Someday, I'll Find My Way Home

Axel is vulnerable.

"Goddammit, Karl, you're heavy!" I complained while I was carrying his whole weight because he decided it was the best time to fall asleep in my arms in the middle of the staircase. And carrying was not the best term that I did--I almost dragged his whole body while going up.

Our friends below would laugh at our demise, and didn't even try to help us. Paula shouted, "Just go down and drink more!"

"Shut up!" I answered back.

"I wanna puke," Karl muttered.

When we reached the rooms, I opened the one on the left. 

I couldn't find the light switch, but the light from the street entered through the windows. The aircon was turned on in a low setting so the room wasn't cold nor hot when we went in. 

The double deck was full of bags, polos, shirts, and pants laid down, giving us no choice but to use the queen-size bed in the middle. I pushed away the wet towels at the edge of the mattress and hanged them on the head rest.

Karl jumped on the bed. "Finally."

"Oh no, you don't." I raised him up and tried, as much as I could, to remove his top. His whole body reeked of chlorine and tequila from earlier. I rested his back on the bed rest so he would wake up easily after I took a quick shower.

It took me five minutes to rinse off my whole body and wear fresh clothes--the exact time for Karl to fall asleep with his head down in the mattress while he was in a sitting position. This would've been shorter if I was seeing things clearly, but my whole body spun with the whole Earth orbiting the Sun.

I put force when I patted him on his shoulder. "Take a shower."

"Can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Go to the shower," I firmly said, pointing to the bathroom.

"Help me."

"I'm not taking a bath with you."

"I'm sleepy," he complained, and his voice was groggy. He slapped my thighs and sticked out his tongue. 

"Get up!" I shouted. I pulled my hair out of my frustration. My head was spinning, Karl was very annoying, and all I wanted was to lay down and sleep!

"Pull me."

As I did, he clung on my shoulders with his face near mine. I looked away the instant our noses touched. He burrowed his head on my neck.

I bit my lip as my hands traveled on his back. I wasn't thinking clearly, and my hands had a mind of their own. I took a step back and leaned on the door for support. 

His voice was softer, as if he was speaking in a dream. Mostly he was spouting gibberish words, and then these two words: "Miss you."

"I miss you, too."

This was a different side of Karl that I didn't have the chance to encounter before. I was always on this state before, and Karl was always the one who took care of me. He was the first one I'd call whenever I got wasted in org events, and then he would come and fetch me. Then the next day, I would wake up not knowing what happened--just the thought that I was always safe with him.

He wrapped his hands on my belly and pressed his body towards mine. His entire body was filled with warmth...

And I didn't want to pull away. It seemed like a mistake to do so.

He said more gibberish words and I laughed. He raised his head and looked at me.

"What?" he asked.