Chapter Text
Keith quietly left the girl’s dorm room, careful not to wake her up. As he walked down the dimly lit hallway, he realised that something was missing. There had been nothing that made him want to stay. She hadn’t seemed particularly eager to see him again either. And the sex... it didn't feel any good.
The sun had just set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, gradually fading into the deep blue of night. Keith stuffed his hands into his pockets and began the walk back to his house. The city was alive. Cars were honking, people were laughing, and the distant hum of music from nearby bars was reaching Keith's ears.
As he strolled down the street, his eyes wandered to the windows of various shops. Colorful leaflets and posters adorned the glass, advertising local events and music shows. He paused in front of one particularly vibrant flyer announcing an upcoming indie concert at a nearby venue. He made a mental note to check it out later. There were tons of chicks at those kind of events.
He passed by a small park where a group of kids were playing. It brought a faint smile to his face, seeing those tiny people having fun like that. Maybe that was the answer. Maybe all he needed was a movie night with the guys.
Finally, Keith reached the mini-market on the corner of his street. The bell chimed as he pushed open the door. He made his way to the snack aisle, scanning the shelves for his favorite brand of popcorn.
With the popcorn in hand, he made his way to the checkout counter. The cashier, a friendly older woman, greeted him with a smile. "Evening, my boy. Movie night again?"
"Yeah," he replied with a grin, handing her the money.
She laughed. "Well, enjoy your movie. Hope it’s a good one."
"Thanks and goodnight," he said, taking his change and the popcorn.
The walk from the mini-market to his house was short, and as he approached his front door, he took a moment to appreciate the quietness of the street. He liked living in this neighborhood.
Stepping inside, Keith realised the house was empty. Dax and Lo were out with friends, and Andres was still at work. So, it wasn't going to be movie night with the guys.
The thought of using this rare quiet evening to study for his upcoming History of Art exam crossed his mind. He usually studied at the library because Dax and Lo were very loud, and he enjoyed flirting with the nerdy girls there, even though he never actually asked any of them out. The quiet of the house seemed like a perfect opportunity.
Keith went to his room and pulled out his textbooks and notes. He spread them out on the kitchen table, which was less cluttered than the living room. For the next couple of hours, he immersed himself in Renaissance art, trying to remember dates, artists, and significant works.
After a while, though, his mind started to wander. He sighed and decided to take a break.
He grabbed the bag of popcorn from the kitchen and set it in the microwave. As the kernels began popping, he looked around the living room, noting the familiar chaos. Dax’s textbooks were scattered on the coffee table, and Lo’s collection of quirky mugs cluttered the kitchen counter.
With the popcorn ready, Keith settled onto the couch with his laptop, ready to dive into his movie. He hoped it would be enough to distract him from the nagging thoughts about his lackluster hookup. The film began and he let himself get lost in the story.
As he watched, his phone started buzzing next to him. Keith glanced at his phone. The screen illuminated with "Andy". Keith immediately paused the movie and picked up the call.
"I am Mr. Morkve's personal assistant. I am now forwarding the call to him," he answered in a mock-serious tone, teasing his friend.
"Keith, SOS! I need you to log in to my laptop and send my new CV to my email. It's named 'CV new'. The pdf is located at the top left corner of the desktop. Quick!" Andres' voice was urgent, almost panicked.
"Oh... okay, wait." Keith got up and headed to Andres' room.
"The code is giovannisroom ," said Andres. The urgency in his voice made it clear this was important. Keith knew that Andres was desperately trying to find a job.
"I’m in. Oh, here it is. I am sending it. And... what the hell is giovannisroom?" Keith laughed as he logged into his university email to send the file to his friend.
"It's a gay thing. I'll explain when I get home. Cross your fingers for me to get this job!" Andres replied, a bit of hope breaking through his stress before hanging up.
Keith chuckled and was about to shut down the laptop. But as he glanced at the desktop again, he couldn't help but notice the chaos. Files and photos were strewn everywhere in no particular order. "Oh my god, the fucking mess on this guy's laptop!" he mumbled to himself.
Deciding to do a good deed, he began creating folders and organizing the files thematically. As he was sorting through the digital clutter, a folder named "jjboys_incubus" caught his eye. "The fuck is that?" he muttered.
He looked at it again, moving the cursor over the file.
"Nah... It's probably nothing. Maybe some kinky gay shit he’s into..."
The cursor hovered over the file and the file properties appeared. "Wait, why is it 64 GB?" Keith laughed "What the fuck has this guy been hoarding?"
Keith's curiosity got the better of him, and he clicked on the folder. He was expecting downloads of porn videos but it contained numerous files in MP3 format. The files were named "dual00013", "mono00014", "echo00025", "test00022", "rp00056", "premium00043" and other coded names.
"Is he making music or something?" Keith exclaimed.
He clicked on one of the files, letting it play.
And it did.
"What the..." he whispered.