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The room was filled with glittering trees and snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. Although the modern influences were clear, with a much more sleek look, it still looked like a winter wonderland. People were spread out in the room, some were sitting by the tables talking, others were still looking at the lavish spread of desserts that were offered, while waiters were flittering about, but a large centered mass was out in the middle of the room dancing to the soft music of the live band that had been set up.
Chad was dressed to the nines, in a dark blue suit, with small glittery embroidery at the edges, that resembled snowflakes, to keep with the theme, but his mood was not quite as beautiful as the suit led him to look. He was standing in a corner, sipping a drink. It was a little sour, but it kept him occupied as his eyes just looked over the dance floor. He didn't want to be here, but it was one of those fundraiser events that his parents forced him to go to. Diego had even gotten out of it, so here he was, just willing the evening to go faster, so he didn't have to small talk and could go home soon.
Momentarily his gaze was caught by something silvery, but it wasn't like he could start figuring out which of the silvery things out there it would be. There wasn’t a woman, or man, that hadn't taken this opportunity to dress up like this was the last 'ball' they would ever come to, and a lot of people had chosen silver simply for the theme. Not that he got the opportunity to dwell on this fact, because then he blinked and he could swear that there was suddenly a man right in front of him, who hadn’t been there before. A pair of dark eyes looked into his own, and a charming smile across what looked like perfect teeth.
"May I have this dance?" The man asked, as he did a half bow, and offered out a hand to Chad.
"Uhhhmmm..." Chad could just feel his brain stop for a moment as he looked at the stranger. How had he not met this guy before? He was sure he knew most people in this circuit by now.
The silence didn't seem to deter the man though. "Unless you want to keep on looking like you would rather be anywhere else to keep your suitors away. Although I hope to offer a better alternative to that," he said, a short dry laugh in his voice.
Chad blinked a few times before he finally let the smile take the corner of his mouth. "Well in that case, do free me from the agony," he said, a lighter laugh from him, as he put down the glass on a nearby table before he took the offered hand to be led out to the dance floor.
The stranger seemed to move through the crowd effortlessly, as he pulled Chad along, until there were finally in the middle of everyone, and the stranger once again locked eyes with Chad, before pulling him in, for the slow dance that had just started.
His hands were cold against Chad's own warm skin and a small shiver ran through him. His skin almost felt like it was thrumming.
"I never got your name," Chad said after the first few steps into the dance, his eyes still transfixed on the man.
"Rex," the man's smooth voice sounded.
Chad's curiosity was piqued "Is that short for something? Like Alexander?"
A sheepish smile fell on Rex's features "Rextor. My parents really wanted me to stand out from the crowd I guess."
Chad couldn't quite hold his whole laugh in. He had never quite heard a name like that but it was... nice in a strange way. "I like it," Chad said.
"Your reaction says otherwise," Rex said a hint of a smile in his eyes.
"No really. I do. It's just unusual." Chad said because he did mean it. He was not really a good liar to start with, so he tried not to, not even for pleasantries.
Rex's eyes seemed to soften a bit. "Thank you."
"I'm Chad by the way," Chad added to that, "Just Chad though."
"That you are," Rex said. "Although you hardly need to introduce yourself. I don't think there is a single person in here who does not know who Chad Sterling is."
Chad raised an eyebrow at that. "So you did have ulterior motives," he said, his voice a little bit hesitant at that.
"If my ulterior motive was to save the Sterling darling boy, then yes," Rex said, his eyes glimmering in the soft light above. "But I think the real ulterior motive was just having a dance with a nice man, and maybe learn a little bit about him along the way."
"Why?" Maybe Chad was mostly used to his parents’ friends’ kids befriending him, and not just... a stranger he didn't know.
"Because you intrigue me, and while I can hardly say much about your personality, I think there is more to you than meets the eye. Also, you do seem to be the least stuck up person in this place, which takes a certain kind of character."
"You seem to have high thoughts of me," Chad pointed out.
"Well, they're at least higher than most other people in this room."
"Why?"
“You know, you keep asking that.”
Chad gave a little bit of a pointed look, although he couldn’t keep the corner of his mouth pulling up in a little bit of a wider smile. Which did seem to crack Rex enough to make him answer the question. Although he took a little bit of a moment, as he was thinking. "Because from what I've heard, you seem to just be a genuinely good person, which is a rare trait these days."
“But you hardly know me.”
“That is true,” Rex admitted, as he swung him around, to the soft music, his eyes still on Chad. “But sometimes you can just feel it. You don’t… have the same kind of air around you as your parents do. It feels like you do genuinely want to do something good for the world, and not just putting on a facade. And well… am I wrong?”
