The Sharpest Lives

It was about 8:15 when Lindsey texted Gerard saying she was outside. Lindsey was usually late, so this was no surprise. Gerard plucked his pea coat out of the closet and shook it on. He tightly wrapped a scarf around his neck, and slid his gloves on his fingers. He made his way down the building stairs, closing and locking the door behind him. He slipped into the passenger seat of Lindsey’s car, smiling at her as she looked over at him. It hadn’t been more than a week or two since they had been out, but Lindsey took notice.
“You need a haircut!” she giggled. Gerard usually trimmed his hair so that it was just long enough to curl around his face. Never too short, and never too long; he felt like both styles made his face look too round. It was raven colored and teased so it looked like he had rolled out of bed and left it.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll cut it tomorrow”. Gerard sighed. He now felt incredibly self-conscious about it, and wished he had just trimmed it before he left. He certainly had enough time. Lindsey must have been able to see the scowl on his face, because she quickly backtracked her words.
“I think it looks nice! You should let it grow!” She grinned as she pulled the car out of the parking lot. She turned left heading towards the city.
Gerard just grunted in response.
“Where are we going, anyway?” he inquired.
“Not far, there’s this bar near where Brent works called Cole’s that he goes to with his co-workers. We’re meeting him there.” She seemed excited.
The car ride was surprisingly short for New York City traffic on a Friday night, and soon they were making their way into a small, dimly lit establishment. Lindsey’s face lit up when she saw him.
“Brent!” she yelled, waving at him and quickly ushering Gerard over to the table. Brent and a few other people were sitting at a round table, all already with drinks, laughing and talking.
“Gerard, of course you know Brent. You remember Jamia from my work? And Ray, of course.”
She trailed on, these were all mutual friends of hers and Brent’s that he knew vaguely, but there was a face he didn’t recognize. He had scruffy black hair that hung just so over his face. He had olive skin, and his arms and hands were painted with tattoos. He gave a sheepish grin as he saw Gerard glance at him.

“This is Frank, Jamia’s friend.” Lindsey said
“Hi” Frank said, a smile escaping his lips as he said it. Gerard just kept staring, unwillingly, until he found the strength to answer back.
“Hello…” he said quietly. Suddenly, he was extremely nervous. He didn’t know why. He usually didn’t have a problem meeting new people. Granted, he didn’t really like people in general, but he was able to easily fake a genuine Hello. For some reason he felt like Frank stopped him in his tracks. He slipped off his coat, scarf and gloves and sat down at the open seat across from Frank, next to Lindsey.
“Gee, want a drink?” Mikey asked from across the table. Gerard shifted his glance from Frank’s fingers fidgeting on the table, up to Mikey’s face. Mikey took notice of Gerard’s distracted glaze when he looked over.

“Actually, why don’t you come up with me?” Mikey winked at him.
Gerard just shrugged and got up from his chair, following at his brother’s heels.
As they made their way to the bar, Mikey had a cheeky smile on his face that made Gerard’s cheeks burn with embarrassment. If there was one person who knew Gerard better than Lindsey, it was certainly Mikey.
“Cute, huh?” Mikey smirked.
“What?”
“Frank. He’s cute. I mean, I guess. You seemed to think so, I could see it in your eyes the second you saw him. You’re pretty obvious.” Mikey glared at him like he could see right through him, hell, he probably could.
If Gerard’s cheeks weren’t red before, they certainly were now.
“Oh, yeah I guess.” Gerard admitted. “Jamia’s lucky.” He wasn’t sure why he added that out loud, he meant to keep that in his head.
“What?” Mikey stopped and looked at him, confused. “I just mean he’s good looking, Jamia has good taste in men.” Gerard was mumbling at this point, trying to find a way out of the conversation.
Mikey laughed, really loudly. Gerard was beyond uncomfortable by the time they reached the bar.
“What can I get you boys?” the bartender asked.
“Four tequila shots, actually make it five and – Gerard?” Mikey asked
“Just a Jack and Coke, thanks.”
As soon as the bartender turned his back to the men, Mikey continued.
“Gee, that’s not Jamia’s boyfriend. He’s gay.” Mikey seemed genuinely intrigued by Gerard’s inability to tell. “For a gay man, you have zero gaydar.”
Gerard felt his face get flush with embarrassment for the second time tonight, and he was starting to regret coming out.
“How do you even know?”
“It’s so obvious, Gee.” Mikey said this like it was written on Frank’s forehead.
They gathered their drinks and headed back to the table in silence. Gerard’s head was filled with questions. How did he not pick up on Frank being gay? He never had a problem when he was alone and in a bar, looking for a one night fling. He could pick out the men who were there for the same reason almost instantly. There was something about Frank that threw him off his game.

