[center][h3][color=black][u]Niles[/u][/color][/h3]


Niles hated the lounges in these sorts of places even if he often used them to duck away and escape the public eye for an hour or so. The allure of the VIP lounge was lost as soon as you were allowed in. The appeal was always the mystery of what went on behind the velvet rope and the regular sorts who would never be allowed up did like to make up little stories. They were always so obscene in nature; at the seedier night clubs the VIP lounges always had the nasty rumor of being a place where wealthy and famous people went to...unwind in whatever fashion that meant. But Niles knew the truth. All the lounges were were places where the music wasn't loud, there were actually places to sit, and the snacks were complimentary. 

He arrived before Zac did and took a seat in the black lounge chair, sinking into it - they WERE quite comfortable all things considered - and sighing. He couldn't...didn't understand why Zac had come to a place like this. Niles had meant it when he said Zac didn't belong here, in this world, in this club...though perhaps he was projecting the image he had of his former friend. Once a child in Niles' mind, always a child. Time had passed. Time changes things. People change along with time. But even as he saw Zac now grown up...he still didn't believe Zac had belonged here. Was it an act? It had to have been; the guy ordered a shot, there were two reasons to order a shot: to celebrate something or to get a quick jolt of liquid courage.

Niles doubted that Zac was here to celebrate anything.

When Zac made his way upstairs, Niles paid closer attention for any obvious tells. The eyes that stared back at him flashed back to the softer side that Niles was more familiar with, the awkward pauses in his speech, the scratching of his hair, the sudden backing down...Niles was right. Zac didn't want to be here. Zac wanted to leave and Niles couldn't exactly blame him. 

[color=black]"Well which is it?"[/color] Niles replied back, his voice not wavering in the slightest, [color=black]"You're going to email me but you don't know my email address? You wanted to talk but now you don't? You haven't heard what I've been up to but you know I'm doing well? Stop that. There's nothing more annoying than someone who doesn't know what they want."[/color] Niles didn't seem to care that his words could very well come off as rude, he had adopted the same tone he would've used against a director of an episode who didn't know what lens to use or how to shoot a scene.

[color=black]"You wanted to talk to me for some reason. So do it. Talk. Talk or walk, doesn't matter to me."[/color] One way or another, Niles wanted to get to the end of this trip down memory lane.[/center]