Hunter sat in the middle of Progress, feeling the ghost of his old self still go-go dancing in what used to be Cocktail. Almost a full year had sped by since he'd danced his last here. So much had changed: the bar was full of life and invigoration. Progress lived up to its name. Hunter just wished that he'd changed along with it.
"Hunter Storm?" Hunter turned to look to find the mystery voice. It was
Calvin, his childhood crush from back home.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Hunter asked, his voice heavy with eight pints and six shots of whiskey.
"Well it's good to see you too!" Calvin joked, laughing with cornfed charm. "I really wanted to come up for the Fourth but I had to work, so I just figured I'd take a couple of days off in the middle of the week."
"Fun."
"You said to look you up if I ever passed through, but you never left me your number."
Hunter chugged his ninth pint and flung his arms open. "You found me."
"How've you been? I haven't seen you since your dad died."
"Oh you know. The usual."
"What's the usual?"
Hunter downed another shot. "You just said it. People dying on me. I get banned from the funeral. You know... the usual."
Calvin put his hand on Hunter's knee. "I am so sorry."
Hunter grabbed Calvin's hand and guided it to his cock. "Wanna help cheer me up?"
Calvin blushed. "Hunter, I've... I've got a boyfriend."
"So bring him along."
"It's not like that... "
"Then fuck you then," Hunter said, trying to track down the bartender.
"I know you don't mean that," Calvin sighed. "It was good to see you, Hunter. I hope that... I hope that you heal."
"Whatever," Hunter scoffed, downing his tenth pint as Calvin walked off to find his boyfriend. "Whatever."
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