They made their way through the crowd and sat down, Gerard passing a quick glance to Frank. Mikey doled out the shots. One for Lindsey, Brent, Jamia, Ray and Himself.
Gerard noticed Frank had a coke in front of him and decided to make conversation while the rest of the group got plastered.
“Not drinking tonight, Frank?” He asked.
“Nah, not tonight. I have to be up early tomorrow morning, I’m opening the record store and then playing a show tomorrow night. I can’t afford to be hung over. Tomorrow night, however, well that’s a different story.” Frank laughed as he spoke, flashing his teeth in a sincere grin.
“You work at a record store?” Gerard wasn’t just trying to make conversation now, he was surprised, and intrigued. Not because Frank didn’t look like the type who wouldn’t work at a record store, just that he rarely came across cute, gay record store workers. Especially not this easy.
“Yeah, I work at Jupiter Records on 4th street. I have for a few years now. They work around my hectic schedule when I am playing shows.” Frank sounded so nonchalant when he talked about his life, like it wasn’t something to gawk over. For Gerard, it was.
“What about you, Gerard? What do you do?” Frank smiled up at him. There was something so genuine about him.
“I uh…” Gerard almost forgot how to speak caught up in listening intently at Frank. Frank laughed.
“I work for Berkley comics. I’m in editing, but I really want to write my own someday.”
“Holy shit! That’s awesome!” Frank giggled, seeming actually interested in Gerard’s boring editing job. He guessed the title seemed cooler than it actually was.
“Hey I’m going to get a smoke. Do you want to come?” Frank asked.
Gerard nodded and followed Frank out the front door. The air was cold and Gerard forgot to put on his coat before we walked out, but he didn’t mind. He wanted to keep talking to Frank even if it was negative 20 degrees outside.
As soon as Gerard got outside, he pulled out his cigarettes and pursed one between his lips. He had trouble getting it lit at first, as the wind picked up around them.
“Come on motherfucker.” Gerard mumbled, finally getting his cigarette lit. He took a few puffs and turned to look at Frank, who was already looking at him, giggling at his fumbling. Gerard felt his cheeks get hot again.
“How did you know I smoked?” Gerard inquired.
“I didn’t.” Frank said “I just wanted to keep talking to you, somewhere quieter.”
Gerard let a smile befall his lips, not knowing what to say.
“So, you said your job is flexible so you can play shows…are you in a band?” Gerard assumed it was obvious, but he wanted to know more about Frank.
“Yeah, Pency Prep. I play guitar, and sing. Well, I kind of sing. I’m not very good, but I enjoy it.” Frank gushed.
“I’d love to come to a show some time.” Gerard said, not sure where his confidence was coming from. Frank was really throwing him for a loop, and Gerard didn’t know how to respond. He tried never to show much interest in guys he wanted to have a one night stand with, and it had been a long time since he was interested in someone for anything other than sex. Gerard didn’t know what he wanted from Frank. He didn’t know what Frank would possibly want from him.
“I’d like that.” Frank said. His cheeks were red, and Gerard hoped it was because he felt the same fluttery feeling in his chest that he did, but it was likely just the cold air.
“Tell me about editing comic books; that sounds incredible.” Frank looked up at Gerard with interest. He was about 4 inches shorter than Gerard, and all that he could think about was how perfectly he imagined Frank would fit in his arms when he hugged him. If he ever got to hug him. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Frank’s silence.
Gerard giggled at the thought that Frank thought his job was “incredible”.
It’s OK, my dream job is to create my own, but being an editor I do get to read a lot of them before they are even issued. I get to see a lot of the unfinished product, and help weed out the content. It’s neat to see all of the scenes the writers wanted to put into the comic, but unfortunately either couldn’t fit, or got cut. I feel like I get to know so much more of the story than the regular reader does.” As Gerard finished, he realized, as a lover of Comic’s, his job really did sound incredible, and he should probably appreciate it more often.
“Wow, Gerard. You should show me some you have been the editor on, I’d love to get some insider knowledge.” Frank winked at Gerard, and he felt his heart stop beating in his chest for a moment.
“Definitely.” Was all he could manage to get out through his smile.

