Kade remains perched on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, deep in thought.
When I stand, he suddenly jolts up, looking terrified, "What is it?" I ask.
"Don't go, don't leave me," he says, pleading in his eyes.
"I'm going to the closet, I need to dress."
"I've hurt you, haven't I?"
"Have you done something to hurt me?"
"I honestly can't remember."
Sitting next to him, I push him back onto the bed and lie next to him, "Let's talk about what you do remember. Your first beer, do you recall buying and drinking that?" I ask.
He turns on his back, takes my hand and holds it over his chest. I feel the gentle undulations of his strongly beating heart, "I hated the taste. But it made me feel kinda fuzzy. Before I knew it the glass was empty; that's when she came, and smiled at me." He pauses, looks at me, then back at the ceiling.
"What did you think when you saw her? Answer me honestly Kade, I can take it," I say.
"I thought she was real hot. When she started flirting with me, I was flattered. She bought me another beer and sat with me." When he suddenly pauses, I know he's withholding something.
"Tell me more Kade, she sat with you, what did you talk about?"
His voice drops, "She talked dirty, sex talk." He almost whispers, "She was kinda turning me on."
"Kind of?"
"OK, she was turning me on, I got a pocket rocket."
When I try to sit up, Kade tightens his grip on me, "No, Tan, stay with me," he says.
"I'm not going anywhere, just let me get up, I need to pace, I'm thinking too, you know?" I say, removing his hand and getting up from the bed.
He curls into a fetal position, "Are you thinking of leaving me?"
"Kade, quit this insecure whining, it's not helping. Sure, hearing this hurts, but let's keep going; I can handle it if it means we find the truth. OK, we've established that you were aroused, did she notice?"
"Yes. She was rubbing my knee and making her way up my leg. But, I definitely remember laughing and stopping her before she got to my, to my, you know?"
I laugh, and it breaks the tension a little, "Your big boy."
He laughs, "Thanks."
Pulling on a long t-shirt, I hide my hurt and try to remain positive, "So, we've established that you got an erection, this is progress. What did she do when you removed her hand?"
He unfurls and turns onto his stomach, propped up on his elbows, "She got pissed with me...then she bought me another beer...and another...I remember things getting real blurry."
"Carry on Kade, keep thinking. You say blurry, you mean your sight?"
"Yes. She was talking to me and I could see three of her, literally spinning around the room...and she bought me another beer." He turns over and sits up. "I tried to stand up, but couldn't get off the bar stool."
He stands up and paces round the bed, "She came back, she had a hood up and she was pulling me...when I got off the bar stool, I fell, like my legs literally weren't working...I was looking at my cell phone...for texts from you...I recall chaos going on around me: raised voices, pushing, running...and all the time I was trying to get to my feet, but couldn't, so I crawled, dragging myself across the floor."
