Captive

chapter 48

Dream and reality?

Jeff slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight streaming through the curtains making his head pound. His body ached, but not in the way he expected. He groaned as he tried to sit up, the dull ache in his temples threatening to pull him back into the darkness of sleep.

"What the hell happened last night?" he muttered under his breath. The headache wasn't helping his already foggy memory, but something about the feeling in his chest told him that something had been off.

He ran a hand through his hair and tried to focus, but the memory—no, the dream—was so vivid. The feeling of Bible’s hands, the way their bodies had moved together, the warmth of his touch. The deep connection they had shared, as if nothing else mattered in that moment.

But... that wasn’t real, right?

Jeff closed his eyes and shook his head. It had all been a dream, the kind that felt so real that it lingered even after waking. There was no way he had actually... no, it didn’t happen. He hadn't been with Bible, not in that way. It had all been a figment of his overactive, alcohol-fueled mind.

The weight in his chest didn’t lift as easily as he'd hoped, and the guilt quickly replaced any remnants of the dream. He had been drunk. Too drunk to even think clearly, too drunk to understand what he was doing when he'd rejected Bible’s invitation. That moment, the look on Bible's face when he'd said no... it was too real.

Jeff winced at the thought. Bible had been hurt—angry, even.

Sitting up in bed, he placed his head in his hands, trying to clear his mind. But it didn’t make sense. Why had he dreamed of that? Why had he been so convinced it had happened? The dream had felt too real, the emotions too raw.

He closed his eyes again, trying to push away the ache in his chest. He didn’t know what had driven him to drink so much last night, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that he had hurt someone. And that thought, that realization, was even harder to bear than the physical pain that seemed to be pressing down on him.

Jeff sat on the couch, staring at the floor, still lost in the haze of the morning. The knock on the door broke his trance. He stood up, moving sluggishly, and opened the door to find Pong, his usual bright smile in place.

“Hey,” Pong greeted, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “You look like you had a rough night.”

Jeff managed a small smile. “Something like that.”

Pong held up a file, eyes sparkling. “Well, I’ve got good news to lift your spirits. We secured the new deal. NYC. Big project.”

Jeff blinked, the news taking a moment to sink in. “Wait... really?”

Pong nodded. “Yeah. It’s happening. This could change everything for us.”

A genuine smile broke through Jeff’s distant expression. “That’s... incredible.”

Pong clapped him on the shoulder. “We need to celebrate. How about your condo? Tonight?”

Jeff hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Pong grinned. “Good. I’ll bring the drinks. You just try to look a bit more alive by then.”

Jeff laughed softly, the first real laugh of the day. “I’ll work on that.”

As Pong left, Jeff closed the door and leaned against it. The dream still lingered at the edge of his thoughts, but for now, reality demanded his attention. And tonight, there would be a reason to smile.