Celebratory Drinks & Fleeting Embraces

CD&FE Part 1

I woke up feeling like I was roasting under the sun, only to find that I was lying in a furnace otherwise known as Patrick. He was curled around my body, his sour breath in my hair. My lip twisted as an 'ew' passed my lips. I slid from the bed of my oldest, dearest friend feeling my skin crawl with sibling residue grossness. I'd known him since we were in second grade. Patty was always the pretty one in our relationship, but I never could see beyond the awkward childhood and weird puberty phases that we shared, not to mention all the heartbreaks, highs, drunks, and learning that we survived together. We had tried to kiss way back in fifth grade - just to get that over with, but ew. No.

"Oh, come on," his deep voice was still heavy with sleep, "I was enjoying that thick ass of yours, Y/n. Come on back and snuggle for a while."

"Fuck you," I grumbled as he laughed. "You promised me a record if I put up with your little dinner party last night. Why are you trying so hard to impress those pretentious idiots? They are not your tribe, Patty."

I didn't bother with modesty. The man was the first one to see me naked, and he looked at me like I was sheathed in 12" armor plating that was slathered with poison, set on fire with a NO GO ZONE etched across it. He was wrapped in goo and toxic sludge that kept me at bay. And that's how we liked it. I dug through my suitcase to drag out a cropped tee and cutoff shorts.

"I know," he howled into his pillow. "I hate it. I do. But I've got to start making headway with this stupid job so I can get to the next step."

I rolled my eyes as I started dressing. He slid his tall, rail thin body out of the sheets to reveal he was clad only in his boxer briefs. I frowned. "God damn it, you could've at least worn shorts when sleeping with me. I do not need to feel that beast under the hood."

"Just because your last three guys didn't have horse cocks, doesn't mean you have to discriminate against mine, doll," he teased as he started to fish out clothes for himself.

I rushed around him for the bathroom, bag in hand. Damn if I was going to have to wait for his ass to get through his thirty minute wake up routine in the only bathroom of the apartment. I heard his protest, but I knew that I'd be through in less than 15 minutes if left alone.

I emerged ready to his raised eyebrow and sideways grin. I pulled him down and kissed his cheek with a platonic whisper of love against his face before ducking into the kitchen. Visits to Ann Arbor were getting harder to make. I moved to Lansing right after graduating. Pat had remained behind, working on his master's degree while toiling away in the university system as a TA. I finished my graduate work while killing myself on sixty hour work weeks and had earned a job in St. Paul that was to start in a week. Patty was the first one I called when I got the news. Not my family. Not other friends. It had to be Patrick because he had been the only one that could understand that I just needed someone to tell me I wasn't nuts for trying this route in life. Everyone else either didn't understand what I wanted to accomplish, or they simply said I would fail. Fuckers.

A tour through the kitchen revealed that he had purchased real food for my stay. With a chirp of happiness, I settled into a bright sounding playlist before making us a feast while he showered. By the time he was out, dried and all sorts of gorgeous, I had quite the meal prepared. He pecked me on the mouth and yanked me in a tight hug.

"Mornin', punkin," he cooed as I started to push him away.

We laughed over food. He did the dishes and we strolled out the door.

"Did you call everyone?" I asked as we walked from his apartment to the main drag of town.

"The only one not able to come is Aaron. Bitch couldn't get out of work," he answered, stopping to look into the window of a thrift boutique. "That skirt would make your legs look amazing. Y/n, my treat. Let me get you an outfit for tonight."