Page 9

Shane

C harlie is completely out of it. He started softly snoring after I grabbed his phone and turned it back on.

I find Lily’s number saved as a favorite at the top of his contact list. I hit call and wait. And wait. After a few seconds, it goes to voicemail.

Shit.

I click on Noah’s name next and hit call, but it goes straight to voicemail. He only has a few more contacts but I don’t recognize any of them besides Benji. I only know of one person named Benji but I’m not sure if they’re the same guy.

Looking down at Charlie, I put his phone in my back pocket as I figure out what to do next. I can’t leave him here. These frat brothers will have a field day tormenting him while he’s hungover.

Calling Ryder, I sit back down and watch Charlie peacefully sleep. I can’t help but smile at how small he looks in his oversized hoodie and the large lawn chair he’s sitting in that’s meant for two people.

“Yo. Where’d you go man?” I can barely hear him over the music playing.

“I’m outside by the bonfire. Hey, do you see Lily anywhere?”

“Who?” His voice becomes clearer as I hear a door close.

“Charlie’s friend with the curly black hair, short as hell, she’s in a red lace half-shirt thing.”

“Oh yeah, I saw her earlier. She was hanging all over Miller. They’re probably in his room banging,” he laughs.

Rubbing my forehead, I contemplate sending Ryder to go find her. It’s not like it’d be the first time he’s knowingly walked in on people having sex. If he needs something, he’ll do whatever he can to get it, including ruining someone getting lucky.

“Are you ready to head out? I’ve lost Matt and Benji is trying to get everyone to sing happy birthday to him but everyone’s either too drunk, high, or horny to pay him any attention.”

“Yeah. I have a bit of a problem, though,” I say as I see him walk out of the back door.

He walks towards me with some blonde girl tucked under his arm. “Hey, man. What’s the problem?”

I get up and look down at Charlie who’s now curled up in a ball.

“Who’s that?”

“That’s a very drunk and possibly high Charlie. He was talking on the phone when I sat down, and he didn’t even notice me until a few seconds before he passed out. I called Lily and Noah but neither answered. And I can’t leave him here with these assholes to find in the morning.”

Ryder nods and removes his arm from the girl to pull Charlie’s hood off his face. “He won’t wake up?”

“I tried, but all he did was make a few noises and then fell back asleep.” I walk closer to Charlie’s curled-up body and try to sit him up, but he slumps back over.

I look back up at Ryder. “I think I should bring him to our place. He’s going to be miserable when he wakes up and I don’t want him to be alone.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” He drapes his arm back around the girl’s neck and starts to walk towards the front of the house, yelling over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you at your truck.”

Thanks for the help, jackass.

I bend down and scoop Charlie up. I brace myself for his weight but when I stand up, I’m surprised by how light he is. I know I’m strong but someone as lengthy as he is shouldn’t be this light.

Saving that thought for later, I shuffle him around until his head is on my collarbone and I have him securely in my arms.

I make my way through the gate and down the block where I parked. Ryder is practically eating the girl’s face and she’s grinding all over his leg.

“You want to save that for later and open the door for me?” I grumble as I get closer.

Ryder laughs. “You wanna sit in the back with him or put him in the passenger seat?”

I reach into my pocket and toss him my keys. “I’ll sit in the back with him.”

He steps aside, opening the back door. I gently place Charlie down and try to put his seatbelt on, but he keeps falling over.

“Hold him up while I get in on the other side,” I tell Ryder. Running around the bed of the truck, I get in on the other side and slide into the middle seat.

“You got him?” Ryder asks as I slowly lower Charlie’s head to my shoulder. I nod. He closes the door and walks around to the driver’s seat, and we head home.

Charlie starts to slump forward, so I move back over a seat and lay him down, so his head is in my lap. I gently run my fingers through his soft black hair. He’s facing away from me, so I have a perfect view of his profile. His round chin, his bottom lip that’s fuller than the top, his nose with a slight bump in the middle, and his long eyelashes that fan over his cheekbone. He’s so beautiful. I lightly run my finger from the top of his forehead to the tip of his nose and then over his slightly chapped lips that I desperately want to taste.

I glance up when Ryder stops at a red light and catch his eye in the rearview mirror. He looks at me knowing with his left eyebrow raised. I give him the middle finger and go back to looking at the gorgeous boy sleeping in my lap.

When we get to our condo, I carry Charlie inside and wait for the elevator while Ryder and the girl are back to sucking each other’s faces off. Fortunately, the doors open a second later. We all get in and Ryder hits the button for the second floor. He keeps his tongue in his mouth for the short ride up but as soon as the doors open, they damn near run to our door. I shake my head at them as I carry Charlie into our condo.

When I get to the living room, there’s already a trail of clothes leading to Ryder’s room.

I head to my room and gently place Charlie down on my bed. He rolls and settles on his stomach. Confident that he won’t roll off the bed, I place my garbage can at the side of the bed and then head to the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water, some Tylenol, and a banana.

