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Even though Dan was aware, the party would not be entertaining, he was not prepared for how boring it would be. Coworkers who never talked to him and his boss who always looked down on him, were interested in getting to know him. All because it was almost Christmas.
Too bad he had no interest in getting to know them. What was the point in attempting to be social just for one party, knowing everything would go back to normal the next time they saw each other at work?
Dan much preferred to sit at the bar and take advantage of the open bar that was being offered. As much wine as he wanted without having to pay a penny? Count him in. He would need all the wine they offered to get through the night.
He felt someone sit down next to him as he was finishing his second glass of wine. "Can I help you?" he asked, when he realised their stare was directed at him.
He turned to look at them and raised his eyebrows when he saw a man who seemed around his age. "I don't recall seeing you around at work."
The stranger ordered a glass of wine for himself and then turned to Dan. "I work in a different division than you," he explained. "I'm not a stalker, don't worry. I saw you talking to Mr. Morris and I don't work under him."
Just the mention of Mr. Morris made Dan wish he could drown himself in the glass of wine he was drinking.
The other guy noticed the pinched expression on his face and chuckled. "That bad? I was wondering why a guy like you was spending his time sitting at a bar instead of mingling. I'm Matt."
Dan was tempted to ignore him and carry on with his night until it would be acceptable for him to leave the party. Something stopped him. Matt didn't look half bad, and he didn't act like his coworkers. It wouldn't hurt to keep up the conversation.
"I'm Dan. I'm never up for mingling at parties like this. Too many fake smiles and conversation for my liking. Not to mention I hate half the people invited."
"I'm sorry work parties aren't very fun for you," Matt said, sounding genuinely sympathetic. "No one should feel like that at a Christmas party."
Dan saw Matt signal the barman and soon found himself with a whole bottle of red wine in front of him. "I can't drink all of it on my own Matt."
Matt just smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Who said you would drink it alone? I think it's time we have some fun at this party. So, what do you say? Are you in?"
Deep down, he knew it was a bad idea. As much as he hated everyone at the party, he knew how important it was to look presentable and make a good impression. Behaving unprofessionally could lose him his job.
That wasn't enough to deter him. He opened the wine bottle and poured two glasses. "Cheers," he said, holding up his glass and clinking it with Matt's.
"Cheers."
*
Dan's memories got blurry after him and Matt finished the first bottle of wine.
He wouldn't consider himself a light-weight, but a whole bottle of wine shared between just two people would get anyone a little tipsy.
"How about we get out of here?" Matt slurred when he noticed Dan swaying. "My place isn't too far from here, we can walk. I don't think we're in a state to be driving right now."
Dan nodded and got up to follow Matt. Even though the last hour of the party had gotten more interesting, he was still happy to get out of there.
Walking to Matt's place was easier said than done. Matt did not lie when he said his place wasn't far but Dan couldn't help but think they should have called a taxi anyways. They were too drunk to be walking outside on their own so late at night.
They made it to Matt's apartment with no major incidents, much to Dan's relief.
Dan knew what would happen tonight. Matt leading him to his bedroom instead of offering him his sofa made it clear. A thought at the back of his head kept nagging him that this was not something he usually did, but he was too drunk to think too much about it.
Matt kept him entertained during a boring party and that was good enough for Dan at the moment.
Dan pulled the other man in for a kiss as soon as he closed the bedroom door behind him and he let himself be led towards the bed. They both fell down when the back of his legs hit the bed.
"Are you sure about this?" Dan asked. He might have been drunk, but he still had the common decency to make sure they were on the same line.
A nod from Matt eased his worries. He made quick work of their shirts and then pulled him on top of him again.
Feeling Matt nibbling on his neck made him whimper in pleasure and Dan couldn't help but smile. This was setting up to be a great night.
*
Dan opened his eyes, only to close them again when he sensed the splitting headache. What had he gotten up to the previous night?
He got his answer when he dared to open his eyes again. Lying in the bed next to him, asleep, was a guy Dan could somewhat remember.
All he remembered about him was that he was at the same party Dan was invited to. They bonded over their mutual hate of polite small talk with bosses who hate them for most of the year unless it was around Christmas.
A quick look under the bedsheets confirmed what Dan was already suspecting. They were both stark naked. Maybe drinking almost two whole bottles of wine between them was not one of Dan's brightest ideas.
He needed to get out of there before his bed companion woke up.
Dan was never into one night stands. He liked sex, but he preferred it with someone he knew. He wanted to be with someone he cared about rather than with a complete stranger. At least he could remember the other guy introducing himself as Matt at the party.
This left Dan with no idea of how to behave. The thought of hanging around for long enough for Matt to wake up made him cringe. He was not in the mood to make awkward small talk while also ignoring the huge elephant in the room in the form of them having slept together.