Chad couldn’t deny it. For a while he wasn’t sure he was that person, he wanted to be that. “I am hardly as noble as you’re making it sound,” he said, feeling the shy smile on his own lips. “I just… want the world to be a little better tomorrow than it was today.”
“And I admire that.”
“Thanks, but don’t… put me too much up on a pedestal. I am not all that great as you want me to be,” Chad said, as he felt himself getting pulled along the dance floor.
“Well, I am okay with being a little wrong,” Rex said, his eyes glimmering with amusement. “Just like I thought you would be a better dancer.”
“Hey!” Chad said, momentarily stopping their dance. “I’m not… that bad.”
“Mmhhh… You could be worse,” Rex agreed, before tugging at him again so they could continue. “You haven’t stepped on my toes, and I am enjoying myself, which is more important than you knowing all the steps, wouldn’t you say?”
It was easy for Rex to pull Chad with him, as Chad’s thoughts were trying to wrap themselves around what had just been said. It was like there was something almost at the edge of the words, that he couldn’t quite place what it was, and it made him stop in his tracks, or more like made him easy to pull along.
“Don’t overthink it. I really hope you can just enjoy this moment of peace both of us are getting,” Rex said, as he pulled Chad back in close.
Chad could almost feel the words drying up in his mouth, as he softly nodded. “Okay,” it was barely a whisper, as he let Rex lead him.
And for a while Chad just let Rex lead him around the room in a slow dance, too mesmerized to look away or even care about the people looking at them, because if there was one thing Chad knew, then it was the fact that people would stare. They always stared, but for a little bit, he didn’t mind.
While Chad didn’t really want to break the silence, he was still the one who did it. “Who are you though? I have barely gotten anything but a name,” Chad said, the curiosity getting the best of him.
“I am really just a simple man,” Rex said, which earned him a bit of a look from Chad. “Okay.” He took a moment. “I am just trying to do better than my parents did. Let's just say they did not live up to their potential, and I am not really on speaking terms with them anymore. I have an upcoming tech firm. It’s really all boring.”
“No,” Chad said, almost too quickly. “It’s not boring. I wanna hear about you as well. I mean, you already know so much about me, so it seems only fair.” His face was beginning to feel a little bit hotter.
“Well, as I said, not much to say. Doing the best I can, and just trying to get into parties like these to rub elbows with some of the more powerful people if I can.”
“So that’s the real reason you’re talking to me,” Chad said, an almost teasing edge to his voice.
“No, this is a reward for doing as well as I have all evening. A treat of sorts,” Rex said, like he truly had no shame, which… Chad couldn’t help but admire, no matter how hot his face was getting.
“Well… in that case,” Chad said weakly, and cleared his throat, to get a bit more sound. “Can’t take that away from you.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Rex said, a slight dry laughter in his voice. “Hmm…. What else is there to tell? I have a cat, and whiskey is my drink of choice.”
“You have a cat?” Chad said, the excitement clear in his voice. “What is its name?”
“Ah… You know how it is with pets, they are called a lot of things, and cats especially don’t react to their given name to start with,” Rex said. “So really he has a lot of names, but do you have any pets?”
“Yeah, I do! A dog,” Chad said, about to ask more about the cat, but Rex was quick to steer the conversation away from that.
“What are they called?”
“She’s called Pebbly,” Chad said. “She is a golden retriever, and is just the happiest little dog you can imagine.” Chad couldn’t contain the happy sigh.
“I would hardly call a golden retriever a little dog,” Rex said with a laugh.
“Well, in my heart she is small. Especially when she comes and lays her big head in my lap and just wants to be pet.”
Rex’s eyes looked softly at Chad. “She sounds adorable.”
“She does, doesn’t she.”
“I guess it’s true what they say. Like owner, like dog.”
“What-” Chad widened his eyes once again feeling his cheeks heating up, and then let go briefly of Rex’s shoulder to gently hit him on the shoulder instead, although hardly more than a tap. “Hey!”
“I am just saying it as I see it,” Rex said, his smile having turned into a little smug.
“So you’re saying I’m adorable?” Chad said, trying to challenge it, but knew the moment that the corner of Rex’s mouth turned more upwards, that he was gonna lose this fight.
“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying,” Rex said, his arm around Chad’s waist tightening a little bit in a teasing way. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Ah.” Chad wasn’t sure what to say, as he was once again dumbfounded and just looked into Rex’s eyes.
“Well?”
