Chapter 5

I awoke with a stinging head; I knew it was from the shots I had taken; I had taken many, and because this wasn't my first time doing it, I was well aware of where it was coming from.

I began sniffing the smell of cigarettes, sat up, massaged my eyes, and when I opened them, I jumped at the sight before me.

A man stood at the edge of the bed, puffing on a cigarette and looking straight up at me. He had only a towel wrapped around his waist, and his chest was bare and toned. I even counted the six packs, which were six.

I admired a hot man when I saw one, so I gently glanced up at him, my gaze not missing the little tattoo right above his left nipple.

I swallowed hard as water fell from his hair; in fact, I didn't recognize him until I spotted his long hair - they were braided last night, so he may have unbranded them in the morning.

"Good morning, sorry I don't do repeats." He remarked, his voice jolting me out of my reverie, and while I know that's what I expected to hear, this man made me want to do it again.

I wasn't completely out last night, so I remembered everything we did, and he was just as magnificent as he appeared. I quickly jumped up with the sheet and began looking for my clothing, but they weren't in sight.

"I send them to the dry cleaners this morning." He replied carelessly as he sat on the side of the bed, continuing puffing on his cigarette. I studied his knuckle tattoos for a moment before hunting for something to cover up myself so I could get out of this place.

Fortunately, my eyes rested on what appeared to be a bathrobe, which I grabbed and put on. I was surprised to discover that it was in my size, so without further ado, I proceeded toward the door and departed.

I knew my way around because I had previously worked at this hotel, which was one of the most costly in Los Angeles, so I knew whoever he was was very popular because this place was just for businesspeople and celebrities.

It was awkward to walk in a robe, but I did it anyway; my embarrassment had reached its peak after having Elliot humiliate me numerous times, so this was nothing.

It was difficult to catch a cab, especially when I didn't have any money, but I was able to do so. Of course, I contacted Harvey to wait for me outside so he could pay my cab fare because I had nothing on me: no phone, no purse, nothing.

Harvey, a darling, waited outside and paid my cab fare. "I will pay you once I figure out where my purse is."

"Where have you been?" He asked, following after me as I walked toward our apartment, "I was worried sick for you last night."

"Why? To make fun of me?”

"What?"

"I'm exhausted, I'm jobless and I don't know but my mother might be homeless right now, my life is a mess."  

"I-"

"Dont. I am not in the mood for your pity right now, unless you have five thousand for me."

"Shit, I... I can borrow."

"Of course you can." Before walking to my room, I sarcastically murmured, "Please tell me he's not here."

"Backyard.”

"In the hot tub?” I inquired, and he nodded. I almost cursed, but then realized I was his bro, and I wasn't meant to be jealous. Swallowing my saliva, I walked in and jumped when I saw who was inside.

Another attractive man, he looked exactly like Elliot, with green eyes and a strong chin; the only difference was that his hair had been chopped, leaving him nearly bald.

"Hi nerd.”

"Dylan, what the hell are you doing here?" I asked while folding my arms across my chest. Dylan was Elliot's older brother, and he lived with their parents, Mr and Mrs Perez.

They were dad's friends, and when I decided to leave Seattle and move to Los Angeles in the middle of the year, they assisted me in getting into school.

The dorms were already full, but there was room in Elliot's dorm, which he shared with Harvey at the time. It was back in high school, and Mrs Perez got Elliot to take me in; at first, we hated each other's guts, but as time passed, he grew fond of me, and I, with my teenage hormones, fell for him.

So it's been like that ever since: I silently watched him flirt and date; on weekends, I had to go home, and because I didn't have a house here, I naturally went with Elliot, which is how I met his arrogant brother. Dylan. He was someone I wasn't ready to talk about.

I know I stated Harvey irritated me, but his wasn't even close to Dylan's.

I turned back to Harvey, who was behind me, because I knew Dylan wouldn't waste a second explaining shit to me; unlike Elliot, Dylan was a playboy; Elliot was loyal and kind, which is why I fell for him, but Dylan was the bad boy type, with no commitment, always partying, and a heavy smoker as well.

"Dylan will be squatting with us for a few days."

"Excuse me?"

"Hey, my brother pays half the rent here, don't act like you own this shit.”

"How about Jake? This apartment cannot possibly fit another body."

"Jake is not coming back, he got engaged didn't you hear?" Harvey inquired, and I remembered Jake talking about proposing to his girlfriend; I didn't take him seriously since I didn't think we were ready for such a commitment; he was just around my age, for goodness sake.

"Um, okay so why this room, I mean Elliot-"

"Moved out.”

"What?!" Okay, that scared me. Elliot went this far to move out? "I thought you said he was in the hot tub with that-" I pointed out, and he nodded.

"Elliot will be sleeping in my room from today on, he already moved some of his things, okay I have to go now, care for breakfast?" Harvey asked, but I ignored him as I felt my heart pump blood faster than usual.

Elliot moved out? How was he going to deal with the nightmares? He slept in the same room as me because I always helped calm him down; did he hate me so much that he didn't care about his nightmares at all?

"If you want to masturbate let me know so I can excuse you or better yet help."

"Pardon me?" God, he was already starting.

I put on my most arrogant expression until I saw him waving my vibrator at me, and I tried to take it from him, but he put his hand up; he was tall, so I tried to jump, but to no avail.

Shit, this was going to be an exhausting stay.