Life behind Hazel Eyes - 5. Party Time

I woke up on Saturday feeling anxious as hell; it was as if this coming night was going to be the biggest performance of my life. How did I get talked into attending this party? How am I going to be around him all night? I had a hard time sleeping but I remembered I had rehearsals. For once I was up in time. So, I took my time to get ready and even managed to squeeze in breakfast with the parents.

“Your mother and I thought about a few things regarding your behaviour,” my father said as he was looking down at his breakfast. I was quiet and judging by my father’s tone, I had another reason to be anxious that day. “If your behaviour from the past few weeks carries on, we might give you back your license.” He bit into his toast as if to let what he just hinted soak in.

“Thank you so much guys,” I said cheerfully, my excitement couldn’t be contained. This was a great start to a day I was anxious about.

“Seeing as you are going to be at Donald’s house later on, I guess it would be fitting to allow you to have no curfew,” My mother continued with the good news. I saw her try to hide the smile she had, but it kept beaming through. “This applies only this one time and only because you are going to be with Donald.”

I was kind of happy about what my mother had said, but part of me felt like it was horrible news. Brian will be there. I need a curfew; I need something to be my excuse as to why I cannot be around. I’m hoping it is going to be a big party so that the chances of us talking or being close to each other are limited. I’m relying on there being a large number of people so chances are there won’t be any reason for him and me to even speak, never mind acknowledge each other. I finished my breakfast; headed to rehearsals, and kept thinking about maintaining 'my good behaviour' so I could drive again. As much as I enjoyed Donald’s company, I wanted him to be free to do what he wanted rather than drive me around. I’m sure he’d rather be off sorting out party details for Kylie than taking me to rehearsals.

“So you haven’t talked yourself out of coming to the party have you?” Donald asked with a smile on his face. I could see that he was excited about his daughter turning sixteen.

“Not at all even, if I did, you are my driver you could always abduct me. Besides, I even got my curfew lifted for tonight. Oh and Donald, you can pick me up at the house at 4, rehearsals aren’t going to take long today.” I said causing him to look at me in an intrigued manner. I had planned to get a lift from one of the girls at rehearsals. She lived by the boutique where I had seen Kylie’s dress, and as soon as I was done shopping, I’d call a cab to take me home. It was a good plan.

“So your parents won’t mind if you sleep over tonight, because I’ll be too drunk to drive you home. I will pick you up at the rehearsal studio. Or do you have other plans?” I could tell even through his smile that he was serious about me sleeping over.

“You can raise the issue up with them. I have no control over my nightlife. But yes, I have plans to buy a gift after rehearsals, but I cannot tell you or you’ll talk me out of it.” I was right Donald wouldn’t allow me to buy gifts for his daughter; he said I was ‘spoiling’ her.

“Too bad your parents will be too busy attending that real estate cocktail party. I would’ve loved to see your father drunk again.” Donald couldn’t contain his laughter at the recollection of my father’s last drunken night. We had made fun of my father then imitated him until we got over it.

We drove on with just talks about the party, and surprisingly he hadn’t mentioned Brian. I was hoping that meant he wasn’t going to make it to the party, but I knew I was just being delusional.

At rehearsals I kept hearing the improvement in my voice; the breathing and control were the two places I made the best progress. It was all thanks to reducing my smoking - and cutting off my alcohol intake - and substituting them both for Angelique’s voice remedy - and Pierre’s vocal - and breathing exercises.

Not to mention jogging. The difference wasn’t major but it was audible. Rehearsals went by quickly, and I was grateful. I was starting to get annoyed by the cast; the less talented people thought they were good enough to chirp in when Angelique or Pierre were giving constructive criticism. The 'best' part of it all was that I had to put up with their bitching six days a week. I was just too eager for September 18th to come, and then I’d never have to work with half of the people in the production ever again.