“I guess not?” Chad said softly. “Although that’s not… usually what I’m called.” He had heard a lot of other terms, and while he didn’t quite understand why people liked the way he looked so much, he wasn’t exactly an idiot about how he looked. But adorable? He had only ever been called that by Diego.
“Let me guess,” Rex said. “You’re called handsome usually? Maybe even beautiful.”
“Ah, that’s a bit much,” Chad said, trying to finally duck his head to avoid the gaze of Rex. It felt too intimate.
This did make Rex stop dancing, just so he could free a hand, and gently placed it against Chad’s chin to force him to look up once again. “It’s not,” he said, and it seemed like his face had gotten softer. “You are handsome and beautiful, and maybe it’s because they haven’t seen you talk about your dog, that they haven’t realized that above all that, you are just… adorable. I could look at you talk about her all day.”
“Rex.”
Rex dropped his hand, a sheepish smile on his lips. “I’m sorry, I probably am coming on a little bit too strong here,” he said.
Chad just… didn’t want Rex to let go. No one had ever spoken to him like that, and he could feel his heart picking up, even as his brain was still reminding him that Rex was hardly someone he knew. They had known each other for less than half an hour. But still… maybe it was because this was something that his parents had had no say in. This was his for a little bit. “You are,” Chad said, trying to force himself to keep looking at Rex, and being able to see how Rex was the one unable to keep eye contact. “But I don’t mind it, strangely enough.”
Those words were enough for Rex to look back at Chad. “Well, I for sure can continue if you want me to,” Rex said like that one sentence had boosted his entire confidence.
“No… no, it’s fine,” Chad said, his gaze darting around, trying to check if his parents had any eye on him to start with. “I don’t really think I want to get caught getting smooth-talked out on the dance floor, no matter how handsome the guy.”
“So you do think I’m handsome.” The smirk back in place.
“Yes… obviously,” Chad said, his gaze once again back on Rex. “But I don’t think I would have to tell you that.”
“Maybe not, but it’s nice to hear,” Rex said. “And it’s not often I’m told that to start with unless people are trying to get something from me.” His voice had turned a bit softer. “It’s nice, it’s just… a genuine compliment.”
“Well… you’re very welcome, everyone deserves a genuine compliment now and again,” Chad said, his own voice sounding softer than he had meant it to be.
“Thank you,” Rex pulled a little bit at Chad again, to start moving their legs to the still very slow music playing in the background. Which was probably a good thing, because Chad had momentarily forgotten that they were still out on the dance floor, so he let himself be pulled along. “I hope you’re thinking the same thing if we meet again.”
Chad blinked a few times. “If we meet again? Why wouldn’t we?” He couldn’t help but ask. He had barely gotten to know Rex. Would this be their only meeting?
“Well, who knows if I get another invite to start with, but if I do, I’ll be sure to find you, to ask for another dance.”
“I can give you my number.” Chad couldn’t help but suggest, almost too quickly, too eagerly.
Rex let out a little huff of a laugh. “As much as I want to agree with that, I really don’t think you should give out your number to a stranger.”
“You’re-”
“I am very much still a stranger. You know only a couple of things about me, but hopefully that can change in the future.”
Chad couldn’t ignore that growing feeling of hope in his stomach like maybe they truly could learn about each other later. If they just had a chance. “I hope so.”
“Well, maybe destiny is with us. I certainly hope so.”
In the background, the song stopped, and Rex finally let go of Chad’s hand to look at the watch he was wearing, before meeting Chad's eyes once again. "But for now, I do have to go."
"You can't... take one more dance?" Chad asked, unwilling to let go of the man he had only known for a little bit. There were still so many things he wanted to know, even if he couldn’t come up with a single question right now.
"Unfortunately no, but it was.... absolutely amazing getting to dance with you," Rex said.
"But-"
"Goodbye Chad," Rex leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Chad's cheek before letting go of him, and disappearing off into the crowd. Chad tried to look behind him to where Rex had disappeared off to, but he couldn't see him. All he could feel was the fleeting warmth of the kiss, as he couldn't help but reach up and touch it.
Although only moments later a loud blaring alarm sounded in the room, and every single person froze, as no one seemed to know what was going on. Chad fought his way through the crowds, back towards his parents, just in time to hear his mother sneer into the phone "Who left a letter? Rex Roofer?… Who the hell is Rex Roofer."
It was like a clump of ice formed in his stomach, and every warmth drained from him. That couldn't be right. Rex Roofer couldn’t be? He looked back towards the way Rex had disappeared off to, like he would be standing there saying he had nothing to do with this, but there was no trace left of him, not even the warmth from the kiss.