Who to Call for Help

Eden and the man walked out of the storage room, holding hands. The man had asked him if he could hold his hand back in the storage room and Eden was too dazed out to say no.

Not that he minded walking like that, except for the single worry he had that the man would be able to hear his heartbeat drumming against his chest while he tried to process what was happening.

Why would he ask to walk holding hands all of a sudden? Does he not like crowds? Well, I can't blame him for that. I know many people like that, hopefully, it isn't too bad.

Eden would check back on the man every now and then, making sure he is not having some kind of panic attack as they walked. Though he seems to be doing so much better now as compared to before, making Eden sigh with relief.

"Hey, we are going-" Eden tried to get the man's attention but he did not look like he could hear him, no matter how loud Eden shouted above the music.

Sighing, he lightly scratched the man's hand, instantly getting his attention. But before Eden could say anything, he watched as a blush crept up the man's face before he quickly covered his face with his free hand.

Quickly facing forward, Eden sucked in a breath, walking faster through the crowd.

What the hell was that?!? That was so damn cute!!

And just like that, the two walked in silence, music booming around them as the sound of laughter came from everyone in the large room, Eden leading the way until they finally reached their destination. The bar.

"There you are," Doris said, as Eden and the man approached her. "I was wondering where you disappeared to." 

"Sorry," Eden said, turning to the man who was staring at Doris intently and then him. "This is the man as you can see, he is without a shirt and we kind of badly need one."

Doris looked at the man up and down as a smile came on her face, "Well, come with me. I may have something for you to wear."

The man nodded at her in a way of saying thank you and Doris nodded back, the two coming to an unspoken agreement, making Eden feel immediately left out.

What is this? Why do I feel threatened for some reason?? Whatever.

___________________

"I am happy that, of everyone you could call, you called me," Doris said, leading them up the stairs and into a tidy single bedroom.

There is one table at the corner of the room beside a large bed filled with hundreds of red pillows of every shape and size on it. Fairy lights decorated every inch of the walls along with several plants.

Doris walked to the wall lined with wood and opened it to reveal hundreds of dresses and clothes on the shelves and hangers.

"But for this situation, I wondered why you called me." She said, looking at the man, confusion written all over her face.

"I really am sorry, Doris," Eden said, clasping his hands together. "We are in a bit of a hurry and I am a hundred per cent sure the others are too drunk to even understand a word I say."

The man cautiously walked into the room, and stood in the middle of it awkwardly, unsure of what is happening or what he should be doing.

"You are not wrong about that." She chuckled, turning to the man and measuring their heights and his body mass. "He is taller than me and slightly more built. I don't know if there is anything he can wear."

"I am entrusting this to you, Doris," Eden said, flopping on the bed. "You have always gotten me out of trouble."

"Uh huh." She raised an eyebrow at the man before going back into the closet. "Sure. And that is why you keep coming to me, tail between your legs."

"I'll pay you back, I promise."

"I will take you up on that then." She said, grinning at Eden before pulling out a couple of clothes and laying them on the bed. Turning to the man she asked, "What's your name, dear?"

"Noel." The man pressed his phone to speak, confusing Doris before she brushed it off.

"Noel. Then you can try any of these shirts." She pointed to the pile on the bed. "I chose the ones that might fit you. But you will have to try them first."

"I'll help," Eden said a little too enthusiastically and began rummaging through her clothes.

"Thank you." The man said as Doris passed him, flopping onto her chair.

"Don't thank me just yet." She said dismissively. "We need to see if any of those fit you. Man, if only I knew something like this was going to happen, I would have saved some of my post-surgery clothes."

"Those incredible baggy clothes?" Eden asked, holding up a black, sheer shirt to Noel who shook his head disapprovingly.

"Yeah. They helped to hide so many of my insecurities." She said, smiling at Noel. "Well, I did my surgery and I finally feel confident enough to wear tighter fitted clothes."

"I'm glad," Eden said, holding up a string shirt that was just purely string at this point, earning a disapproving look from Noel before putting it back.

"Is that why most of your clothes are … so unique?" Noel asked, through the generated voice.

"I apologise, I didn't think anyone would borrow my clothes except the girls here. Oh, wait." She said, digging through her closet again. "It must be somewhere here."

"Most of these will look good on you," Eden said, holding up a lace, tight fitted black top, annoyed. "You just don't have the guts to wear them."

"Yes, I don't," Noel said honestly, turning away from an agitated Eden.

"Here it is!" Doris shouted, holding something red in her hands and gave it to Noel. "Try it on."

Defeated, Eden laid back on the bed, Doris joining him, "You sound down."

"I am not." He said, rolling his eyes at her, holding up the black lace top. "I am just thinking, someone as pretty as him would look so good in something like this."

"You are ridiculous." She laughed, taking the top from him and tuning to Noel. "Well, you shouldn't be too disappointed yet."

"Hmm?" Eden sat up and stared at Noel, eyes widening when he saw the man in a red cropped hoodie before giving Doris a thumbs up that she mirrored.

"How do you feel?" Eden asked, walking to him. "If it's uncomfortable, you don't have to wear it. I got to see it once and that is enough."

"I don't mi- what was that last sentence?" Noel looked at him, raising a judgmental eyebrow at him.

"Nothing," Eden said quickly. "So you like it? Great. Thank you so much for your help, Doris. Let's get going."

Noel didn't have the chance to say anything to Doris other than a nod as Eden pulled him out of the room, Doris laughing all the while.

_____________________

The two walked through the ever growing crowds, still holding hands but not saying a word to each other. It was not long before someone bumped into Eden and fell on the ground, struggling to stand up.

Noel looked Eden over and tilted his head to the side, almost as though he was asking if he was ok but all Eden saw was someone trying to act cute and succeeding. So, he gave him a thumbs up for a job well done.

While Noel seemed to take that as Eden saying that he was fine and nodded approvingly, about to walk again when he felt a hand around his waist.

Turning to his right, was a very, very drink man, snaking his arms around Noel's exposed waist even tighter after looking at his face, a sleazy smile coming on his face.

"You're pretty. What's your name?" He asked, leaning close enough that Noel could smell the alcohol in his breath.

Eden stared at the drunk man with wide eyes, hands balled into fists as he got ready to punch him. Not that it was something he had to worry about as Noel, the man whose hand he was holding kicked the drunk guy across the face, leg seeming to reach the skies.

Wow. Flexibility. Eden thought, holding up a 10/10 card up in his mind as lights surrounded Noel along with cheers and flower petals falling from the sky.

Feeling a tug, Eden was pulled out of his daydream by the man in front of him, dragging him out of the crowd to a corner of the club where there were not many people anymore.

"What was that?!" Eden asked, looking at Noel with sparkles in his eyes as he tried to replicate what he just did, failing miserably and falling to the ground. "I have never seen such elegance. Such grace. Especially when knocking someone out!"

The man looked at him blankly for a second before bursting into a laugh, stopping Eden in his tracks as he stared at Noel, laughing with his hand over his top lip.

The same lips that tasted like blueberries.

Licking his own lips, Eden shook his head. "What are you laughing about?"

Noel shook his head, wiping the tears from his eyes, while taking out his phone from his pocket and began typing.

"You are quite different from what I thought you would be." The voice said, a smile coming on the man's face. "I apologise for my behaviour earlier."

"Hey, that's no problem," Eden said, grinning at him. "If I am different than what you suspect then … can we start over? I'll start. Pleasure meeting you, I am Eden Maschera."

Taking his outstretched hand in his, Noel pressed something on his phone and smiled at him. "I am Noel Sasin. Nice to meet you too."