Breaking The Rules

11

There was a piercing stream of light coming from the crack in the blinds near the bed and I groaned before taking the free pillow and sandwiching my head in between. It took me a few moments to register the empty spot near me and I sprung up as my sleepy mind and hooded eyes tried to process the room.

There was a slight pain at the back of my mind and I attributed that to the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed last night. The bright rays of sunlight that was penetrating my room was not helping my situation and I tried my best to will away any headache that wanted to form.

There was a faint sound coming from the shower and I sighed as I realized that the man I fell asleep next to was just in the shower. Another 5 minutes went by before a dripping Nickoli came out, one of my towels wrapped around him.

"You're up." He says, a smile suddenly appearing on his face.

"Hey." I responded, disappointed to hear the deepness of my voice from the sleep still evident in it.

I scanned my phone to see it was just after 7. "Why are you showering so early? Do you have to get going?" I asked, hugging the pillow to my chest.

"Yeah. I have some business to take care of."

"Do you have to leave right now?" I heard my mouth say without even registering the meaning. I knew I probably sounded desperate but it felt good to fall asleep next to someone.

"I have to be there before 8." He drops his towel. "I have a few minutes to spare if you want a repeat of last night."

"Nope! Nope, I'm good." I blurt out as I fall over on the bed and buried my face into the pillow.

I heard the throaty laugh coming from his direction before his footsteps approached the bed. Pulling the pillow from under me, I fell flat but rolled over to look up at his now towelled form.

"I was only joking babe. Relax."

He shakes his head. "You're so cute when you're all flustered. It's like a deer caught in headlights."

I let out a pout.

"I'll be back before you fall asleep tonight, okay?"

I nod before watching him get dressed in the clothing he wore last night.

"Don't get up. I'll let myself out."

He's about to walk out but stops mid stride, comes back to me, and kisses the top of my hair. "Don't miss me too much or I won't be able to get any work done."

I know I shouldn't feel as giddy as a child on Christmas morning but I couldn't stop the smile that ripped across my face at the thought of seeing him again. Had I truly gone mad?

I can't remember when I fell asleep but I awoke some time later and finally decided that I was well rested enough to leave my room and be semi productive.

My first task was to clean the now dried essence on the kitchen floor before deciding that I owed a call to Mickala to ensure she wasn't kidnapped. I watched the phone ring a few times before a groggy Mickala answered.

"Why are you calling me so early in the morning?" I heard her mumble.

"It's literally after one in the afternoon."

"Later bro." She says and I laugh.

"I just wanted to ensure you got home safe."

"I'm not home as yet."

"You're not?! Where are you?"

The silence on the other end made me all too aware that she'd ended the call and I chuckled as I put two together and arrived at the conclusion that she was at the girl's house. Again I wondered how I didn't know she was a lesbian but then again I don't think she knew I was gay.

Half an hour later I had completely forgotten about her when I saw her name flashing across my screen.

"Look who's brave enough to call me after slamming the phone down on me."

"Sorry. I had just woken up."

"Are you home now?"

"I'm on my way there. Just pulled off." She pauses and I took the opportunity to put my empty plate in the sink and head back to the living room.

"You want to come over? Spend the afternoon with me? I don't have to work until the morning."

"Um, sure. I need a little time to get ready but I can take a cab if you send me your address."

"It's fine. You can just text me your location and I'll be there."

"You do know where I live, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep my windows up and doors locked. Just send me the address before I chicken out."

It didn't take her long to get to me and I waved hello to my landlord before getting in. She's quick to speed off and I can't help but let out a throaty laugh.

Her apartment on the East side was very spacious, new, and safe. I was immediately envious but had to remind myself that I chose the situation I'm in all in the name of doing things on my own.

"This is really nice."

"Thanks. My parents are paying for it."

"Your salary doesn't cover it?"

"My salary is my own." She replied as though my question insulted her.

I shook my head as I sat on her very comfortable couch and propped my feet on the arm. Yep, this really was nice.

Mickala comes back from the kitchen with lemonade and some delicious looking pastries and I'm all too happy to take them.

"Hey. Question."

"Yeah?" She says in between bites.

"You into girls?"

Mickala chuckled before sipping her beverage. "I'm not. I just kiss girls when I'm drunk."

"That was a heated kiss."

She shrugs but offers me no more information and so I tried to pry a bit more. "So you just like guys? Like you're not even a little bit interested in girls?"

"I mean... they're hot and everything... great body and expert hands but I don't know, they can't satisfy me the way men can.

"Have you slept with girls?"

"No. It's just a thought. I can't imagine myself having sex with them." She crosses her legs and turns on Netflix on the big screen. "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

I wanted to ask where she slept earlier but sensed she was uncomfortable so I let it go. "Oh, sorry. Sure." I paused for a bit. "I've never been with a girl before."

Mickala instantly perks up and a sly smile spreads across her face before she starts squealing. "I knew it!" She shouts and I rolled my eyes.

"No you didn't."

"No, seriously. I had my suspicions."

"Well- it's not that big of a deal."

"Of course not. Power to the gays or however the saying goes."

I laugh and throw one of her plush cushions at her before she comes across to sit next to me. "So guys, huh? How's that working out for you?"

"Tragically. Men are the worst." I admit with a fake scowl, earning me another throaty laugh.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about boys , eating fast food, and watching queer films as we bonded. It was hours of laughter and happy tears and before long I was being cuddled by her on the couch as we laid underneath a blanket.

The huge clock on the wall showed just after 10pm and I heard the quiet sigh from Mickala as she fell asleep to My Policeman that was currently showing. My eyes were also feeling droopy and within seconds I let sleep overtake me.