I slowed—not enough to draw attention, just enough to listen.
One of them was unfamiliar.
But the other—
Even muted through walls and distance, there was a particular cadence to it. A slight unevenness when he spoke too quickly. A tendency to soften at the end of sentences, as though bracing for interruption.
There you are.
The voices grew clearer as I approached the partially open door at the end of the corridor. Light spilled out in a thin line across the floor, cutting through the dimness of the hall.
“…just saying, you should come out with us,” the unfamiliar voice was saying. “You’re in your twenties in a new country—enjoy it!”
Cove responded, sounding hesitant, “I’m just not really a club person.”
“But you haven’t been to an Aussie club before!”
“Um… well, no… but aren’t all clubs kinda the same? Drinks and too many people?”
The other person huffed dramatically. “Come onnnn! It’s a super hot queer spot. You’d basically be able to have your pick of the litter! You’re cute, only here for a limited time, and have an American accent, babe!”
“Do I really have an accent?” Cove asked, sounding unsure how to feel about that.
“Course you do,” the person said, scoffing. “Now, I don’t know what you like—be that gals or guys or something else, but trust me, they’ll be all over you.”
“I’m really not looking for anything like that. As you said, I might not be here for long.”
“You don’t have to get married and shit. Just sample the menu.”
“Jeremy, I—”
“Please, babe! Emma will come along too. Let us show off our Cali boy!”
There was a brief, strained silence that followed.
I could picture it without needing to see—Cove caught somewhere between discomfort and obligation, uncertain how to refuse without disappointing.
“Jeremy, I really don’t think—”
I chose that moment to move. I pushed the door open farther, the soft creak of the hinge cutting cleanly through the conversation.
Both of them turned.
Jeremy was the first to react—bright expression faltering only a smidge as his eyes landed on me, quickly recalibrating into something polite, if curious. He was exactly as he sounded—expressive and animated, the kind of person who filled silence and demanded attention.
Next to him, Cove had frozen.
I let my gaze rest on him for a fraction longer than necessary before shifting it back to Jeremy.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked.
Jeremy’s head tilted, clearly trying to place me, then glanced at Cove as though for confirmation.
“No, uh—no,” Jeremy said quickly, stepping back half a pace. “We were just talking.”
“Yes,” I said, though that much had already been obvious. My gaze flicked briefly toward Cove again before returning. “I gathered as much. I was actually hoping to borrow him for a moment.”
The little blonde twink glanced at Cove again.