Dan felt bad leaving without even a word of acknowledgement. Even though they did not know each other and Dan had no interest in this becoming anything more, it was a fun night. From what little he could remember, his conversation with Matt was nice, and the sex was also nothing he could complain about.
Dan was shaken out of his thoughts by Matt moving around and mumbling. It looked as if he was about to wake up and Dan shook himself out of his stupor to get out of bed and collect all his belongings.
He needed to get out of there as fast as possible. His wish to avoid any awkwardness beat his guilt feelings. As fun as the night with Matt was, he was determined to leave it at that.
He put on his underwear and trousers as soon as he was out of the bedroom. The rest of his clothes could wait until he was out of the apartment and away from the danger of Matt walking in on him making an escape.
Dan grabbed his phone and keys, then left.
He was not prepared to come face to face with a guy coming out of the opposite apartment, in the same state of undress as him.
They stared at each other, both unsure over the situation they found themselves in.
The other guy was only wearing his underwear which gave him away over what was going on. It seemed like Dan was not the only one doing the walk of shame on a Sunday morning. Dan couldn't help but feel better about himself, knowing he wasn't the only one.
The stranger was the first one to break the silence. "Sneaking out as well?" he said, a sheepish smile on his face.
That was all it took for Dan to burst out laughing. It was no longer as awkward as it had been. Maybe it was because the other guy broke the silence that surrounded them, or maybe because they realised how silly they both looked.
"Let's say it's been a strange day so far," Dan said with a shrug. "Judging by the fact that you're standing in the hallways wearing just your underwear, it's been strange for you too."
Phil seemed to remember his state of undress and blushed bright red. "Yeah, strange is one way of putting it," he said, putting his trousers on.
Dan wasn't sure why he was still hanging around. They were both standing out of apartments that were not their own after a one night stand and both were in various states of undress.
The smart thing to do would be to get properly dressed, say a quick goodbye and get out of there. Dan could then go home and think about all the wrong choices he made the night before while enjoying a hot mug of coffee.
Introducing himself to the stranger was not his plan, but he blurted it out before he thought too much about it. "I'm Dan," he said, holding his hand out to shake.
The other guy stared at Dan's hand like it would hit him. Dan couldn't blame him. It was not everyday that two half naked guys in a hallway stopped for a nice chat.
"Phil," he said, giving his hand a shake.
That’s when Dan heard the door open behind him.
He grabbed Phil's arm and pulled him along, ignoring his protests and questions. Dan only stopped walking once they were out of the apartment complex and he was sure no one was following them.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I didn't want to face him after what happened last night.
Phil shook his head, but a smile was present on his face. "Don't worry, I would have done the same thing in your place. There's a reason I walked out of the apartment even though I was half naked."
Phil kept looking at him while biting his lip. “That little run got me in the mood for coffee. Do you maybe want to get a coffee with me?”
Dan should say no. He should say no and leave but, he couldn't lie. Phil was good looking; he was great looking. It helped that he was getting a lovely view of his naked chest.
"Sure, I could use a coffee," he settled for. "As long as you put a shirt on. I'm enjoying the view, but none of the coffee shops will allow us in dressed like this."
Dan couldn't help but smirk when he saw the bashful look on Phil's face.
They both put shirts on, trying to ignore how weird the whole situation was.
"I know a place that makes great coffee not far away from here. We could walk to it," Phil offered.
Dan nodded, and they walked to the coffee shop together, talking about harmless subjects along the way.
"If you think you can beat me at Mario Kart, then you're more delusional than I thought. I'm a champion at Mario Kart," he said, feeling confident. Mario Kart was one of the video games he was genuinely good at.
"You might be a champion at playing Mario Kart but I'm a champion at winning when you least expect it. I've won quite a few bets that way. Care to try?"
Dan wasn't one to back away from a challenge. He didn't know if he would even see Phil again after today but it didn't matter. "You're on," he said, with a grin. "But prepare to lose."
Their conversation kept going on in a similar manner and Dan found out they shared a lot of similar hobbies and tastes. They were thrilled to learn they were both avid anime viewers. The coffee shop came into view just as they were discussing their favourite anime.
They both ordered a coffee to get warm and a pastry, having missed breakfast, then found an empty table to sit at.
"Do you often share stories with strangers of how people at school used to call you 'Hamster Breeder'?" he asked, unable to keep himself from chuckling with amusement.
Phil shook his head and pretended to be offended but it was obvious he was just as amused. "I don't think we can be strangers anymore. People don't share a walk of shame without becoming at least friends."
Dan was never self-assured but, for once, he bit the bullet. "An experience like we shared calls for a little more than just friends, don’t you think?"
Phil smiled and shrugged. "Well, let’s say if things keep going well, you won't need to do the walk of shame next Sunday. You'd be more than welcome to hang around for breakfast at my place."