“Let’s get inside before we freeze.” He said, gazing back at Gerard. Both boys tapped their cigarettes out on the brick wall behind them, and made their way back into the building.

When they returned, the group was in a heated debate, apparently Star Wars vs Star Trek.
“I ... can't ... believe we just got shot. I ... hope ... that this is ... over.” Mikey mimicked Captain Kirk. “Seriously, guys? This guy is trusted to command a star ship?” Mikey was making his point for Star Wars, obviously.
“Han solo is as risky as they come!” Ray defended.
“Please, Kirk is a moron.” Mikey rolled his eyes.
“Frank? Gee? Thoughts?” Ray asked with a smirk.
“I’m for Star Wars, without a doubt.” Gerard said confidently, he and Mikey grew up on Star Wars.
“Frank?” Mikey mused, waiting for an answer.
Gerard was almost nervous for his answer, not that it held any weight, but if Frank seemed any more perfect, Gerard might just fall in love right here.
“That’s an easy one – Star Wars. They have lightsabers, and Boba Fett. Jordy doesn’t hold a candle to Boba Fett.” Frank obviously had researched both sides, and suddenly Gerard felt his heart skip a beat again.

The rest of the night was spent debating various movies, music and pop culture. Gerard tried to pay special attention to Frank’s answers. It seemed like they would have a lot in common, and as the night went on, that filled Gerard with anxiety. He wanted to see Frank again, but how could he approach him? What if he wasn’t single? His head was spinning, both from the questions he had, and the four Jack and Coke’s he drank on a nearly empty stomach. It was nearing midnight when Ray said he had to get going. Mikey wasn’t far behind, leaving Jamia, Frank, Lindsey and Brent at the table. They chatted for another 20 minutes, when Lindsey and Brent said they, too had to get going. Jamia eyed frank silently asking when they were leaving, but Frank raised his eyebrow at her. She got the message, they needed to wait. For what, she didn’t know.
“I’m starving.” Gerard professed, he was definitely buzzed, and his empty stomach was only amplifying the effects of the alcohol.
“I’m exhausted.” Lindsey said, eyeing Gerard, signaling it was time to go home.
“I’m pretty hungry, too.” Frank said, cutting in. Jamia glared daggers at him, wondering what was going on in his head, knowing he had to be up at 7AM to open the store.
“Yeah, we should probably just head home.” Lindsey glanced over at Gerard, hoping he would catch her drift.
“Well I’m hungry, Gerard, I drove here, if you want to grab a bite to eat with me. I know a 24 hour café not too far from here.” Frank eyed Gerard nervously, afraid he would reject him. Maybe he had misread Gerard’s signals. Gerard noticed Jamia seemed surprised, her forehead scrunched in inquiry. Is asking what was basically a stranger out for a meal at 1AM something Frank did often? If it was, Jamia didn’t seem to know.
“That sounds like heaven.” Gerard said, letting a giant grin flood his lips. He didn’t mean to let his happiness be so evident in his face, but the alcohol was blurring his self-control.
“Cool. I’ll just…go get my car.” Frank said, eyeing Jamia.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” Jamia said almost instantaneously, almost seeming nervous.
“Thank you guys for coming, we all have to hang out again sometime!” Lindsey said, standing up from her seat, and embracing Jamia in a hug.
“It was nice to meet you, Frank.” Lindsey said, reaching out to shake Frank’s hand. He took her hand in his, and shook firmly.
“You, too.” He said, smiling at her and Brent. “Congratulations on the engagement.”
Brent nodded, and Frank and Jamia were walking out the door. The second they exited the building, Lindsay grabbed Gerard’s hand and turned him to face her.
“Gerard, please be careful. You’re definitely tipsy and I trust Jamia, but I don’t know Frank.” Lindsey was nervous but calm, even after the several shots she had taken.

“I know what I’m doing, Lindsey.” He smirked. He was nervous, too, but not for the same reason.

“I know you do. But, also, if you have a one night thing with him…don’t bail on him in the morning. I want to remain being friends with Jamia, and I can’t imagine her being too happy if you fuck and run on her best friend.” Lindsey let a small smile escape her lips, showing her approval, but she was apprehensive. Gerard gave her a gentle hug and slipped his hands out of hers, and turned to walk out of the door.

Notes

I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Remember to follow me on twitter for updates on the story, and information on when the coming chapters are being uploaded.
@crashintokate