When We Slumber

6 | Moving On

As the days passed by, I started to feel more and more like myself. I no longer needed a date with tequila every night, but I still frequented the bar. I enjoyed a few one-night stands, but none of the women warmed my bed. As soon as they left, I was all alone again. I hated sleeping alone, and until now, I never had to. I had a roommate straight through college and when I moved to Grove, I met Kandy, and she moved In right away. I thought she was my soulmate, but I figure not.

The truth is, the only nights I felt truly rested were those where I was too drunk to even know if I was alone or not.  I woke up with such a pounding headache I swore I saw Kandy next to me. I went straight to the bathroom to freshen up and my phone rang out from my shorts. "What's  up, bro?"

"Dude, why aren't you at the airport," Timothy asked

"Oh, Shit!" I was so caught up with getting Kandy out of my system that I forgot to pick up Timothy and his girlfriend from the airport. "I'm on my way." 

"You forgot?" He hissed. "Just hurry the fuck up, man." With that, he hung up the phone without giving me a chance to respond. 

Still, in my shorts and shirt from the night before, I rushed outside and drove hurriedly toward the airport. Outside arrivals, I saw Timothy standing with a woman who clung to his side. She had a chocolate complexion and curly hair that made her look half Indian. 

When I parked the car and got out, Timothy let out a boisterous laugh that nearly busted my eardrums. "Dude, you look like shit." 

I rolled my eyes and introduced myself to the woman. "I'm Lucas, and I don't know this guy." I pointed at Timothy who had begun loading their luggage into the car. 

The woman smiled and I could tell she was being polite. "Britanya."

Timothy finished what he was doing and threw his arm around Britanya's neck. "He doesn't bite, babe." He told her.

Britanya's face turned crimson and she bowed her head to hide it. 

"Don't let the innocent act fool you, she's worse than me," Timothy said. 

"She's a bigger asshole than you?" I stared at him with ballooned eyes. "Damn!" The woman looked nothing like someone with a personality like Timothy's, and I wondered if he was being truthful or if he was teasing me. 

"I'm not that bad, cupcake." Britanya frowned and Timothy kissed her nose, which made her blush again. 

"You could always camp out here, you know." I joked. Deep down I was somewhat jealous. I wasn't envious of their relationship, just of how happy they looked together. I knew he treated her the way he did because she was good to him. 

Gimme the damn keys." On the way to my house, Timothy gave his girlfriend a short tour and made up stories about all the unoccupied houses being haunted. 

"Tim, I'm getting sleepy." Britanya yawned and rested her head on the suitcase in the backseat. 

"We're almost there, babe," Timothy told her. He had just turned onto my street. "Wait, bro, please tell me that bitch is not still at your house." He looked at me in the passenger's side of the car and raised an eyebrow. 

I sighed and scratched the back of my head. 

"She is, isn't she?" 

I didn't say anything because I didn't want to accidentally tell him that she got pregnant by another man. 

"I'm not staying in the same house as her, bro." Timothy barked. Regardless, of what I said, he was still going to lecture me. 

"She's gone," I told him just as he pulled into my garage.

"Good." 

I didn't bother to continue the conversation for I was well aware of where it would go. Although I knew he only wanted what was best for me, sometimes I wished he would be more of a best friend and less of an overprotective mother. 

I was sitting at the side deck when someone cleared their throat behind me. 

"Hey, man." Timothy walked past me and raised himself onto the rail. "Sometimes I can be a bit harsh." He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. This was something he did when he wasn't sure of what to say. It wasn't often that he showed this side of himself, and I wondered why he was doing it now. I figured it was Britanya who convinced him to.

"It's alright, bro." It wasn't, but it was the only thing I could say. I watched him jump down from the rail and paced the front of the deck from side to side.

"Look,  I just want you to be happy, man. I knew from the moment you introduced me to her that she was no good for you, but you loved her already." He plopped down on the bean bag next to my chair. "When you love someone you can't see their flaws, that's why I was so cold against her and hard on you because I wanted you to see what I saw."

"She's gone now, so it's alright."

"But, you're still fucking broken." Timothy, shook his head as he looked me dead in the eye. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you the way you needed me." He stood to walk back inside but I stopped him. 

"Don't be sorry, bro." I wiped away a teardrop that trickled down my left cheek. "She's pregnant by another man, so you were right to be harsh." 

Instead of the expletives and throwing of things to show how angry he was, Timothy stood with his mouth agape. "Fuck!" He then shouted, and pulled me up from my chair, into his chest. It wasn't a normal brotherly hug. It was more of an, I'm so sorry that you're hurting, kind of hug. I really needed that hug. It was like he felt my pain so much that he wanted to take it away. He held me so tight if it was possible, I would feel the broken pieces of my heart fastening back together. 

"Thanks, bro," I said after he released me from his grasp. 

"You deserve a drink." He patted my shoulder.