“I need a favour,” says Evans. “I need you to invite Ray to the party.”

“He’s part of the team. He already has a standing invite,” Gerald replies with a raised eyebrow.

“Fine. Then I need you to convince him to come.” Evans isn’t above begging. Not when it comes to people who may or may not be his soulmate. “Please.” He just needs to see him again. Respectfully. “I’ll be the designated photographer or team photographer for events. I’ll do it for free even!”

“Fine.” Gerald rolls his eyes. “I’ll ask. No promises though. You still have to be our photographer during meets even if doesn’t show up. And if he does show up, do not pressure him into anything.” Gerald meets Evans’ eyes. “I mean it.”

It’s unusual to see Gerald like this. “Overprotective much?” Evans asks. He really hopes it’s not because Gerald has a thing for Ray too. 

Gerald shrugs. “If you meet him, you’ll get it. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

~

Even Gerald is surprised when Ray says yes. He had not needed much convincing, which Gerald was wholly prepared to attempt once or twice for Evans’ sake. Ray had not needed convincing at all. 

“Not that I don’t want you to come…I just thought I’d have to fight you a little on it?” he says.

“Why? You said it wasn’t a pool party.” Ray looks up from his laptop. They were in the middle of one of their weekly study sessions and Gerald was fiddling with the red pen he’d used to take notes. 

“It’s not.” Gerald blinks. “Wait, you don’t go to our parties because there’s a pool? Oh shit, really?”

Ray nodded. He didn’t want the social pressure of dressing appropriately for a pool party. 

“Is it because of…the time I did the thing?” Gerald asks awkwardly. 

“Yes and no,” he answers, closing the tab he no longer needed. “I can’t dress like I’m going to a pool party, so I don’t go. Anymore.” 

“Oh.” Gerald turns back to his textbook. It’s quiet for a handful of minutes. “You can wear whatever you want,” he says belatedly. 

Ray huffs in amusement. “I know. Thanks.”

The not-pool party is on a Friday, the week of final coursework submissions. Ray is pretty satisfied with the quality of his projects; the past few weeks were blissfully pain-free from old injuries, and it’s left him in a lighter mood than usual. It’s partly why he felt up for some social interaction. And because he wants to see Evans again, possibly override their first impressions of each other with a better second one.

It’s a different place, this party. A house with no pool. People are already mingling with red, plastic cups of cheap booze in hand. Ray is one of the few in long sleeves out on this warm night, but he’s not the only one and he would hardly stand out from this crowd. It’s one thing that allows him a small sigh of relief. 

He finds Gerald and waves to their other friends before slipping away to get a drink and some privacy. If Evans were here and wanted to speak with him, Ray didn’t want to do it near Gerald whose protective tendencies would only interfere tonight. 

The spiked punch is mostly sweet and faintly bitter with alcohol. Ray doesn’t drink too much. He’s not a fan and with his chronic pain, it’s a slippery slope to alcoholism. He holds on to the cup as he wanders out into the backyard. It’s warmer outdoors and thus less crowded. Ray finds a small space against the fence; the bamboo stalks create a little corner that’s spacious for one and cosy for two. Ray parks himself there and watches the party. No one is looking for him, so no one sees him.

Somewhere deep inside the house, Evans silently curses the crush of bodies around him. He had shown up with his camera, ready to take photos. But once Gerald had informed that Ray had agreed to come, Evans’ eyes had strayed endlessly to the front door. He had still missed Ray’s entrance but caught sight of the man talking to Gerald, so Evans hurriedly finished up with the girls asking for group photos and squeezed his way to Gerald—where Ray no longer was. 

“Hey,” he says in greeting, trying to subtly look around for the smaller man. 

Gerald rolls his eyes. “He went to get a drink.”

Blushing at being called out, Evans makes finger guns at his best friend. “Right. Thanks.” 

Evans finds the man he’s looking for when he goes to the back of the house. It’s emptier here—and honestly, he should have just started looking here. He finds Ray leaning against the fence, half-hidden by towering bamboos and watching people dance and laugh to the music’s deep bass. He looks simultaneously at peace and lonely. Evans’ fingers itch to immortalise this view and he fumbles with the camera around his neck trying to snap a few shots before Ray notices him. When he looks up from fiddling with the settings on his camera, Ray is watching him. For a second, Evans feels shy. He approaches with an open smile.

