Closed Speed of Sound

Colin Michaels

Playwright | Publisher
 
Messages
79
OOC First Name
Anna
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Relationship Status
Married
Sexual Orientation
Gay
Age
59
Stepping into a building that was over a thousand years old was enchanting to say the least, and despite visiting Westminster Abbey many times in the past, Colin never tired of it. The heavy air resonated with memories of lives lived hundreds of years before his own and in many ways, both inspired and reminded Colin how insignificant he was. Being faced with history that helped shape the world as he knew it, and years of other people standing in the exact same spot, it was difficult to feel anything else. Though it was this feeling in particular Colin had been searching for, the exact mood he wanted to depict in his writing but was unable to amidst the distraction of well, everything. Between his separation with Eva, helping Winnie adjust to a new life and a new school, and his new job as a librarian it was near impossible to find enough time nor inspiration to write as often as he used to. But in visiting one of the landmarks he loved, Colin felt inspiration returning to him and was pleased to put everything happening in his life aside to prioritize his writing, even if it meant weaving through crowds of noisy tourists. With his notebook in hand he scribbled down words, ideas of how he felt and why, intending for this to be his guidelines for the perspective of his characters as they faced their inevitable destiny. The longer he spent taking in the atmosphere, the more he felt the ideas he was working on make sense, forming an arc and filling in the narrative he was previously hindered by. Now all the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together, his ideas finally feeling complete after months of distractions.​

Colin, satisfied by his visit to the Abbey, soon made his way out of the building and descended the steps quickly, intending to find a place to sit down sort through the many notes he had written. Navigating the crowds of tourists taking photos while reading through his notebook was difficult, especially with Colin only half paying attention to what was around him, but he luckily managed to get through the worst of it, finally reaching a clear space on the sidewalk. With the chance to stop and breathe, Colin exhaled and glanced up from his notebook to his surroundings, hoping a cafe or so much as a free bench was nearby.​
 
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James was nowhere near where he had expected to be in life. He was a twin without a twin, raising three children and rocking the bachelor life. He had tried unsuccessfully to fill the void in his life on more than one occasion. But Heath had ghosted him upon learning of James's responsibilities. And the date with Angel, well, it just hadn't been magical enough to lead to a second. And as much as James yearned to find someone else to share his life with, he was content to be on his own. So, with the twins back at school, it was off to work again. His sister in law was a life saver. She had taken Jodie for the summer, allowing the boy stability that traveling with James didn't allow.

That was how James found himself in London yet again. He had been throughout the city most of the day, checking out different locations and stopping to eat early that morning. He had just arrived near Westminster Abbey and raised his camera when he caught a familiar figure through the lens that made his heart stop. James lowered the camera, eyes wide. "Colin?" He questioned. It had taken him months to shake the man from his mind. He was married, after all. Yet here he was, ready to tease James yet again with his charming good looks and sweet demeanor.
 
Amidst the busy crowds there wasn’t an empty bench in sight, and Colin knew looking to the nearby buildings would be futile. He stared down at his watch to realize the time was reaching noon and any cafe would soon be at capacity if they weren’t already. As quickly as he left the crowd, Colin turned back around, wondering if returning in the direction he came from would mean finding a quiet spot to organize his notes, and whether dealing with the tourists all over again was worth the fuss. But it was as his eyes fell on a familiar person holding a camera that he stopped dead in his tracks. Colin’s mind went blank, and he froze up, clutching his notebook tighter in his hands at the shock of seeing James again. He remembered meeting the man in New Zealand, and since that night had never forgotten being overwhelmed with a million thoughts at once as they spoke. It felt like a lifetime ago, and metaphorically it had been a lifetime. Colin was married then, and in the closet, desperately and nervously trying to silence the thoughts in his mind and cover them up as James with all his charisma, told him about his life. Meeting an attractive photographer that seemed so carefree and cheerful had been stressful for Colin at the time, reminding him of the life he didn’t have. However, at the same time it reminded Colin of the life he could have been living, the life that he presently was trying to live. Unintentionally, it might have been a factor in Colin’s coming out whether he admitted it or not.​

Now with the same man in front of him Colin wasn’t sure what to do. Without the barrier of marriage to hide behind nor the fact he wasn’t out of the closet, as his life was now irrevocably different, Colin wasn’t sure of anything. He felt his heart beat faster, and eventually, loosened the grip on his notebook. Raising one of his hands, Colin waved James over. Not knowing whether James was just as stunned as he was, Colin settled for being polite. For the life of him, he couldn't think of anything else.​
 
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James couldn't help the grin as the man almost instantly waved him over. James ducked and dodged his way through the crowd, before finally coming to a stop near the other man. "Hello, Colin!" He laughed breathlessly, running a hand through his tousled hair and giving him a warm smile. "Fancy seeing you here." James jumped as a large group of tourists came bustling by, knocking into him and nearly knocking him into the other man. James unthinkingly put a hand on Colin's arm to steady himself, looking around as the crowd seemed to grow larger and the space around them grew smaller. "Colin, I'd love to catch up with my favorite author, but maybe not here. I know a good spot to eat, would you come with me?" He turned and murmured into the man's ear. The close proximity set his heart racing, and he wanted to step away from the man he couldn't have. He just didn't have the room for it.
 