I got home after picking up the dress I had bought for Kylie. It was a simple backless black dress with lace detail. I didn’t know where she’d wear it but I feel like every16-year-old girl should have a little black dress. I was busy getting dressed when Donald came into my room and told me if I wasn’t done in ten minutes he’d drag me to the car half naked

Sometimes I feel Donald thinks looking good is just like microwave food, just heat for two minutes then presto. But unfortunately for him it takes me a good forty-five minutes to get all dressed up, not to mention my hair. Nevertheless that night was not about me, it was about Kylie and I had to be sure that I didn’t stand out. So, I picked out a pair of bleached blue jeans, a washed black-tattered tank top, black-leather Converse All Stars, and I tied my leather jacket around my waist for when it got cold.

Donald had arrived early, telling me that he had to run errands before we went to the actual party. While doing the errands, I reminded Donald to get a tiara for Kylie. He was grateful that I reminded him of his gift for his little princess. We got to Donald’s house to drop off my bags, and Brian’s mother Elizabeth had me by the arm, dragging me in to the kitchen asking me to help out with the cooking.

“Here’s the young man that was almost my son-in-law.” Elizabeth announced as she gently pulled me into the kitchen. “Ladies meet Mikhail. Mikhail this is…” She went on to introduce each of the ladies individually; each of them hugging me hello.

“Oh so this is the Mikhail you always talk about, Linda said giving me a hug. I looked at Elizabeth puzzled, but she waved her hand at me and mouthed ‘it’s nothing’.

“So what are we cooking, so I can help?” I always offered assistance at people’s houses. In that case it was better I be proactive before someone handed me a task I’d dread.

“Oh sweety, all you have to do is sit there and help Linda make the Greek salad. We on the other hand will be busy with the other salads. See Donald and Nikiwe insist on a braai (barbeque), thus the lazy salad making.” Elizabeth was cheerful and energetic as she spoke. I sat next to Linda and she offered me a glass of wine, I declined and she insisted.

“Elizabeth, I think you need to talk some sense into that boy of yours. This one doesn’t drink,” she said explaining to Elizabeth how I had refused her offer three times. Elizabeth’s eyes met mine and she gave me a smirk that was accompanied by a wink. It was if to say ‘don’t worry I won’t broadcast your secret’. But she did mean to speak on other matters though.

“Speaking of which, when are you and Brian getting back together?” Elizabeth asked in a matter of fact tone.

“Well I think… It’s complicated. But I don’t think we will.” I said staring down at the tomato I was dicing.

“He misses you, you know. He’ll never say it, but he does.” At this point I had decided looking at anyone was off limits. It was uncomfortable having a conversation about Brian and I, especially with his mother. “It’s such a shame that you and Brian feel you can give up on love. Well, I don’t know about you but I know he hasn’t given up on the two of you. I’ve seen his exes, such unfortunate young men, I think they were substitutes for you, but they never lasted.” Elizabeth’s tone wasn’t very serious; it was just filled with sincerity.

“I like him a lot, but we’ve both hurt each other and I don’t think we can get over it so easily,” I said. Looking up for the first time I glanced around the room and saw that everyone else was somewhat preoccupied with their own thoughts. I even started wandering where Donald was.

“I think a year is enough time to get over it. Let me tell you a little story.” She moved her chair closer to the table and leaned over towards me. “When I was around your age I had just started my teaching career, at the time teaching was the equivalent of being a lawyer. I enjoyed teaching so much I took on evening classes, where I taught adults that couldn’t read or write. At the time I lived with my boyfriend of three years. My friends used to ask me all the time ‘Lizbeth aren’t you scared your boyfriend will leave you because you're always so busy?’ and every time I would tell them ‘not my Mandla. He is too loyal.’ So, I’d go to teach my grade five students and after two o’clock I’d go home to cook for Mandla and wait for him to come home. We would have at least three hours together before I had to go to teach evening classes. This was my routine for five out of seven days, and the weekend was pure quality time for Mandla and I; it was good we were really in love. Years went by and Mandla told me he was ready for a wife; I accepted and I couldn’t have been happier. One night coming back early from my evening classes, I found Mandla in bed with another woman. I stood there quiet and angry. I told the woman to leave. I looked at Mandla and told him he was going to sleep on the floor. We fought a lot that night; some of the things we said were very hurtful. So, while he was asleep on the floor in the lounge I tossed and turned in the bed unable to sleep. I decided the only way I could sleep was if I got the anger out of my system. I stayed in bed and thought about what made these women attracted to Mandla. I came to the conclusion that it was the way he dressed. I got out of bed, took all of Mandla’s clothing and put them in a huge, white garbage bag and took it outside where I set all of it on fire, and that night I left him and moved back to my parents’ house.” The fun and vibrant Elizabeth was gone, this lady was serious and sincere; she wanted to be heard as well have her opinion taken into consideration. I only let out ‘mmh’ and ‘yho’ when needed.