“Hi,” says Evans. 

“Hi,” Rays returns evenly, though his heart represents the antonym of ‘even’. He hides behind a sip of punch.

“Not your scene?” Evans remarks lightly. 

Ray smiles wistfully. “Not really, but Gerald asked. Thought I’d throw him a bone this time.”

Evans laughs. “Cool, well, before you think I’m weird, I thought you should know I’m the swim team’s designated photographer. Just in case you see me around.”

“I didn’t know we had one.” Ray had never seen Evans around before that day in the locker room. 

Evans shrugs with a smile. “I owe someone a favour.”

“Can I see the photos you’ve taken?” Ray asks, gesturing at the camera in Evans’ hands.

“Of course,” Evans lets Ray take the camera from around his neck with an enthusiasm he’ll be embarrassed about later. Ray shifts and Evans moves into the other half of the tiny nook. This close, he can see that Ray is half a head shorter than he is. There’s a tightening in his belly. The feeling is, as of yet, unidentifiable, but Evans can’t say he dislikes it.

It’s a special kind of torture to let someone look through his gallery before he’d done any touch-ups, but Ray is nothing if not sweet in his perusing. He swipes through the pictures and makes quiet but genuinely appreciative comments on the ones that catch his attention. The night air makes Evans’ face heat up. He wishes he had a drink.

“Is that me?” asks Ray. 

Evans peers over Ray’s shoulder at the screen. “Yeah,” he says. 

Ray is quiet as he flicks through the series of shots. “I look sad,” he says eventually. 

“You look lonely,” Evans says softly. 

“Is that why you came over?” Ray touches the screen with a thumb. He doesn’t look at Evans. 

Evans exhales. “No. I wanted to talk to you.” Ray looks up and Evans meets the depth of his dark eyes. “Gerald is one of my best friends. And I like getting to know his other friends too,” he adds when Ray looks away first. “I need a drink. Can I get you another?” he asks when it becomes apparent that Ray isn’t done analysing the contents of his camera. 

Ray nods. “Yes, please. Thank you.” 

He leaves. The night is unusually balmy tonight. It made him sweaty, standing close to Ray. Evans needed that drink. 

~

Ray is in the middle of deciding how to feel about his photos when Gerald comes over. “Having fun?”

He nods. The night has been more entertaining than he’d expected. 

“Is that Evan’s camera?”

Ray nods again. 

“Did he do anything weird?” Gerald asks faux-nonchalantly. He’s incredibly unsubtle.

“Define weird,” Ray says with a roll of eyes. 

Caught off guard, Gerald stutters. “Um. I don’t know. Is he making you uncomfortable?”

Ray sighs. “Gerald, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I know you think I’m some fragile thing that needs to be protected sometimes because you feel guilty or whatever, but I’m not. I forgave you because you’re trying to do better. So, back off a little and let me have other friends, okay?” It’s the most amount of words he’s said all evening, but it feels cathartic.

Gerald’s eyes are wide with surprise. “Right,” he says sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Is there a problem?” Evans asks from behind with raised eyebrows and two drinks in hand. He looks to Ray.

Ray shakes his head. “We were just talking,” he says simply. “Gerald was just leaving.”

Evans watches as his friend waves and goes. “Did he say something?” he asks curiously.

Another shake of the head. “He’s just being overbearing. Thinks I’m too sensitive.”

“Are you?” 

Ray smiles amusedly. “Sometimes. But not tonight.”

The night ends with an exchange of contacts and social media handles. Ray’s is bare, except for a handful of scenic views. Evans’ is full of street photography and some artistic-looking shots of himself and his friends. He has a few thousand followers too.

Evans texts first, with the downloaded photos he’d taken of Ray at the party. It sparks a friendly, non-committal conversation that culminates in Ray inviting him to study in his apartment off-campus. He is a little disappointed when he finds out that Gerald already had a standing invite too. But he’ll take it. It’s the only time he gets to see Ray anyway.