Kaiden and Dylan soon rushed outside, giggling, each of them grabbing hold of one of Rus’ arms before carting him away.
“Come on,” Kaiden insisted. “I’m not working tonight.”
Kaiden stepped out ahead of Rus and Dylan, ushering them away from the gallery, when suddenly, a crowd of people ran byhim. They pushed and shoved their way through, knocking Rus away from Dylan, who snapped, and Kaiden, who shouted.
By the time Rus gathered his bearings, the laughing group had cut a corner, howling and causing chaos elsewhere.
“Fucking idiots!” Rus roared.
He turned to find Kaiden had been knocked over. Instead of getting up, Kaiden remained frozen, taking shaky breaths and holding tight to the pavement.
“It’s okay.” Dylan gently rubbed Kaiden’s back, a soft soothing motion until the fright had passed.
Kaiden didn’t show it much, didn’t speak about it ever, but from time to time, the horror of what happened to him the night he was assaulted still haunted him.
Rus crouched down beside Dylan and Kaiden, leaning all the way to the ground so that his eyes would meet Kaiden’s.
“You’re okay.”
“I know.” Kaiden took a deep breath. “I know.”
“Take your time.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
After another minute or so, Kaiden finally composed himself enough to stand. He pressed his back against a nearby light post and kept his attention vigilant on all passersby.
“You wanna head home?” Dylan asked.
“Absolutely not.” Kaiden exhaled. “I just need a minute.”
“Take as many as you need.”
Rus stayed close to Kaiden as he calmed down, walking beside him all the way to Himbos, where Kaiden declared they were there for a good time.
“Someone get me a shot to clear my nerves, and then we’re dancing.”
Dylan obliged, returning quite giddy with some neon green shot.
Soon, they made their way to the dance floor, where Rus focused on clearing others out of Kaiden’s path, giving him the freedom to relax. Not long after, the drag queens performed, putting on a spectacular Halloween show before announcing the costume competition.
By the time they’d left, most of downtown should’ve cleared, but the chaos of Halloween kept everyone out, causing a bit of mischief.
“Anyone else hungry?” Dylan asked.
“Starved,” Kaiden replied.
Rus wasn’t feeling anything but wandered alongside them both as Dylan led the way to a place that he declared had the best pizza in the city. A tiny hole in the wall with barely enough space to step inside and pay. It was even more crowded with the thicket of drunks waiting for their food.
Rus and Kaiden waited outside while Dylan braved the crowd.
“I hear you’re a bit of an artist,” Rus said, sparking a cigarette.
“An exaggeration.”
“Why’d you stop?”
