Breaking Through The Blackout - 4. Chapter 4

4

 

He stumbled as he picked his way down the snowy slope that led onto the beach. It was slippery, and he began to slide, which caused him to drop the bottle.

 

“SHIT!” he exclaimed in a mixture of frustration and horror. When he had regained his balance, he was grateful to see that the bottle had fallen in such a way that not a drop of its contents had been spilled. He picked it up, smiling at the bottle and his luck. Once he reached flat ground, he took another healthy swig.

 

He was feeling pretty intoxicated, but the numbing of his emotions (and his extremities) felt so good.

 

In a sick way.

 

Yep. In a sick way it sure feels good. I own you, for you are my mind. Silence is all I require of you at this point in time.

 

Rebelling against his conscience and his instinct, he chugged from the bottle. He could feel the wine dripping down the sides of his mouth, freezing the already cold, bare skin. Swiping his sleeve across his face, he continued down the beach, swinging the bottle, humming a random tune that he believed was from a television commercial.

 

“Ooooooh Andrew.” He said aloud. “Whatever in the hell are we gonna do with you.”

 

He thought about this self directed question for a moment. Unable to come up with an answer, he adopted a faux British accent. “Why drink more wine of course!”

 

And that’s exactly what he did. He stopped, tilted his head back and emptied the contents into his wine puckered gullet. Rather than casting the empty bottle into the waves as a sudden urge suggested, he held onto it. He vaguely considered putting a message into it, but dismissed it due to the lack of paper and pen.

 

‘Besides,” aloud again, “what the hell do you have to say that anyone on the beach of St. Croix gives a damn to hear about?”

 

He burst out laughing at that one. For anyone watching, he was sure he must look completely insane. If he ever cared, it was not now while vin coursed through his veins.

 

It wasn’t long before his steps shorter, and slower. He had been walking in a staggered gait, zigzagging through the snow, blown this way and that by the wind and the intoxication. He could make out a small bluish colored light in the distance. He opted this as his turnaround point.

 

He wasn’t even half way there when the wine kicked in, taking over completely. He fell to his knees in the sand, dropping the now empty bottle. Unable to stand, he fell over, landing on his side in a fetal position.

 

He struggled to get up, but he had neither the will nor the strength.

 

With no fight left in him, he gave up. The waves of crimson wine washed him out into a dark sea of inebriation, and Andrew’s world faded to black.

 

*******

 

Not sure how much longer after he had fallen, Andrew heard someone talking. It was a male voice that sounded like it was coming through a giant tunnel. A dog was barking repeatedly and he wished it would stop.

 

Between the incessant barking he could partially hear the guys voice, deep and masculine, but gentle.

 

Bark!

 

“..ok?..”

 

Bark-Bark!

 

“Where do you live?”

 

Bark-Bark!

 

“Chaz! Quiet!” the man ordered. The dog quick barking, much to Andrews appreciation.

 

Andrew tried to open his eyes, which set the world to spinning, and he closed them before it made him sick. He attempted to speak but his mouth couldn’t make the words come. It came out a garbled, incoherent mess. “Ughhh..” he moaned.

 

He felt the man’s hands on his shoulders, helping to bring him into a sitting position. He flopped sideways, almost falling, but his savior held him steady.

 

“Can you stand?” he asked gently but firmly, still holding onto Andrew.

 

Andrews head sagged to one side. He shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t.

 

“I'm going to help you up. Is okay for me to carry you?”

 

Andrew only nodded.

 

The guy knelt down, placing one arm under Andrew’s knees, and the other he wrapped around his shoulders. Out of habit, David wrapped his arms around the guys neck, placing his head on his shoulder. The guy smelled good; a mix of sandalwood based cologne, soap, and something he couldn’t identify, a sweet sticky sort of smell, one that he had smelled before.

 

In seconds, he had slipped from consciousness once again.

 

*******

 

Who did you get in a fight with?

 

Andrew had just woke up. It felt as if he had been clubbed over the head. He didn’t want to open his eyes, but it occurred to him that he had no idea where he was.

 

Upon opening them he discovered he was in someones living room. He was on one side of a sectional sofa, piled under a stack of blankets. He got the notion that he had no pants on. Peering under the blankets, his suspicion was confirmed.

 

Well you must have had some fun last night.

 

Oh god I hope not, he thought.

 

He grew nervous, seeing that he was on a strangers couch in only his boxers. He couldn’t remember whether or not he had called the guy from the restaurant, though he doubted he had. He propped himself up on his elbows and surveyed the room. It was a large living room, with a large L shaped sofa facing large bay windows, through which the ocean could be seen.

 

He seemed to remember the ocean from the previous evening. The ocean and…wine.

 

That would explain the parched feeling that coated his mouth and throat.