“You see I was mad, at the betrayal, and most of all I was at mad at myself for not listening to my friends when they were trying to warn me. At the time I set Mandla’s clothing alight my anger seemed to get better, but it didn’t help anything. So, a week or two after the incident, Mandla came over to my parents' house to ask for forgiveness. It took me two more weeks before I actually listened to what he had to say. For five months he would come to see me at my parent’s house, but he would send a child to get me while he waited at least three houses away, because my father didn’t want Mandla anywhere in sight. It took him seven months to get me to go anywhere beyond two streets away from my home, but we finally talked things out and I moved back in with him after eleven months. We would voice our opinions more frequently; you see we took what happened as a learning experience and we stayed together until he passed away during one of the protests at the time. After Mandla I met Brian’s dad and we both had our fair share of trouble before having children. I won’t force you to get back with Brian, but think about what I’ve told you. Take your time, if you have to but don’t throw love away. Six years is no joke.” She smiled once she finished her talk, and I felt mind-fucked, but I wasn’t going to show it.

“So, you won’t blame me for burning his clothes?” Everyone joined us in laughter as I made the joke. Just then Donald walked in on us, not a minute too soon if you ask me.

“Mikhail and I have to leave now. He has to be at the party with people his age.” He joked with the women, but they weren’t happy with his comment, so Elizabeth threw a potato peeler at him. We half ran out of the house for fear of having something else thrown at him. We got into the car without anything being flung at us besides goodbyes and ‘see you later’.

“Sorry about taking so long, I needed to pack the cooler box from the garage to the car and I also had to get a few extra things.” I don’t know what it was, but Donald didn’t sound convincing.

“It’s okay, I enjoyed my time cutting tomatoes. When we were inside you mentioned going to the party, but the party won't start for about fifty minutes.” I had asked this in a puzzled tone as I buckled my safety belt.

“Well Kylie and her friends are having their party now and that ends in a fifty or so minute time frame, as you said. The grown up party starts as soon as they leave.” Donald sent me a wink that was accompanied with a small chuckle, as he continued to explain to me that most of the parents wouldn’t allow their children out at night and thus the separation. I was grateful that Kylie’s friends weren’t going to spend the night dancing and watching grownups get drunk. It seems like such a traumatising experience to witness your parents drunk, especially at that age.

When we got to the venue, I let my eyes wonder around and found that most of the grownups were bored out of their skulls. It took me a while to get comfortable; well, it took me thirty seconds. Thirty seconds to realise that Brian wasn’t around, or at least not in sight. I walked across the hall to sit where Donald and his wife were seated; their table was the one closest to the Kylie’s area. The seating arrangement was to emulate a castle, which was a shock because no one had gotten a tiara for Kylie. There was an aisle that had been made by the tables in the hall, the aisle led to Kylie’s table which, had her gifts, the master of ceremonies, and herself seated at it. I was successful in managing to slip Kylie’s gift into the gift pile, and then carried on as if nothing happened. There were a number of children who had started leaving as parents came to pick them up But as people left Kylie was still in the mood to celebrate her coming of age, so she opened presents and was overcome by the joy of being showered with so many gifts, she also seemed to love cutting the cake even more than anything else. There was a twinkle in her eye that showed her innocence and how she had yearned to continue playing with her friends, but their time had come to an end. I managed to hug Kylie and wished her a happy birthday before she was returned to the house. Donald had managed to ask one of his nephews to take Kylie and the presents home, while a few of the other men were at the back of the hall getting the braai (barbeque) stands ready.