As if the situation couldn’t become more overwhelming in both its unexpectedness and Colin’s inability to deal with it, James was as charismatic as he had always been, seemingly unfazed they had run into each other. It reminded Colin how much he still wished he could be so carefree, and able walk through life confidently, living in the moment and most notably being happy. He wasn't as close to being carefree as he wanted, and instead kept overthinking every detail, unsure of what to do after such an unexpected run in and whether he should do anything at all. Clearly Colin wasn’t anywhere near the end of his journey to free himself of the burdens he was working so hard to overcome as he once thought he was. With so much stress weighing him down, Colin was sure he would be boring company, and that James had better ways to spend time in the bustling city of London than speaking to him for longer than a few minutes. James was a traveling photographer after all, with a schedule that was likely busy and considerably more exciting than Colin’s life would ever be.​
He nodded and smiled at James as he spoke, trying to seem less out of place and scatter brained than he felt and reassuring himself this run in was likely the least exciting part of James’ day, something the man would forget if Colin did anything to embarrass himself. “It’s definitely unexpected, I hope you’re doing well.” Colin greeted as he tried to think of a subject to make small talk about that wouldn’t be too boring for James, but before he could continue speaking the crowds had made their way over, taking up space and pushing he and James closer together. The breathing space Colin once had was now occupied and he couldn’t have tried to catch his breath if he wanted to, feeling his hands clutch his notebook all over again. When James mentioned getting away from the busy street he agreed instantly, needing an out from how overwhelmed be felt by the entire situation, and feeling as if some food would give him a chance to piece his mind back together. “I’d love to get out of here, there’s far too many people.” He said, already trying to step away from the crowds of people moving around them.​
 
James couldn't help the grin that overcame him as Colin agreed. Without a thought, James reached down and grabbed the mans hand, pulling him along as he dashed off through the crowd. He kept a firm grip on Colin's hand, intertwining their fingers, praying both that they weren't separated and that Colin couldn't feel the pounding of his heart. James felt like a kid again as he dashed through the crowd. Once they broke through, he continued to dash away down the street and to a nearby alley, skidding to a halt and laughing breathlessly as they came upon his motorcycle. He slowed a bit. With an ear-splitting grin, he threw his leg over the bike and took a seat, turning to see if he had lost Colin or if the man had managed to stay with him as he ran. James hadn't felt himself lose the man's hand, but in crowds like these, it was easy to be separated.
 
Colin allowed James to take his hand and lead him through the crowd, thankful for the chance to compose himself again. He kept his gaze on the ground and stayed silent after that, simply placing one foot in front of the other and walking in the direction James led him. For a moment he worried about their fingers being intertwined and fear suddenly replaced the shock that previously overtook him. With so many strangers around, and the strangers around him specifically able to see the fact he was holding hands with another man he felt as if he was being judged, and that avoiding judgement was impossible in such close proximity. It would have caused him to let go of James’ hand and find his own way out of the crowd thinking he would find James again later on, but in the moment he tried his best to squash his instinct to hide and keep down the fear, knowing if he resorted to old habits he would lose all he was working for. He reminded himself worrying what strangers thought was wasted energy, pointless when he wasn’t a mind reader and he likely wouldn’t see them ever again. Still some of the nerves remained despite his best efforts, and Colin did not realize he was holding his breath until he and James left the crowd and he finally exhaled.​
Colin felt a sense of calm again and let go of James’ hand, not wanting the other man to notice how sweaty his palms were in the midst of his worries. He tried to keep breathing normally and seem significantly more put together than he felt, a harder feat he realised when James had led him to a motorcycle. In one way it was akin to the rest of Colin’s day in being unexpected, but in another way it entirely made sense to him. James did seem the type to ride a motorcycle, with a level of nonchalance to how dangerous it was. Feeling nervous all over again, he looked at the vehicle about to ask if there was any safety gear for it, but before he even asked James had already handed him a helmet. Colin, trying his best to embrace the spontaneity of riding into the distance on a motorcycle with someone he barely knew, placed the helmet on his head and kept his notebook clutched close to his chest as he sat down behind James and closed his eyes, waiting for the motorcycle to start up.​
 
James felt a little thrill as Colin climbed onto the motorcycle behind him, but tried to ignore it. He's married, James. Behave yourself. He started the bike and carefully set out, going a touch slower than he usually did in an attempt to help Colin feel safe. It wasn't long before they reached the cafe. James was a little sad the ride was over so soon. Fifteen minutes of the wind in his hair, the sun on his face, and a sexy man on the back of his bike? The fates were so cruel to him sometimes.

Still, he did get to have lunch with the man. He waited for Colin to get off before hopping off himself. He smiled at the man, gesturing for him to lead the way to a table of his choice. Once they'd been seated and gotten their drinks, James turned to the man, propping his chin in his hand and giving him a sly grin. "So, Colin. Of all the places I didn't expect to see you. What brings you to this part of the world?"
 

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