When I get back to my room, he’s exactly where I left him. I set everything on the end table closest to him and toss one of the water bottles on my other pillow that he’s not using. With my hands on my hips, I look down at him and figure out what to do next. Do I try to wake him and tell him where he is? Take off his shoes? Tuck him in under my sheets? Do I sleep next to him or take the couch?

Fuck, this shouldn’t be so complicated.

I take his boots off because who wants to sleep with their feet trapped in hard leather. He’s wearing tight skinny jeans that look too snug to sleep in, but that might be too much since we don’t know each other.

Walking to the other side of my bed, I sit down cross-legged, facing him. I rub his back and try to wake him.

“Charlie.”

He lets out a groan but doesn’t open his eyes.

“I just want to let you know that you’re in my condo.” I move the hair that’s fallen in his face. “It’s Shane.”

“Mmghhmm.”

“I’ll take that as an ok,” I chuckle as I get off the bed and strip down to my boxer briefs, tossing my hat on my dresser. I’m about to get back into bed when I think better of it and grab a pair of basketball shorts to put on. Before I get in, I cover Charlie with my hockey throw blanket my sister got me for Christmas a few years ago. I climb in under the sheets and scoot as close as I can to him.

I can’t believe he’s in my bed.

I wish it were under better circumstances but at least this way I know he’s safe. Laying on my side, I tuck a few dark strands of hair under his hood. I wonder what had him drinking so much tonight. Or does he always drink this much?

I want to know everything about you, beautiful boy.

Remembering that I have his phone in my jeans, I turn over and reach for it on the floor. I lie on my back and bring up his text thread with Lily.

Charlie: Hey, it’s Shane. Charlie is with me at my place. He was passed out and I couldn’t find you or Noah. He’s fine, just needs to sleep it off.

I exit out of the text thread and go to his contacts. I add my name and number, then text myself so I have his number too. He might not appreciate me doing that but I can’t go on hoping that I’ll run into him again.

I plug his phone in on my charger and roll back over to face him. He now has his head buried under the pillow and the blanket is tightly wrapped around his shoulders. I place my hand on his back, feeling his steady breathing. I match it with my own and slowly drift off.

Groaning wakes me followed by a sudden jolt. Opening my eyes, I see Charlie looking around frantically, his breathing erratic.

“Charlie, you’re o-” But before I can finish, he slaps a hand over his mouth and looks at me with wide eyes. Then he’s off the bed and running to my bathroom. A second later I hear him empty the contents of his stomach.

Shit.

I get out of bed and rush to the bathroom. He’s curled over the toilet, whimpering. Opening the storage closet, I grab a washcloth and get it wet with cold water. Ringing it out, I walk over to him and squat down. Lowering the back of his hoodie, I place the washcloth over the back of his neck. He sucks in a breath then leans forward with his forehead resting on his crossed arms over the bowl.

I rub his back, soothing him. “Can I get you anything?”

He shakes his head but stops with a wince. His back tenses, and I know he’s about to be sick again. I drop to my ass and comfort him the best I can. I don’t know how long we’re in here for, but by the time he’s finished, my ass has gone numb and he’s covered in sweat.

He stands up on unsteady legs and flushes the toilet. His hair is plastered to his sweaty face as he slowly shuffles to the sink.

“Do you want to take a shower? It’ll help you feel better.”

He won’t look at me as he looks down at the sink.

“Charlie?” I walk up behind him and look over his head at him through the mirror. He’s shaking and holding onto the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles are blanched.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” he stutters as his shoulders reach his ears. “I-I’ll go h-home now.” He starts to turn for the door, but I stop him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to go. You can brush your teeth with my spare toothbrush, borrow some clothes, and I can make you something to eat. I know the perfect remedy for hangovers.” I smile at him even though he’s not looking at me.

After a few beats, he slowly looks up at me with bloodshot eyes. He looks miserable. Poor guy probably feels like he’s gone through the wringer.

“Ok.” It comes so softly that if I weren’t paying attention, I would’ve missed it.

“Did you want to shower or just brush your teeth?” I ask, a little too excited that he’s staying.

He shrugs and then points to the shower.

“You go ahead and get in while I grab you some clothes.” I grin as I reach into the vanity drawer and pull out an unopened toothbrush, setting it next to the toothpaste on the counter. “Take as long as you need.”

He nods, looking down at his socked feet. “Can I have a hoodie?” he asks without looking up.

“Of course.”

I head into my room, closing the door behind me. In my closet, I look for the smallest hoodie I own. I grab my black Gannon U Hockey hoodie with a gold Knight holding a shield on it. I received it freshman year and haven’t been able to fit into it since. Back in my room, I dig through my dresser for the tightest joggers with a drawstring. He won’t be able to fit in my boxer briefs, so he’ll have to put his back on or go commando.

I head to the bathroom door and hear the shower going. I try to open the door, but the doorknob doesn’t turn. Smiling to myself, I set the pile of clothes by the door.

“I have the clothes out here for you, Charlie. I’m going to go make breakfast.”

I don’t hear anything in return, so I let him be and head to the kitchen.

Ryder and the blonde are sitting in the living room watching The Notebook. He hates this movie. He looks over the couch as I walk past. “You gonna cook something?” He pleads with his eyes.