 

Oh Jesus, what did you get into? The clock above the fireplace read that it was just after ten a.m.

 

He heard heavy footsteps and turned, his heart thumping, to see who it was.

 

His heart raced even more when he caught his first real sight of the guy who had saved him.

 

He was about five’ nine with lightly tanned skin. He had a mop of light brown hair set above blue eyes. He had a smattering of stubbly hair on his chin and upper lip, and just a little bit on his well muscled chest. The morning sunlight made the hair on his arms gleam. Standing in only a pair of blue and gray flannel pajama pants, he was doing nothing to slow Andrews heart rate.

 

Holy. Fucking. Hotness, he thought.

 

“Good morning John Doe.” The guy said in a baritone voice that Andrew thought was as sexy as his Adonis body.

 

“Umm...Haha...hi.” he said, trying to smile, but not too much. He could feel himself growing red in the cheeks and ears.

 

“I found you on the beach last night, well we did.” He said pointing to the base of the sofa Andrew lay on.

 

Andrew peered over the side to see a golden retriever laying on the floor right beside him, head resting on his paws. Andrew hadn't even noticed him.

 

“He usually sleeps with me, but once I put you on the couch, he wouldn’t leave your side.” He explained.

 

“On the beach, huh?” Andrew asked.

 

“Yes, on the beach.” He sat on the opposite side of the sectional, crossing his bare foot over his ankle. “You were lying in the sand with an empty bottle of merlot. It’s a good thing Chaz found you.”

 

“Wow” Andrew replied.

 

Any chance with this one is out the window you fucking mess!

 

He was completely embarrassed. He had to go and get drunk on the beach, only to be saved by the hottest guy ever, who now probably thought he was some crazy drunk. Not the first impression he would have chosen.

 

Oh why couldn’t I have just died?

 

“Well thank you…both of you…and I'm sorry. What a mess.” He said “My names Andrew by the way.” He felt he at least owed it to the guy to tell him his name.

 

The guy smiled. “I'm Kevin. It’s nice to know you as more than John Doe now. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I'm glad I found you, it’s still winter here. I'm not sure how long you would have lasted out there, but I'm pretty you wouldn’t have made it to morning.”

 

There was a period of silence where Andrew grew more and more embarrassed.

 

He’s right, you could have frozen to death.

 

Yeah, well best due to the outside what's been done to the inside, he thought.

 

“You’re not from around here are you Andrew?” he asked.

 

“No” he replied shaking his head, “I have a family member here.”

 

“Why Maine?”

 

“I don’t know, convenience, and besides they say heart ache is healed by the sea.” As soon as it was out he could have kicked himself.

 

Fuckin great, now not only a drunk but a mopey drunk. Way to go.

 

Kevin’s eyes were full of questions, but thankfully he didn’t ask. Andrew wanted to shrink.

 

“The ocean will do that, the real trick is letting it happen”

 

Andrew nodded, acknowledging the truth in the statement.

 

Suddenly it struck him that it was Tuesday. “It’s Tuesday isn’t it?”

 

“It is. Got an important date?” he asked with a glint in his eye that set Andrew to wondering.

 

“Yeah. My U-Haul has to be back in Bar Harbor by noon.”

 

“That’s a bit of a drive. How you gonna get back?”

 

“I was planning on taking a cab.”

 

Kevin burst out laughing, his head tilted back, the laugh bubbling up from deep in his chest. When he recovered, he spoke.

 

“This isn’t Chicago bud. Besides, the fare would be insane.”

 

“I’ll have to have my aunt do it then.” He said, knowing that she was probably working. He would just have to pay the late fee.

 

Kevin offered a better solution. “There are a few things I have to pick up in Bar Harbor, and I have been procrastinating since I got here a few weeks ago. I could lead you up there, then you can ride with me to pick up my things, and then maybe we can do lunch or something.” There was a mischevious, yet non threatening gleam in his pretty blue eyes, and it intrigued Andrew. “Besides, I really need to get up there, and you’re my perfect excuse.”

 

He thought for a moment. He didn’t know this guy, this very cute guy.

 

If there is no risk there is no reward. His mother had used to say it when he was younger.

 

“Alright, but you have to let me pay for lunch. It’s the least I can do after last night.” He agreed.

 

“I don’t know. You’ll drain the bank before you can fill me up. I have a bottomless pit in my stomach.”

 

Andrew laughed, which made his head hurt even worse. He winced.

 

“Do you need anything like Advil or something?”

 

“Oh my god that would be great. I feel like I boxed with an elephant…and lost.”

 

Kevin walked out of the room. Andrew was fairly modest, so he was glad that he had a moment alone to get dressed. He pulled his shirt over his head, noticing that he had an erection. Hearing Kevin coming back, he scrambled to get into his jeans, in an attempt to cover his most recent embarrassment. Only he was too late.