Back in the Saddle

Getting to Know Someone Could be Nice

Karl's POV:

The music is all the way up during the entire drive, though I can't say I'm complaining. Alex has very good taste in music and this is a nice change of pace from Schlatt, who always keeps his car very quiet.

At first, I had to give him directions to "that one hill", but he soon realized what I was talking about and took over, so I'm now staring out the window. Alex has a nice car, nicer than that of most people that I know: there is very little trash other than a straw wrapper here or there. For some reason, this surprises me, because I feel like Alex would be the kind of person to have piles of trash in his car.

We finally make it to the hill, but Alex has to park the car at the foot of it because his Honda wouldn't make it up. It's not very tall, but it's still an annoying height to have to climb, especially when you're dragging along another person who is slightly tipsy.

Seriously, I have to practically drag him behind me. He takes a drink from his bottle every five seconds and is laughing like a maniac, screaming at the sky with the glee of a five-year-old on Christmas morning. He keeps telling me how pretty I look, which makes me blush every time, despite the fact that this is coming from a drunk man who isn't thinking very clearly.

We finally make it to the top of the hill and Alex falls to the ground, bringing me with him. He both lay on our backs, staring up at the starry sky with a carefree mood. Nothing else seems to matter at this moment, nothing but the sky and our bodies lying with the grass. With every breeze, I can feel as the blades move when they brush my cheek.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex turn to look at me so I meet his gaze, which is full of wonder. I raise an eyebrow at him, not knowing what to say. I decide to let him speak first.

"What do you do, Karl? Do you go to that college?"

"Mhm. I'm in my third year and still have no idea what I want to do with my life. I barely even remember what I majored in--" this makes Alex laugh "--but I know that it's stupid. How about you? Do you go to school? Do you have a job?"

"I do have a job, but it's not here. I'm actually from Mexico, I'm just visiting a friend of mine for the weekend. I'm staying at the Hinton Inn on SMP Boulevard."

I feel my frown grow, but I try to ignore how disappointed I am by that. Part of me hoped that maybe Alex and I could be friends, but if he's leaving as soon as the weekend ends, then that plan is out the window. Instead of admitting how sad I am, I put on a fake smile and pretend like my heart wasn't just crushed.

"Really? That's cool! When are you visiting again? Maybe we could hang out."

"I would love that, Karl. I'm not really sure when I'll be back, but I'll be sure to get in touch with you when I do..."

His eyes slowly flutter closed, and soon I hear faint snores coming from him. I giggle to myself before getting up, brushing the grass from my pants and hair. I pick up his now empty beer bottle, placing it under my armpit as I wrapped my arms around his torso, carefully attempting to carry/drag him down the hill. Surprisingly, he doesn't wake up and I am able to get him down the hill and into the back seat of the car fairly easily.

After taking a deep breath and trying to get my nerves under control, I take his keys from his pocket and start up the car, adjusting the seat settings and starting to head down the road. My hands are shaky and my knee is bouncing slightly but I try to push all that away and focus on the road ahead. The hotel isn't that far away, Karl, I think, just pull it together, it'll be alright.

When we get there, I wake him up to get him inside, but it's more like he's half awake and stumbling while I support the majority of his weight. No one questions it as I take him into the elevator and up to the room number I saw on the keycard in his pocket.