Page 43 of Coming Clean
“Yeah, we’regoing.”
****
Connorstared at his phone as he poured a bowl of cereal for breakfast.He’d called Jeremy the night before because he couldn’t break hispromise to Sabrina. Jeremy hadn’t answered, not that Connor hadexpected him to, but pathetic shit that he was, he’d called severalmore times. At least he hadn’t left any messages begging Jeremy totalk to him. But he was actually considering callingagain.
If he wanted to talk toyou, he would have answered one of the five thousand times youcalled last night.
Maybe he was…
The hell with that. Connorwas going over there to say his piece. Then, if Jeremy wanted himto leave, he would.
He tossed his cereal bowlin the sink without eating a bite. Then he stomped down the hall tothe bathroom. As soon as he’d showered and dressed, he grabbed hiskeys and headed to his truck.
What if Jeremy wasn’t home?He would be though. It was early.
What if someone was therewith him? He might have gone out last night after all.
Fucking shit fuck. Thethought of someone else touching Jeremy made Connor want to kicksomething. Hard. Preferably, the guy’s head.
****
The next morning,Jeremy only vaguely remembered David folding him into hiscar. Did he really put a towel on theseat because he thought I would puke? I wasn’t thatdrunk.
A horrible booming soundrattled his whole head. What the hell was that? He tried to sit upto see the time and his head nearly fell off his shoulders. Fuck.Maybe he had been that drunk. Maybe he still was. He lay back downand closed his eyes.
Jeremy must have fallenback asleep because the next thing he knew David was shaking himawake, his stomach protesting the movement.
“Leave me alone. And forGod’s sake close the curtains.” The sunshine coming through thewindows threatened to blind him.
“I tried calling you butyou didn’t answer.” David’s voice was much too loud.
David fumbled around on thefloor. What the hell was he doing? Finally he held something up.Jeremy’s phone? “No fucking wonder you didn’t answer. Your phone’soff. Why’d you do that?”
“Phone?” Jeremy was toofuzzy to process so many words at once.
“Fuck, Connor called youeight times.”
Jeremy groaned. Connor wasthe last thing he could deal with in this state. He stuffed hishead under the pillow. “What time is it?”
“Nine-thirty.” Still tooloud. Why wasn’t the pillow muffling David’s voice?
“What the hell are youdoing waking me now?”
“I’ve got the monthlyHabitat work day with my firm at eleven and I wanted to check onyou first.”
If Jeremy yelled at Davidlike he wanted to, his head might explode, so instead, he tried toremember that David really cared for him.
David patted his back. “Getup and I’ll make you a hangover special before I have togo.”
“Unnh.” That was as closeto words as Jeremy could get.
“You know you’ll feelbetter if you eat. Get a shower and join me downstairs.”
David strode out ofJeremy’s room, leaving him lying there trying to piece togetherwhat had happened the night before. Slowly, in fits and nauseatingstarts, the disastrous evening came back to him.
Connor. Going to hisapartment. The blow job. The look of terror on his face. Those softwords of apology. The club. Drinks. Lots of drinks. Tony on thedance floor. Tony in the bathroom. David saving him. When hemanaged to drag himself downstairs, Jeremy needed to thank Davidfor that. If he hadn’t come in…
No, better not to let hismind go there. He pushed back the covers and managed to get to hisfeet. Stumbling steps took him to the shower. Slowly, the hot waterdissipated the fog in his mind. He remembered David’s words whenhe’d turned Jeremy’s phone back on. Connor had called. He’d calledwhile Jeremy was at the club; that was why he’d turned his phoneoff. But Connor had kept calling? Had he left messages?
