ON THE ROAD

Max

I woke up with arms surrounding my body.

"Hallie", I muttered, still groggy from sleep.

As I lifted my eyelids, I realized that the arms were too hairy to be Hallie's. I lifted my body in an instant, grunting when the headache hit me hard like a truck. The hairy armed guy moved and his face appeared from under his pillow. He opened his eyes and had a charming half-smile on his lips when he said:

"Just like in the good old days, right?"

His deep voice reminded me of the previous night. I was halfway to the bar to get Hallie and I some drinks when a hand pulled me into a dark hallway. Before I could react, another hand grabbed my waist and I found myself staring into deep blue eyes.

"Max, it's so good to see you again."

The smile dancing on his lips brought me back in time to what felt like another century.

"Keith? What are you doing here!"

His cold hand in mine, the pressure of his other on my hips reminded me of the nights when we were so drunk we would simply stay for hours in each others' arms, too tired to sleep and too comfortable to move.

"I have been looking at you for a few minutes and I need to tell you, you've been getting better looking since I've last seen you", he said, without answering my question.

"Keith... I need to go, I'm not here alone."

"Max, it's been so long, don't you have some time to give to an old friend."

He smiled again, the way he always did to make me forget the reason why he had angered me. Once, I had found him laying in bed, half naked, with a girl laying on the other side of the mattress. When he saw me, baffled in the corner of the room, he simply gave me that smile and said: "what's up honey?". After assuring me that she was a cousin and had been too drunk to get back to her hotel room the night before, he had managed to bring me to his roommate's bedroom to have sex, before throwing me out of the appartement. Five days later, he admitted he had been sleeping with that girl - and a few others - for  weeks. That's when I knew that his smile was a synonym of trouble.
I guess that time makes you forget.

"Five minutes. Tell me, what are you doing in Ohio?"

"I've been touring the country with a band I met in San Fran. I get people to show up to their shows and they allow me to travel the country."

"That's great."

We stayed in silence for a few seconds.

"You?"he asked.

"I'm trying to get to New York."

"How come?"

"My parents."

Keith, being the first person who ever managed to bring my walls down, knew everything about me, including the difficulties I faced daily with my parents. I hadn't told him about the suicide in our living room, but he knew that something like that had happened to push me to run.

"Of course. How are you getting there, need a ride? We have a stop in Manhattan in a week, you could come with us."

"It's alright, but like I've already told you, I'm not alone."

"Don't tell me you're touring around America with that rich church princess?"

"Keith..."I warned him.