Chapter 2 - Aether

The loud thumping music of the nightclub could be heard blocks away. In the locale, Aether had clearly drunk too much and he was busy swinging around on the dance floor with anyone he found to be attractive.

After a while, he went back to the bar, mostly for another drink, but also to sit down for a minute or two. However, things did not go quite as planned because he noticed an extremely attractive man in front of him as he was walking back to the bar.

Slightly swaying as he walked, he, almost confidently, walked up to the other man. His clothes fit his body type so perfectly, he was definitely going to hook up with him, or at least get his number, since he looked so stunning. He was wearing a cropped, black turtleneck with black leggings and red shoes.

"Hey!" Aether said, yelling since the club was so loud, as he got within a foot from the man he had his eyes on. The other one turned his head in his direction to see who was talking to him. His eyes widened as he saw the beautiful blonde.

"Hey!" The brunette yelled back, smirking at him.

"Wanna head back to my place?" Aether screamed back, keeping his gaze fixed on the brunette.

"Sorry, but I have to go soon" The other yelled back, breaking eye contact when he took a sip of his drink that was sitting next to him on the bar.

"Can I get your number then?" Aether asked, handing him his phone with a new contact page open. The brunette typed in his name and number into the assigned information slots before handing the phone back to the blonde. Aether watched as the man disappeared out of the door and he went back to spot any other boys who could entertain him for the rest of the night.

The next day, Aether woke up with a terrible hangover. He didn't remember shit of what had happened the previous night. He turned his phone screen on, which, surprisingly, was open to a contact page for someone he didn't recognize named 'Cameron': he assumed they were someone he met last night. Hitting the message button on the contact page, he types a message: "Hey, Cameron! This is Aether from last night!"

He then turned his phone screen off and began getting out of bed. He made his way to the kitchen in his apartment where he started his coffee maker. Thankfully it was Friday and he didn't have work today, so he had a longer weekend. He knew most people didn't go to clubs on a Thursday night, but he just found such a rush when he was hooking up with other men, as if it was a drug of some sort.

Around four in the afternoon, while Aether was lounging around on his couch in the living room watching television, he got a text from who he thought he met last night: "Sorry, but I'm not Cameron. I'm pretty sure they gave you the wrong number."

The blonde gasped at what he read before typing again: "That asshole! Sorry to bother you!"

Not much later, his phone buzzed in his hands, indicating he got a new message. Looking up at the top of the screen, he saw a text from the random person's number he got: "It's okay. You didn't know it was the wrong number."

A small smile appeared on his face; he enjoyed talking to this total stranger for some reason: "Btw you seem really nice! Would you mind if we became friends? Ofc if you don't want to that's fine too!" He responded back with.

Aether waited with his screen on for another reply, which paid off, because a minute later, a message came through: "No, that's fine. My name's Xiao."

Xiao… what a nice name. He didn't know how to say it, since it was probably a different language than his, but it was still pretty nonetheless. He began typing another response to who he now knew as 'Xiao': "Omg! You have such a pretty name!"

He pressed the power button on his phone and let the device rest on his chest while he waited for a reply as he turned his attention back to the TV. About 20 minutes later, there was another buzz from his phone. He checked the screen and he found that it was one of Xiao's texts: "Yeah, thanks. You too."

Aether smiled at the message as he responded: "Aww! You're so sweet!"

He didn't get another message for the rest of the day, so he assumed something happened with the other. Continuing to watch whatever true crime documentary he found interesting until he fell asleep on the couch.