the wind. He dropped onto the couch beside me in fits of laughter.
“Fuck the shorts, it’s not like I’m sitting here buck naked, but I do need a shirt I’m cold.”
I struggled into the t-shirt Harley gave me, prompting him to laugh more. Not only was it on backwards, I had managed to put it on inside out, not that I cared for a minute. I held the collar to my nose and sniffed in Harley’s scent.
“Here,” Harley said, grabbing the bowl of cereal from the table as we sat back, totally spent from our clothing escapade. “A little Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms should help with the hangover.”
“How do you figure cereal helps a hangover?” I asked, chuckling. “You’re fucked.”
“Maybe, but I’m not fucked over like you are my friend,” he said, taking a handful of cereal and cramming it into his mouth.
“You think I’m fucked?” I asked, suddenly feeling sadness overwhelm me.
He nodded and closed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Me too.”
I could feel my melancholy self, starting to fade, my drunkenness zapping my energy.
“Harley?” I asked the question I had kept hidden somewhere in the bold recesses of my liquor soaked brain. “Are you gay?”
He nodded yes keeping his eyes closed.
My heart skipped a beat as I sat up, taking a deep breath, the room started to spin out of control, Harley sat up beside me, attempting to set the cereal bowl on the table. Catching the edge, it fell to the floor, the contents spilling across the highly polished wood.
“What now?” he asked. “Will it change things?”
“No, why would it?” I shook my head.
I could feel Harley’s stare as my mind flashed back to that pivotal moment when he walked into my life and stole my heart four years ago. Did he remember that day the way I did, had it changed anything for him? Dammit, if I had known he was gay then, would I have pursued him, made a move? If I had, then maybe my ill-timed fate would have simply vanished away never to have reared its ugly head.
I turned towards Harley and observed him observing me. He was brutally handsome, successful and driven, he would be quite the catch for someone. Why couldn’t that someone be me?
Yeah, why couldn’t that someone be me?
“I need to ask you something kind of important.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth when I saw a spark light Harleys eyes and for a second I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of excitement and a hint of the sexy Harley smile that I had come to know so well over the years. Before I could allow myself to fully relish such a fantasy however, Harley’s expression was quickly replaces by a somber look of defiance as he held up a hand and said, “I know what you’re going to ask…and the answer is no.”
“I could…what if I paid you?” I asked, the desperation in my voice stomach-churning. “It would be temporary, six months max. Then we get a quickie divorce and it’s over. Six months.”
“I fell in love once,” Harley said, running his hand through his hair. “I can’t do that again.”
“But I’m not asking for love,” I said, nevertheless deep in my heart I’d give anything if he would love me just for a short while. “Just a marriage on paper, documented proof for my lawyer with no ties, that’s all I need. We would have to appear as a couple for his eyes only for six months.”
I threw myself back, clasping my hands over my face. How could I ask my friend to go to such extremes to help me seek monetary gains, it was wrong. Talk about having balls, I had balls the size of an elephant asking Harley to help me like that. Harley pulled my hands away and met my eyes with his. His happy eyes looked sad and I felt terrible because I knew it was my fault they looked that way. It was a sobering moment.
“If there was a way, you know I would,” he held my face in his hands. “Believe me when I tell you that it may help you if I said yes, but it would ruin you, there’s far too much at stake. There are certain people
“Fuck the shorts, it’s not like I’m sitting here buck naked, but I do need a shirt I’m cold.”
I struggled into the t-shirt Harley gave me, prompting him to laugh more. Not only was it on backwards, I had managed to put it on inside out, not that I cared for a minute. I held the collar to my nose and sniffed in Harley’s scent.
“Here,” Harley said, grabbing the bowl of cereal from the table as we sat back, totally spent from our clothing escapade. “A little Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms should help with the hangover.”
“How do you figure cereal helps a hangover?” I asked, chuckling. “You’re fucked.”
“Maybe, but I’m not fucked over like you are my friend,” he said, taking a handful of cereal and cramming it into his mouth.
“You think I’m fucked?” I asked, suddenly feeling sadness overwhelm me.
He nodded and closed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Me too.”
I could feel my melancholy self, starting to fade, my drunkenness zapping my energy.
“Harley?” I asked the question I had kept hidden somewhere in the bold recesses of my liquor soaked brain. “Are you gay?”
He nodded yes keeping his eyes closed.
My heart skipped a beat as I sat up, taking a deep breath, the room started to spin out of control, Harley sat up beside me, attempting to set the cereal bowl on the table. Catching the edge, it fell to the floor, the contents spilling across the highly polished wood.
“What now?” he asked. “Will it change things?”
“No, why would it?” I shook my head.
I could feel Harley’s stare as my mind flashed back to that pivotal moment when he walked into my life and stole my heart four years ago. Did he remember that day the way I did, had it changed anything for him? Dammit, if I had known he was gay then, would I have pursued him, made a move? If I had, then maybe my ill-timed fate would have simply vanished away never to have reared its ugly head.
I turned towards Harley and observed him observing me. He was brutally handsome, successful and driven, he would be quite the catch for someone. Why couldn’t that someone be me?
Yeah, why couldn’t that someone be me?
“I need to ask you something kind of important.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth when I saw a spark light Harleys eyes and for a second I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of excitement and a hint of the sexy Harley smile that I had come to know so well over the years. Before I could allow myself to fully relish such a fantasy however, Harley’s expression was quickly replaces by a somber look of defiance as he held up a hand and said, “I know what you’re going to ask…and the answer is no.”
“I could…what if I paid you?” I asked, the desperation in my voice stomach-churning. “It would be temporary, six months max. Then we get a quickie divorce and it’s over. Six months.”
“I fell in love once,” Harley said, running his hand through his hair. “I can’t do that again.”
“But I’m not asking for love,” I said, nevertheless deep in my heart I’d give anything if he would love me just for a short while. “Just a marriage on paper, documented proof for my lawyer with no ties, that’s all I need. We would have to appear as a couple for his eyes only for six months.”
I threw myself back, clasping my hands over my face. How could I ask my friend to go to such extremes to help me seek monetary gains, it was wrong. Talk about having balls, I had balls the size of an elephant asking Harley to help me like that. Harley pulled my hands away and met my eyes with his. His happy eyes looked sad and I felt terrible because I knew it was my fault they looked that way. It was a sobering moment.
“If there was a way, you know I would,” he held my face in his hands. “Believe me when I tell you that it may help you if I said yes, but it would ruin you, there’s far too much at stake. There are certain people
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