Once Kylie’s little citadel was transformed into a dance floor that’s when I knew the time to party hard had come. And that night was all about dancing, and I looked forward to every moment that I’d spend on the dance floor. A good looking young man, with a charming smile and dimples, was in charge of the music that night and I was looking forward to hearing his taste in music. You know what they say, you can tell a lot about a man based on his taste of music. As the party got started, I was warming up to the DJ’s taste in Electronic Dance Music. He didn’t go for my favourites (David Guetta or Avicii), and so it took me a while to get into his flavour of EDM. After an hour or so, I my eyes had started to dart around the room until they found where Brian was standing. I had been avoiding seeing him for most of the day and there he standing with his cousins having a laugh. I have to admit seeing him happy and laughing made me realize how my misery was so pointless. So I decided that I’d have as much fun as I could that night without thinking about Brian, but rather focusing on myself and the fun I had come to have.

The night went by without a lot of Brian and Mikhail conversations and arguments, most of the time I was surrounded by his female cousins, his aunts or uncles and he was with his male cousins. I only got to say something to him when we were both getting something to eat; the food had been placed at a table where we all served ourselves. We were both dishing for ourselves when we exchanged a simple ‘hello’. It was a friendly ‘hello’ that was accompanied by smiles on both of our behalves. I guess that’s the best I can ask for from tonight. After we all had eaten, we started to dance some more, that was when Brian’s mother dragged me to the dance floor and started dancing with me. Elizabeth was a fun lady; she always insisted I call her by her first name. She loved to laugh and be fabulous; she hated it when Donald teased her about her age, but I guess that’s the sibling rivalry part (something I envied). When I outted Brian she was the first to hug him and tell him he had poor taste in women for leaving me for that girl.

“You know what I think? I think Brian is the wrong type of gay. I want a fabulous gay son like you. Why does he fail me so?” She asked as we danced in the middle of the dance floor. All I could do was laugh and shrug my shoulders. We danced until someone pulled her away from me to have her do something or other for one of the cousins. As soon as she was gone I walked out of the venue, walked across the green lawn and got out a cigarette and then lit it. I stood outside, in the middle of the open grass, looked up at the sky and admired the stars. I moved a bit further, making my way to the jungle gym and lay on my back to admire the sky properly. I must have been totally drawn into my own world for a good thirty minutes before I got up and lit another cigarette. I started walking back to the entrance of the venue when the door opened and a familiar voice sent tingles down my spine.

“There you are. My uncle has been worried that you might have gotten abducted,” Brian said mockingly, as he got out his own cigarette.

“I was gazing at the stars. I lost track of time just looking at them.” Surprisingly our exchange of words was civil and both of our tones were calm.

“Light please. So you still do that? I remember when we—“ He stopped and I knew exactly where he was headed, so I carried on to try divert the conversation.

“Your mother says you aren’t a fabulous gay child and that’s hurting her feelings., ” I said with a chuckle

“She told you that? Argh! She says that every so often, I wish she’d stop,” He said with a little embarrassed.

“I guess she’s handling the whole 'you being gay thing' pretty well,” I said with my own smile.

“I guess so, but she thinks I’m you. She wants me to go shopping and do manicures. I just can’t, she even asked my ex to do the same things, but my mum doesn’t get it. ” At this point, the both of us had our heads up, looking at the sky, and not looking at each other at any point in our conversation.

“Well, you’ll have to please her somehow. It’s either you date men that are more willing to please your mum, or you start becoming more willing to do it.” I said nudging him with my fist on his arm. My gaze moved from the sky to him, trying to read his expression after we made contact.

“I’m enjoying this. We haven’t had this in ages and I’d forgotten what it’s like to just relax and look at the stars with someone.” He sounded like he was deep in thought.

“Unfortunately it has to end, I’m going back inside.” I said this walking towards the door, but then Brian grabbed me by the arm, and for the first time that night, our eyes met.

