Gravity

2

Wow...I think I'm going insane.

Thomas blinked, slightly bewildered by the sudden impact. He could feel hot coffee seeping through his shirt, making it stick to his body uncomfortably. He brought his head up to look at who collided with him, on the cusp of letting out a string of profanities- but, the person currently standing before him, was the was the beautiful blonde guy from earlier. The boy's face was scrunched up in anguish and embarrassment, making Thomas think him impossibly cute.

" Ah... shuck it. I-I'm so sorry! Oh, god. I'm such a klutz..." He reached out awkwardly to take the dripping cup from Thomas' hand, letting him pull his shirt off over his head. The boy blushed even more as he gazed up from under his lashes.

"Um, hi." said Thomas, desperate to relieve the painful tension between them " I'm Thomas."

He stood there, still shirtless, wishing he could sink into the ground. The blonde seemed just as agitated, wringing his hands and staring intently at an extremely interesting piece of dust on the ground.

" Er, I'm Newt..." He trailed off, leaving Thomas nearly drooling. This kid had a London accent " Sorry about..." he gestured to the sopping shirt on the floor between them " Um, all this..."

" N-no, it's fine!" Thomas stammered " I should've been paying more attention to where I was going."

Newt shifted from foot to foot, obviously wanting to leave.
" Nah, it's my fault. I was rushing." he murmured quietly "Andishouldnthavebumpedintosomeoneasprettyasyou."

Thomas understood nothing of what Newt had just said, all of it sounded like nonsense to him " Pardon?"

"N-nothing!" Newt blushed furiously, glanced longingly at the door. He took that as his cue to leave.

" Well," he said cheerily, trying to hide his embarrassment " I should go. Brenda will be waiting."

" Yeah." Newt seemed so timid and delicate, that Thomas wanted to stroke his cheek and kiss his- NO. No, Thomas. No. No cute boys for you. Not until you graduate from college. " See ya 'round, Tommy."
he seemed to regret blurting the name immediately afterwards, but Thomas loved it. It made his whole body tingle and buzz with a nervous energy.

" See ya 'round, Newt."

When he finally reached Brenda's office, Thomas slumped against the wall dramatically, slapping his hand over his face and groaning.

" Brenda... I just made a total fool of myself in front of a cute guy!" Thomas wailed " And then he got really uncomfortable and awkward and left really fast!"

" Whoa, Thomas. Slow down." Brenda said, hushing him with a gesture " What did he look like? "

" Well..." Thomas pauses, recalling the boy's perfect features " He had blonde hair, a British accent and a face like a shucking angel. Oh, and he was called Newt."

Brenda's face fell slightly at the description, contorting into a worried frown " Did he seem okay when he left? Was he upset?"

Thomas was confused " Upset? Why? What's wrong with him?"

Brenda cast her eyes downwards as she spoke, not wanting to meet his gaze " Newt is... having a hard time at the moment."

...................................................

As soon as Newt exited the building, he broke into a run. His mind was cluttered with random images and he could feel it, creeping up on him. He thought about trying to make it home in time, but didn't bother,instead taking a detour towards the nearest bar.
If Brenda knew what Newt was about to do, she would be furious. Apparently, this wasn't how he was supposed to deal with his problems. She didn't understand, though. Didn't understand that this was the only way he could deal with them.

And, all of a sudden, something inside of him snapped, like it had done so many times before. Everything blurred, and for a split second, Newt thought he would fall. He didn't though. Just kept on walking ( well staggering ) on his way.

When he reached his destination, Newt was breathing deeply, and all he needed was a drink. A nice, stiff drink to keep the monsters away. The monsters always ran circles around his head, clawing him apart from the inside. The only way Newt could think of the keep them at bay,was to drown them. Drown them, and himself until he couldn't walk.

The bar was a quaint little place, off in a side alley that no one ever noticed. That was how he liked it. That way, no one would see him break up into tiny pieces over a pint of beer.

He slapped a handful of cash down on the counter and collapsed onto a barstool. He didn't try and talk, knowing it would only make matters worse.

A glass appeared in front of him and he took a long gulp, not caring what it was. For all Newt knew, he might be drinking piss. He didn't care, as long as it took away the horrible feeling of mania that was slowly, but surely driving him insane.

Several cigarettes and a few dozen glasses later, Newt was completely out of it, his eyes wandered listlessly around the room in a daze, searching for something that didn't exist.

So, when he heard the voice say his name, Newt didn't turn. He didn't even glance up as footsteps approached from behind. Only when he felt a hand on his shoulder, did he look. And when he did, his whole world fell apart.

"Newt, what are you doing here?" Brown eyes peered worriedly down at him, and Newt groaned, burying his head in his hands " Newt! Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm bloody fiiiine Tommy," he slurred " Or I was until you popped up and started asking questions."

"But, Newt," Thomas said, confused " I've been here, like, two seconds."

"Well," Newt grinned, standing up and swaying drastically " If you're gonna waste my shuckin' time, then maybe you should come back to my place..."

"Um... I don't think that's a good idea," Thomas mumbled " You're drunk, and I only just met you-"

"Shut up!" snapped Newt, his voice suddenly clear and sharp " Just leave, Tommy! I don't want you here!"

The sudden change of mood confused Thomas, more so than the sexual advances. He had no idea why Newt was acting this way. One moment he was inviting Thomas to his house, and the next he was telling him to leave. No drunk Thomas had ever met had been this... volatile.

Battling with his conflicting emotions, he left Newt at the bar, half wanting to arrange a safe passage home for the strange man. Taking one last sideways glance, he walked out the door, forgetting all about the drink he had come to buy.