Episode 14

Calvin and Hector left the barracks and went straight to a nightclub they knew near their location. Since Calvin was on suspension, the first lieutenant decided to enjoy the night. They both had motorcycles and each went on his own, they would just have to decide how they would leave later.

It was still early, and the club wasn't that crowded. Hector walked in, observing the place.

"Dude, this place is full of hotties," he said, nudging Calvin with his elbow.

He looked at Calvin with a big smile, but it soon faded when he noticed his friend's expression, understanding why. Hector immediately tried to turn the situation around.

"I forgot. Look, there are some cool guys here too."

Calvin rolled his eyes and started walking towards the bar. Hector continued to look around, searching for a potential conquest, and ended up bumping into someone. He looked and saw that it was a man with a drink, trying to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I was distracted. Can I buy you another drink?"

"It's okay, you don't have to, it just spilled a little," he replied with a smile.

Calvin stopped in his tracks when he realized his friend was not following him. Among the lights, he only saw the back of a man walking away as Hector turned back to him. The person Hector bumped into was Dereck, who walked away, running his hand over his shirt where some of the drink had splashed.

The bad luck he had already left Dereck wondering if it had even been a good idea to go to that place. He was looking for distraction and fun, but he started off on the wrong foot. The doctor found a place to stay and began to observe the people in front of him a little.

Everyone seemed to be having fun; some were flirting, others were already kissing, and they all seemed aware that it probably wouldn't be more than a hot night, with no future problems and no complications.

"Is that what I should be doing? Falling in love and wanting something serious is more complicated than something casual."

Dereck took a sip of his drink. Thinking and talking about it might sound easy, but in practice he didn't know if he could lead a life of casual dating. He looked at his wrist and ran his hand over it, feeling the bracelet under the fabric of his shirt.

"I guess love is not for me. I didn't succeed with my first love or with the others. I just wanted to know where you are now, what kind of man you've become, if you're married with children. If I had spoken up, would you have accepted me?"

Dereck didn't know why he remembered his first love from high school, but it only made him more nostalgic, convincing him that this day was really sucking. At the bar, the two had just finished their drinks and were heading upstairs. Calvin was curious about something and started asking.

"Who was the man talking to you?"

"I ended up bumping into him and spilled some of his drink. I was just apologizing," he explained, shrugging.

As they climbed the stairs, some girls walked by and smiled at the two of them, making Hector very excited, unlike Calvin. He was still not in the mood, and unfortunately, he kept thinking about the whole thing with Frank. They reached a point where they could see the whole dance floor below, and Hector, realizing that he still looked down, started talking to him.

"Man, I called you to come here to have fun, not to walk around with that funeral face. Is Frank that good to leave you this bummed out? Look down there, there must be someone here for you."

Calvin sighed and tried to explain to his friend.

"It's not about being good in bed like you're thinking. I don't know if you'll understand, but I thought there was something going on besides sex, that he was liking me like I was letting myself get carried away by this feeling. It was frustrating, disappointing. I've had one-night stands, but we both knew it was just that, with no expectations, you know?"

"I get that you were falling for him, but are you going to let yourself get down about it? If you were just a one-night stand to him, treat him the same way and move on. Maybe you'll find someone who makes your heart flutter again. I'm still getting used to the fact that you like men, but I think that advice goes both ways."

Calvin smiled and took a sip of his drink, hearing his friend say that this was the smile he wanted to see on his face, not a sad expression. They stayed up there for a while, talking and dancing, and the tequila was already working its magic, leaving Calvin more relaxed.

At one point, he said he was going to the bathroom and went downstairs, leaving Hector alone. The club was more crowded now, and Calvin was walking past people, sometimes squeezing a little. Near the bathroom, in a darker corner, he saw a man who pushed another person and seemed to want to run away, but ended up bumping into him.

Calvin instinctively grabbed the man who bumped into him and looked at the other one who was coming right behind. Seeing Calvin's size and the way he was looked at, the man just walked away.

"Are you okay?" Calvin asked, pulling the man away a little.

Dereck lifted his head and tried to focus to see who had helped him, but he was very dizzy, and the flashing lights weren't helping much.

"I... I..."

Dereck couldn't speak, he put his hand over his mouth and tried to run to the bathroom, or he would end up throwing up right there and maybe even on top of the man who helped him. Calvin saw that he wasn't well and helped him, opening the door and guiding him to one of the stalls.

Calvin thought about leaving the man there and walking away, but he considered that the other man might come back and he didn't know what had happened. So, he used the bathroom and decided to wait a while. Even though he didn't know the man who was sick, his conscience wouldn't be clear if he left him alone in that state.

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