“Don’t forget your, lighter, ” he said with his voice lower than before. I took my lighter, and then said thanks. Before I opened the door I turned around and hugged him; it was a fast movement. I don’t know why I did it, but I just did. I wanted to feel him in my arms, however, what surprised me more was him tightening his arms around me. I pushed back, loosening my grip, but he held on a little longer. He pulled back and looked into my eyes before kissing me. We stood there kissing passionately for over five good minutes and with each second I could feel my heart race with my emotions, well my emotions were taking turns being in charge. I’d alternate from being anxious, to happy, to excited, to confused and back to anxious. I pulled back when my brain finally won the battle to take control of my body, and went back into the party without saying a word. Since Brian has been back in my life, I’ve been walking on eggshells. There’s so much confusion when it comes to him. He makes me feel so safe and guarded, and I miss how he would jump at the opportunity to protect me from almost anything. The way he’d show me his soft side made me feel warm inside. Even though he was a brute at times, there were more good feelings towards him than bad. But there’s one bad that I just cannot forget, it stares me in the face every time I look into his eyes.

Back inside I found Donald drunk and he was just the funniest; he danced ridiculously and insisted that his wife join him in the tango, which he couldn’t do. I decided to place myself closest to Donald or Elizabeth, the two people that Brian wouldn’t want to come to, if he came to get me. He feared them, and I knew once I was with them, they wouldn’t let me go even if it was to go to the toilet. I danced for most of the night constantly thinking of the kiss that happened. I don’t know how to feel, I really hated the way my mind and heart were at war. My body was the most unfaithful whore. How could my body let me hug him, never mind kiss me? I just wanted to remove myself from everything, from that party, the venue, even the city.

I had so many feelings and thoughts going through my mind and body, but no greater feeling than the feeling to go and pee. At first I was reluctant to go to the bathroom, I had even asked someone to accompany me. It was weird how after the kiss, just walking alone had become something I feared, because I knew I couldn’t be trusted to face Brian again. I went into the lavatory and did what I had to; as I was washing my hands Brian came up behind me and put his arms around my waist.

“I cannot get our kiss out of my mind. Can I have one more to cancel out the other one?” He was trying to kiss me on the cheek and mouth from behind, but I kept shaking my head.

“I think not, one is enough for one night,” I said trying to break free from his grip. But he seemed to tighten it.

“I won’t let you go, until you kiss me again. I want to feel the way you made me feel.” I knew the feeling he was looking for, for I felt it too, but I couldn’t allow myself to feel what he wanted me to feel. I couldn’t go there with him.

“Someone is going to walk in on us, ” I said still struggling to break free.

“Did you miss the memo? I’m out of the closet and my family wants me to be with this cute hazel-eyed guy that they all love,” He said turning me around to look at him. At this point I had stopped resisting; I had accepted that I had lost. “I missed looking into your eyes Khail.” Brian was getting emotional; him calling me Khail always meant bad news. Khail was a nickname he gave me when we were together, it was a name he used to sweep me off my feet, it wasn’t about the name more than the way he said it. He had this alluring tone which he used, he usually whispered the word in my ear and it caused the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. That voice! That deep baritone voice, which said Khail! That voice, that name, it meant I was about to cave into whatever he wanted, and right then it wasn’t a good thing for either of us.

“Brian. You’ve been drinking; don’t do anything you wouldn’t do when you were sober.” I might not be physically fighting to break free, but I was trying to fight him mentally.

“Kiss me,” he said slowly as he breathed into my ear. He moved back a bit before he came in closer, closing the gap between the two of us. And there it was, our second kiss of the night. He pinned me against the wall and had his hands tighten around me, while my hands got tangled in his short hair. We would probably have stayed like that for most of the night if one of his cousins hadn’t walked in and cleared his throat. We both jumped up and fixed ourselves. As I was about to duck and hide like before, Brian grabbed me gently and pulled me outside, of the bathroom. His grip on my arm became tighter than before, and he navigated the both of us across the hall to the nearest exit. I had no words to protest against what was happening. I was still in shock as to the fact that Brian and I had made out. Twice! We walked over to his car, and once we were just outside of it, I stood and looked at him. He told me to get in. I refused for a few minutes; I stood outside of his car looking at him, almost as if I were in a trance. He walked over to the side I was standing on and opened the door for me.

“Please get in. We won’t leave the party. I swear.” He promised by pulling his pinkie out to make it legit . I got into the car while he walked around to get in on his side. Once we had both gotten into the car, he looked at me and I looked forward.