I stop and pretend to think about it. “I don’t know, I think I might join you guys for this riveting movie.”

“You like this movie too? It’s one of my favs. Ryan Gosling is so fine,” blondie says, clueless to my sarcasm.

Ryder begs me with his eyes to save him. Taking pity on my best friend, I tip my head towards the kitchen. “Come on, you can help.”

He jumps up so fast that blondie doesn’t have time to catch herself before she falls over. “Shit sorry. Keep watching while I go make us breakfast.”

She lets out an annoying as-hell laugh as we walk away.

“Thanks, man. She won’t get the hint that I wanted her to leave as soon as we woke up. She’s been talking my ear off all morning.”

I laugh at his misery as I open the fridge to see what we have. “Why didn’t you just tell her to leave?” I grab the carton of eggs, bacon, a block of cheddar cheese, and bagels. “Grab those peppers off the counter.” I turn to the island and kick the fridge closed, setting everything down.

“Well, I woke up to a blowjob, so there’s that. And when she was finished, she curled up next to me and fell back asleep. So, I woke her ass up and said thanks for a great night. Aka, get the fuck out. But all she did was giggle and then walked out of my room naked. We ended up showering together and…”

I hold up my hand. “Nope. Skip. Move on to the next part.”

He starts chopping the peppers as I shred the cheese. “After we got dressed, I walked her out here and handed her purse over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She fucking giggled again and sat down on the couch. Next thing I knew, she had the remote and started watching TV. I was so confused as to how she was missing my cues to leave, that I just sat down next to her. And of course she had to pick The fucking Notebook.” He’s butchering the poor peppers as he roughly chops them with his frustration.

“Stop. Go crack open some eggs in a bowl, you’re destroying those.” I put the cheese off to the side and salvage what I can of the pepper catastrophe. “Do you think she eats fats? If I cook the eggs in the bacon grease and top it with cheese, she might run away so the evil fats won’t get her.” I chuckle as I lay out the bacon on a sheet pan and put it in the preheated oven.

“That’s a great idea!” He turns to the living room. “Hey…shit, I forgot her name,” he whispers. “Sam, Sally, Sarah, Sasha? It starts with ‘Sa’, I think.” He rubs his hands over his crazy bedhead. “Fuck it.” He walks over to the back of the couch and leans over, talking to her quietly.

I grab a frying pan off the hook on the wall and start on the rest of breakfast.

As I’m putting the bagels in the toaster oven, Ryder and blondie walk over. Looking up to see if the plan worked, I spot Charlie peeking around the corner.

Ryder is saying something, but I ignore him and walk over to where Charlie’s hiding. When he sees me coming, he walks backward towards my door.

“Do you feel better?” He stops about a foot from my room, hood up, looking down at his bare feet. He doesn’t say anything as I lift his chin with my finger. He looks a little frightened, but his eyes are clearer, and he smells like my body wash. “Come on, breakfast is almost finished.” I grin and drop my hand to his lower back. He’s a little stiff but otherwise doesn’t pull away from my touch.

As we walk into the kitchen, Ryder is alone and pulling the bacon from the oven. He looks up at us and smiles at Charlie. “Hey, Charlie. I made a late breakfast for us.” He holds up the tray of steaming bacon.

“Ryder thinking he can cook is funny.” I loudly say behind my hand to Charlie.

He looks at Ryder and scrunches his nose. I laugh my ass off as I walk him to the chairs at the island.

“I don’t smell. I took a shower this morning while you two were sleeping,” he says as he does a very obvious pit check. “I smell like sandalwood or some shit.” He smiles and winks at Charlie.

“Sit down, dumbass.”

He takes a seat next to Charlie. His cheeks are an adorable shade of pink as he scoots as far to the right as he can without falling off his stool.

I pull the bagels out of the toaster oven, lining them on the island. I add scrambled eggs to the peppers and onions and top them with the shredded cheese. “I hope you’re hungry. I made my hangover specialty- bacon, egg, and cheese bagels.” As I turn with the pan full of deliciousness, Charlie has his nose tucked in the neck of my hoodie. I look over to Ryder, but he shakes his head and shrugs.

“Is this okay? I can make something else for you.” I set the pan on a hot pad and lean over to get Charlie’s attention.

He peeks up at me through a curtain of wet hair. “I don’t eat meat,” he whispers and raises his shoulder to his ears.

“Oh.” Good thing I haven’t assembled the sandwiches yet. “I’ll leave the bacon off yours. It’s no big deal. The bacon just adds a crunchy, salty bite to the sandwich.” I wink at him.

“Sweet! More for me.” Ryder grabs four slices of bacon and takes a massive bite out of all four.

“You’re a fucking caveman.” I laugh as I start putting everything together. When I finish Charlie’s, I slide his plate over to him and notice that he’s rubbing his forehead.

“Headache?”

He nods.

I grab two Tylenol from the cabinet we keep the medicine in and walk to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of orange juice. I hold out my hand with the pills in them and watch as he takes them. He puts them in his mouth and dry swallows them.

I smile and set the OJ next to his plate. I bend down so I’m at eye level with him.

“Dig in Beautiful.”