Written post Steven Bomb 8.
Kevin is a shameless flirt while Jamie is a hopeless romantic, so when the two meet unexpectedly, the mailman is left star stuck. It's exhilarating, thrilling and the two can't deny that there's something there, even when...
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The walk back to Jamie's apartment had been in silence. It was uncomfortable, only worsening how awkward Kevin felt. He couldn't think of anything to break the tension, and it was maddening. Over the course of the past few weeks, the pair of them had gotten so used to talking with each other, a far cry from Jamie's initial stuttering when around him. And while Kevin missed being able to fluster him so easily, now that Jamie had grown used to his flirtations, he did like having someone he could just converse with so casually. He didn't have to think of what to say when he was with him, the talking came naturally.
But he wasn't used to this kind of situation. Where someone was hurting so deeply, enough that it seemed to change who they were, turning Jamie into a stranger of sorts. His smile and the brightness about him, his optimism and excitement bubbling with every word, the glimmer in his eyes - it was gone, faded. All the things that drew Kevin in were missing now, and he didn't have the slightest clue what to say. His words never failed him, he had a silver tongue. But it felt like lead as he waited for Jamie to open his apartment.
Everything had seemed calm, and as though it would work out in the end, at least in that moment when they embraced on the beach. But reality was swift, and harsh, and cruel, and it had been hanging over them, taunting, before crushing that peace of mind and stealing away that serenity when everyone realized Lars wasn't with them. And that fact, along with everything else Jamie had endured that day, weighed heavy on the mailman's mind. It was almost a physical weight, with how his head hung and his shoulders slouched.
This wasn't Jamie.
Not the Jamie that Kevin knew.
When Kevin stepped past him into the apartment, Jamie leaned on the door to close it, his forehead resting against it. His still wet clothes clung to him, and rivulets of water fell from his dripping hair onto the wood, racing down the grain.
The thing that did finally break the deafening silence wasn't what Kevin figured it would be - laughter.
It was quiet, and forced, but it quickly grew louder, crazed, even. Nothing like the giggling Kevin knew Jamie to be prone to now, and it was unnerving.
"Jamie?" At least Kevin was making an attempt to say something now. "What are you - "
"And you said nothing exciting ever happens here!" Jamie said, continuing to laugh as he pressed a hand to his head, eyes squeezed shut. "You said this town was boring!"
Kevin winced internally. Now was not a good time to bring up what he'd said at the festival.
"Are you feeling okay?" He asked. That was a stupid question, of course he wasn't feeling okay. But Kevin had no idea what to make out of the manic laughter.
"Oh yeah, I'm great! Just if I don't laugh I'll probably cry." Jamie admitted, with the laughter turning into a more nervous chuckle as he brushed his bangs away again. He was a mess, he knew he was, and Jamie could tell by the look on Kevin's face that he was seriously worrying him. He needed to get a grip on himself.
