Page 19 of Unrequited Sloth

“No,” he sighed. “I haven’t eaten. Dillon dragged me out of bed at the arse crack of dawn to go . . .”

“To the Canyon?”

“How did you . . . he told you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he didn’t seem happy about it.”

That was an understatement. Dillon had been monumentally pissed off when Bobby said he wasn’t going on the trip. They were already at the airfield before he learned what was happening. When Bobby explained he’d already made plans with Gabriel, Dillon had spent an hour trying to persuade him. Bobby had made a promise to Gabriel, and he didn’t let people down.

“I’ll order some food and we’ll make a plan,” said Gabriel.

“Do you think the others know? Not the ones you overheard, the rest. They are on the same rugby team as me and Dillon.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them since last night. They weren’t at breakfast or hanging around with the others.”

“You had breakfast with the guys?” asked Bobby, surprised.

“No. We spoke briefly, but I ate by myself.”

“Why?” asked Bobby, prickling.

“They were having a conversation, and I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Gabriel?” His voice had deepened, which hadn’t been intentional.

“I didn’t feel welcome. They didn’t say anything specific. It was just something I picked up on. It’s hard to explain.”

“No it’s not. You’re an intuitive guy.”

They both looked at each other for a few seconds. Neither of them spoke, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Bobby wasn’t sure what it was, but he was feeling something.

The moment passed, and Gabriel went about ordering food. Bobby looked at his phone. No messages from Dillon or Alex. Was he expecting something? Did he want to talk to them? Would he be willing to give Alex another chance if she apologised?

If it had been someone other than Dillon, could he have forgiven her? He wasn’t sure, but it was Dillon, and he had to deal with the situation in front of him. Outside his family, the two closest people in his life had betrayed him in the worst possible way. He’d never felt more alone in his life. Bobby looked over at Gabriel on the phone, ordering food, and his heart warmed. Maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought.

CHAPTER 7

GABRIEL

Gabriel opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. The brightness of the room made his head throb as if someone were pushing a knife into his temple. Where was he? He concentrated on trying to retrieve his memory vault. Gabriel was experienced enough to know he had a hangover. How had that happened? A flash of memory reminded him he was in Las Vegas. That made sense. It was probably a criminal offence not to be hungover in this city. The US had some crazy laws, so that was completely plausible. Gabriel wasn’t usually a big drinker. He’d left those days behind him in his twenties. He could happily have a few, but the hangovers were two-day affairs now, and he saw it as a waste of time to spend that long doing bugger all.

Why was he in Las Vegas? Ah, yes, Bobby’s stag do. Oh fuck! His sister and Bobby’s best friend had been having an affair. Bobby finding out, him crying on Gabriel’s shoulder, and then a blank. Had they gone out and gotten drunk together, or had Gabriel drowned his sorrows alone knowing Bobby would no longer be in his life because of his idiotic sister?

The sound of a grunt next to him snapped him out of his thoughts. Had he brought some random guy back to his hotel room, or was he in the guy’s room? He still didn’t know where he was. Opening his eyes might help. Bracing himself, he opened one eye. That wasn’t bad, so he opened the other, which was a mistake. He had to blink a few times as his eyes were dry, probably a combination of the air conditioning and his body being dehydrated. Gabriel slowly looked across at the guy sleeping, but he was wrapped up in the duvet, so he couldn’t see him.

Gabriel saw a bottle of water on the bedside table and reached for it, knocking it onto the floor. Thankfully, the carpet dulled the sound and meant it didn’t smash. His bed mate didn’t move. He picked up the bottle and downed the lot, gasping for breath when he’d finished. That had helped, marginally, and meant he could look around without wincing. He spotted enough of his possessions to know he was in his own room; that was a positive. Now, he just needed to find out who he’d slept with and politely get rid of them, although . . . if they were hot, he could see if they were up for a second round. But given he had no recollection of the night before, it couldn’t have been that memorable.

Before he could deal with the man in his bed, Gabriel needed more water and painkillers. He had paracetamol in his wash bag, which was in the bathroom. Thinking of the bathroom made his bladder wake up. Having a piss had just moved to the top of his list. Getting out of bed, he was a little unsteady on his feet, but he made it into the bathroom without making noise. He closed the door quietly, not wanting to wake his guest until he was certain he could speak. Gabriel pulled his cock out, which was thankfully soft, and the relief was instant. Once he’d shaken himself off, he washed his hands and then grabbed his toothbrush. His mouth felt dry as fuck. Once that was done, he rummaged for some painkillers. He had another bottle of water in the bathroom, so he could get them down him, and hedging his bets, he took three instead of two, hoping they’d work quicker. It was tempting to take a shower – as it would wake him up and he’d feel better, even if it was only for about twenty minutes – but that would wake his guest up too, whoever they were. The last thing he wanted was for him to think it was an invitation to join Gabriel. He didn’t understand why people had sex in the shower. It just washed away the lube, and having water pumped inside you by an unlubricated dick was not pleasant.

Deciding against the shower, he ran the tap until the water was warm, cupped his palms and splashed his face a few times. That felt better. It was when he was drying his face and looking at himself in the mirror that he was sure his heart had stopped beating.

“What the fuck!” he said aloud, unable to stop himself.

He was wearing a wedding ring, or at least it was a ring on his wedding finger. This couldn’t be happening. Gabriel was the sensible one. This was something his sister would do. How could he be so drunk that he’d marry a complete stranger? He’d wanted to experience everything Las Vegas offered, but this? Perhaps it was part of a joke or something. He yanked the bathroom door open, and it felt like his heart stopped for the second time in as many minutes. The mystery man in his bed was Bobby.

Gabriel opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief; it had all been a dream.

“Thank fuck you’re awake. I was about to call someone,” said a familiar voice.