Page 115 of Embody

Thirty-Seven

Bellamy

I NEED TOcall an exterminator, becauseclearly, something crawled in my mouth last night and died. Maybe had a little friend too that burrowed its way into my ear and is currently digging tunnels through my brain tissue. That, or I’m hungover as hell.

Flashes of the night before begin coming to me in a muddled barrage…tequila, dancing, crying andmaybea game of ‘Pin the Penis on the Naked Guy?’ And Presley. Good Lord, Presley. Love her, but I cannot keep up, nor will I ever try again.

I attempt sitting up, only to nix that plan immediately and lie back down, slowly and painfully. I guess if I just die here, someone will eventually notice an odor and come find me. Jefferson probably won’t get his security deposit back though; as if he has to pay one.

Jefferson.

Oh God, now I remember it all. He hates me. I was stupid; and I lost him.

“Baby,” he speaks so softly it’s possibly a façade born of misery, but then he gently raps on the door. “You awake?”

Okay, I seem to have found him. And if I didn’t feel like busted ass, I’d leap out of this bed and climb him like a tree.

“Come in.”Whose voice was that?Amongst the rodents of the night, is there also an eighty-year-old chain smoker hiding under my bed, speaking for me?

“Hey,” he pokes his head inside and just like that—all is forgotten, forgiven; anything to start over. Everything I said, every question, every doubt.

“Hey. What’re you doing here?”

“You really thought there was a chance in hell I’d leave you alone? Slept on your couch, checked on ya through the night. I didn’t want you getting sick or falling. Plus, I wanted to be here to say I was sorry right when you woke up. I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” I smile.

He clears his throat. “Anyway, I brought you a few cures,” he moves inside the room, carrying a tray of stuff. “Take these with this,” he hands me two pills and a glass full of something thick and red. My expression must ask for me, because he laughs and answers. “Tylenol, and a sure-fire hangover cure. Just down it so fast you don’t taste it. You’ll thank me later, I promise.”

What do I have to lose? I couldn’t possibly feel worse, so I gulp down the mystery muck…but I taste it. Good God, do I taste it. “Yeah, gonna need to brush my teeth,” I sort of say, sort of gag. “Like, for the rest of the day.”

“Come on, I’ll help you.” He sets the tray aside and bends down to maneuver me out of bed as painlessly as possible. “Why’d you do this to yourself, babe?”

“Because I’m a moron,” I groan, hobbling to the bathroom with one arm around his waist. “I was miserable, thinking I lost you, so, I just kept piling on the misery I guess. I gotta pee, too.”

“So pee,” he laughs, moving me to the toilet. “I’ll get your toothbrush ready.”

Either I’m still drunk orhe’sbeen hitting the bottle this morning—I look at him like it’s the latter. “I’m not gonna pee in front of you!”Ouch. No more yelling, Bellamy.

“Why not? Idohave two sisters. And, I’m somewhat familiar with your anatomy,” he winks.

“Why are you being so nice to me? I thought, after yesterday…”

“You thought what? That we had a fight and I’d just quit, disappear, stop loving you? Jesus Bellamy, it doesn’t work like that, and I told you I was sorry. I may have overreacted a bit, but you pissed me off, so I took some time and got over it. The same time you’d deserve if the tables were turned. And guess what? You’re gonna piss me off again, lots of times, and I’m gonna do the same to you. But I’ll always come back,always. And so will you, or I’ll come find you. And when we get to the point where it’s an option, I’ll be expecting make-up sex, which rumor has it, is worth the fight,” he tosses in another wink. “Now pee,” he commands, ripping my shorts and panties down.

“Like I can break flow with you listening,” I grump.

“Here.” He turns on the faucet, then starts prepping my toothbrush, and the second I hear the water…I’m peeing in front of him.Definitely still drunk.

 

 

HE BRINGS MEa light, late snack in bed, lying beside me to eat his sandwich. Crumbs be damned; I don’t wanna be anywhere else—out of bed or away from Jefferson.

Despite the rough start, today has been wonderful. We’ve done absolutely nothing, just lazing around and talking, about any and everything. Except the fight. That’s over.

“Your dad called earlier,” he calmly says between bites, causing me to almost choke on mine.

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