dirt. It didn’t get any better once they were inside Tyler’s condominium unit — unwashed dishes filled the sink, and what might have been tasteful interior design was overshadowed by the amount of litter that was all over the place.

Tyler’s bedroom — the one that Sebastian was in right now — was only marginally cleaner than the rest of the two-bedroom unit. The room didn’t have much in the way of furniture: a modest-sized bed and an armchair were the only things in the room that weren’t discarded clothes.

“He’s in bed now.” Tyler’s driver was right beside Sebastian, looking out of the window at the city. “I cleaned up the other bedroom for you.”

There was more groaning from the bed; Tyler had turned to lie on his stomach, his arms reaching towards Sebastian’s general direction. Sebastian wasn’t sure, but it seemed like Tyler was shirtless under the blanket. Tyler was waving him over, and Sebastian approached the bed with more than a little trepidation.