“Stop this act! I know you felt what I felt.” He said brushing my hair; even though his touch was gentle his voice was stern.

“There’s no act Brian, I’m confused by all of this.” I had said with a shaky and lowered voice.

“I love you, you love me. What’s confusing?” He was almost arrogant when he said it.

“The part where you didn’t want to be in the same room as me, just 8 days ago.” I could see his face flush as I said that.

“I hated the fact that I loved you even after all that you did. I didn’t understand how I could love someone that did what you did. I know I sound stupid, but I don’t want you out of my life.” He had turned my face to look at him and I stared into his eyes to find the sincerity in them, and there it was. As sincere as he was, I still couldn’t deal with all of it.

“There can never be a middle ground with us can there? It’s either we love each other or want to kill each other.”

“It comes with the passion you feel for someone.” He started to close the gap between us again, but this time I opened the door and tried to get out. However, I soon realised it was locked; I glanced at Brian and he unlocked the door. I opened it and got out the car. I stood outside and peeked in through the open flap.

“Are you coming back inside, or not? I still want to dance.”

By the way he looked up at me, I could see this wasn’t over; the malicious laugh he let out was a sign that there was no way I was going to win. I walked ahead of him so I could run to my guardian angels, but Donald was not a place of safety anymore. He had been taken home due to his level of intoxication, so I was only left with Elizabeth. So I spent most of my time seated next to her and occasionally dancing with Brian’s younger brother when I felt the songs were too great to ignore. I don’t know how, but Brian gathered the balls to come talk to me with his mother around. I saw him walking across the dance floor to where we were seated, and I thought he’d come talk to his family, but he pulled a chair and sat beside me. I felt so vulnerable; there were no more places of safety.

“Mom, do you mind if I take Mikhail home? I think his sleepy and I don’t want him getting stranded here.” Brian’s voice was soft and considerate; he was reverting to being a young boy. But I never said I wanted to go. I never said I want him to take me home.

“Oh honey, that’s so sweet of you. Go on, you two can go ahead and spend some long needed alone time together.” I almost died as I heard Elizabeth betray me, with her sweet and calm voice. Brian grabbed me and started pulling me up, I resisted for a second, then I saw Brian’s pleading face and gave in to him. I knew that I had long lost the fight with and against Brian, I lost the minute we shared a smoke together. As Brian and I started to walk away Elizabeth called Brian, “Brian. Which home are you taking Mikhail home to?” She winked and let out an all-knowing smile. I looked over at Brian who couldn’t stop blushing. I let out my own laugh, but my laughter was to hide my anxiety.

We made it out of the hall and into his car for the second time . “I didn’t say I want to go home by the way. And just to answer your mom’s question, we are going to our respective homes.” I wanted to set the record straight before he got too carried away with his thoughts. Brian replied by starting the car and slowly driving away. The silence was comfortable for a few minutes before Brian decided to speak.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to spend the night together? We don’t have to have sex. I just want to hold you and just know that you are there.” He had stopped at the traffic light and was looking into my eyes; and I could see his eyes shine, a deep green that was new to me, but then I realised that the lights were green now.

“The light turned. I think that means go, ” I said as I broke eye contact and was trying to figure out what to say next. I could see that he didn’t like that. We kept driving further, then he stopped the car just before the off ramp that divided his side of town to from mine.

“What’s it going to be? Left or Right? I told you, we don’t have to do anything. I just…”

I cut him off as he was going to go into a long speech.

“Please take me home.” I replied with certainty, and part of me was regretting the decision, but I had to have some form of control in all of this. He couldn’t just have his way. After I spoke, I switched his radio on and let Childish Gambino become our conversation. He had started driving faster, I could tell he was unhappy with the fact that I didn’t want to be with him by the way he drove, and it was as if he couldn’t wait to get me out of his car.

“You can drop me off by the cottage at the back please, my parents are asleep and it’s way too late to walk in the house.” We were making our way into the gate of the estate that my parents owned. My parents had a few rules about coming home late and their biggest one is that, ‘if it’s after 01:00 know the alarm is on and you deactivating it will wake us and we don’t want to be woken unless you want to be beaten.’ So I respected that, and Brian drove out back and parked outside the small cottage. I switched off the music and looked glanced at Brian, whose eyes seemed to still be fixed on the windscreen. Sitting there and thinking about what had happened between myself and Brian, I was certain that he was my kryptonite. No other person could make me that weak.

