Cameron

I woke up with a headache and a hangover. Before I even opened my eyes, I was telling myself that I was never going to drink again. It took me a minute to remember the cause of last night’s bender and then I sighed to myself. My eyes were still closed and I knew that there was no way that I was going to be able to hold to that promise, not when I was already feeling like drinking again.

“Good morning Cameron. I was wondering when you were going to get up.”

The voice made me jump a little and I couldn’t believe who it was that I was hearing. I pressed my eyes closed tighter, wondering if this was just some kind of dream, but I was sure that it wasn’t. I could actually feel the heat from the man lying next to me. What in the world was he doing here?

“Morning Joel. What are you doing in my bed?”

“You begged me not to leave you last night, so I didn’t.”

I groaned loudly and turned away from the man. “Did we…?” I couldn’t even say it out loud. How drunk was I last night? I don’t remember anything but him carrying me up the stairs. I certainly don’t remember asking or begging him to stay. It had me worried that I had missed other things as well.

“We didn’t Cameron. I would never take advantage of you in that way. You were too drunk to remember it and when we are together, I want to make sure that you never forget me.”

I opened my eyes, but I still wasn’t really ready to look at him. I don’t think he realized how scared I was with the thought of waking up with a man next to me. It mattered that it was him, but it cemented the fact that I wasn’t drinking anymore. He was the reason that I had called Carol to go out. It was because of him that I had an envelope in the next room that was going to decide what I did next. It was all his fault.

“I’m glad to know that you have some control Joel. If only you could have found it a little sooner.”

My words were snippy and my tone wasn’t much better. I was irritated that I had allowed myself to get so inebriated and more aggravated that it had been Joel to the rescue again. It was becoming a pattern, though it was because of him the last couple of times. There was something about him that got underneath my skin and I wasn’t able to ignore him. I wished that I could, but it didn’t seem possible.

“I was just trying to get you upstairs last night. You were the one that begged me to stay. I didn’t even sleep under the covers.”

Finally I looked over at him and hated the fact that I liked the rumpled hair a bit too much. He was handsome and he knew it by the slow grin that he gave me. He was lying on top of the sheets, but he was only wearing boxers. My eyes rushed away when I saw how hard he was in all places. He had been lying right next to me like that the whole night?

“Well thanks. I am sorry I am being so ungrateful. I just don’t remember the whole scenario that ended with you in the bed. I am trying to come to grips with it is all.”

“I can see that. Do you want me to get you anything, do anything to make it easier?”

My mind went to the hardness in his boxers, but that wasn’t helping anything. I was trying to forget about him, not obsess more. “Do you think you could leave?”

The smile was gone from his lips as if I had just told him his dog died. “You really want me to go?”

I took one last look at his long and lean body and I shook my head that I didn’t want him to go. He was too much temptation and having him in my bed was not helping my mindset at all. Did he know what it was that he was doing to me? I liked to think that he didn’t, but there was a confidence in him that was derived from something.

“I will if you want me to, or I can give you what it was you were asking for last night.”

Closing my eyes, I laid back down in the bed. I could only imagine what he was talking about. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. I say a lot of things when I am drunk, so there is no way that I am agreeing to anything. I don’t know what it is I said, but just know that it was the rum talking, not me.”

“Too bad, I kind of like the rum then. It certainly loosens you up a little bit.”

Sighing loudly, he told me that he was leaving. I buried my face in the pillow and tried to forget what I may have said and the fact that I woke up next to him. I don’t know what I had said to him, but if it was anything like the fantasies I had in my head, there was no way that I was ever going to be able to look him in his eyes again.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up something? I could make some coffee, some breakfast?”

“No Joel, please just go.”

My voice was muffled because my face was still in the pillow, but he seemed to hear me because I heard the front door shutting behind him. Why was I always getting in these strange situations with him? Ever since Joel had moved in and taken over the management of the apartments, it had been one thing after another.

Pulling the sheet off of me, I sighed again to no one but myself. It was still ridiculously hot in there because I still had a broken air conditioner. With everything that was going on, I should at least get him to fix some things for me. He was causing me pain and aggravation and it just seemed right that I get some cold air out of it. It was the least he could do.

My mind went to one scenario that I had dreamed about. It was cheesy, more likely the plot of some B rate porno, but nonetheless it got me a little hot under the collar. It was then that I realized what it was that I was missing.

Getting up, I got up the nerve to finally do what it was that I couldn’t do the night before. The small white envelope was going to tell me what I had to do next. I was going to have to go get a job either way, but the amount on the check would determine how quickly I was going to have to find something else.

A little relief overtook me and I was able to breathe again when I saw the check. I might not be able to get my job back, but at least they had taken care of me better than I would have thought. It wasn’t enough to make the firing okay, but it was definitely moving in the right direction for acceptance. Maybe it was time for a change.