“I don’t think you should drive back home, not in the state you are in., ” I said unlocking my door and making my way out slowly. I looked back to gaze at him, and saw him stare at me puzzled. “Come on, before I change my mind.” My voice was playful once I noticed the reaction on his face, and after he finally understood what was going on. He switched off the engine of his car and followed behind me. I walked to the side of the cottage where we hid the spare key under a cobblestone that was close to a cactus plant. I walked back to the front entrance and opened the chalet for us to enter. We entered the cottage; I locked the door as we got in, and then walked to the master bedroom. We walked without a word, the silence had been less comfortable since I told him to take me home, but now it was back to being comfortable.

We stripped down to our briefs, I was by the wardrobe, ready to look for a t-shirt to wear, but found nothing, and when I turned around I found Brian already in bed. He lifted the duvet cover and patted where he wanted me to lie.

“Come here. Be with me, ” he said with the mischievous smile he wore so well.

“I do believe that you were going to sleep on the floor,” I replied as I got into the queen-sized bed.

“You can’t tell me you still like sleeping alone,” he said pulling me closer .

“Well, I don’t see the use of there being another person, ” I replied shifting to turn off the bedside lights.

“Well, for one I could protect you from monsters that hide under your bed in the dark, and from burglars, .” he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and started squeezing me to demonstrate his strength, but still careful not to hurt me.

“Last time I checked you were the one that couldn’t sleep in the dark, unless you are holding someone.” Just as I finished my sentence, I felt an extremely tight and uncomfortably painful squeeze around my waist. I looked at Brian as he laughed at the facial expression I let out as he continued to squeeze me. I struggled to get free but to no avail.

“Say sorry, then I’ll stop.” He has said this in between chuckles.

“I’m sorry, .” I said giggling at how stupid Brian was being. I started to steadily brush my hand up against his body and feel his abs and chest, then moved to his sides. I saw the look in his eyes, the one of desire as if to say, ‘all you need to do is ask and it’s all yours, ’ but that wasn’t what I was after. I got to his rib cage and started tickling him; ) as I tickled him he laughed hysterically, loosened his grip around my waist, and tried to push me away from him. He was in tears by the time I decided to stop, and I felt like he’d had enough torture.

“You are one evil man,” he said as he grabbed and pulled me closer to him. Our bodies were touching from the waist up.

“Well, you know what they say about revenge.” My head was resting on my pillow and I was looking up into his eyes, as he towered above me.

“That it’s best served cold,” he said puzzled.

“No! That you are going to get it in the end.” I smiled a little as I saw him move closer toward me. I knew the moment we kissed the first time at the party that he and I wouldn’t be able to stop.

“You know what else you are going to get?” he asked and I just nodded in agreement, bracing myself for the emotions to come. But instead of a warm tender kiss, I got bit on the nose. I pushed him away and started swearing at him while slapping his chest.

“Did you think that you were going to get a kiss?” he said laughing at the fact that his plan worked. I knew too well he had planned for me to fall for his little stunt, and it worked out that way. We lay there together just laughing in each other’s arms. I turned around to face the window and had my back turned to him while getting ready to doze of.

“You do know you look better from the back right?” He joked.

“Hahaha, jackass. Shut up, and enjoy the view, and be careful not to get too hard.” I said this as I pushed my ass against his crotch area and gyrated against it.

“If you get me hard then I guess you’ll have to take care of it, ” he said thrusting against me. So I got up and walked to the bathroom, brought out a box of Kleenex, a long along with lube and placed the two on the bedside table.

“There we go; all that’s missing now is your right hand and presto orgasm served, I said with a wide grin. We both laughed it off, and then Brian pulled me close to him and held me tight. “Let’s get to sleep, Khail.” He kissed me on the forehead and I laid my head on his chest with his arms safely wrapped around my waist, we remained in that position until we both fell sound asleep.

For once I felt secure.