Sleep Would Be Best

The first thing Eric and I did when Mike stomped into the room was look at each other and laugh; there was no way that Mike thought there was something going on with us. Only a crazy person would think that considering Eric’s sexual preference.

Mike pulled the blankets back, staring down at me as he kneeled on the bed. I moved away from Eric, a little worried that he was really upset that Eric and I hugged.

And he was, only not the way that I thought he would be.

“You come all the way down here to see me but you pick a fight with me and Jordan. When we get mad that you are interfering like you always do, you take off without a word? No message, no note, not even a freaking phone call? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Wait a minute,” I sat up about to tell him exactly what was wrong with that whole tirade of his but he spoke over me.

“You are out all night with Eric, getting drunk – the both of you –” he glanced at Eric. “Since when do you drink like that? Since when do you go to the club without me? I have to beg you to go half of the time but you just decide to go with Anna! And now the cuddling in our bed? What the hell is up with that?”

Eric and I started to protest at the same time, I was saying it wasn’t like that while Eric told him it was just, ‘a hug for the love of God.’

Mike dropped his chin to his chest; neither Eric nor I could see his face. The room was deadly quiet as we watched him, wondering if that was it, or if there was more.

There was more. His shoulder’s started to shake; he lifted a hand to cover his mouth. “I can’t do it,” he choked out.

I shot a questioning look towards Eric but he wasn’t paying attention to me, he was in the middle of pushing the blankets back, his eyes were focused on Mike. “Listen…” he started but stopped short when Mike lifted his head up.

He was laughing!

“You think I don’t know it was nothing?” Mike slipped into bed, still laughing at us. “No offense Anna but I don’t think even you are capable of ‘turning’ a gay man straight; it just don’t happen.”

“You are a bigger jerk than your brother!” I snapped as I high tailed it out of the bed. “You should be ashamed of yourself! That wasn’t necessary at all!” I turned to Eric, who was still shocked at the sudden change in Mike’s attitude. “I don’t know how you love him,” I told him before spinning on my heel to leave.

I had reached the open door when I heard Mike laugh, “It got you out of my bed, didn’t it?” I ignored him and grabbed the door knob to close the door.

“Don’t even look at me,” Eric snap as the door clicked closed.

I was fuming; I couldn’t believe that Mike would go to that extreme to get me out of the room. It’s not like I was really planning on staying in there the whole night…well, I wasn’t going too if Mike came in to go to bed, which he did.

Once I walked into the living room, I was struck by the thought that I didn’t have anywhere to sleep. Jordan and Nicky were lying on the only available place to sleep, the sofa bed. “Crap,” I muttered as I made my way to the chair that Jordan and I shared earlier. “I guess this is it.”

Ten minutes later, I was curled up the best I could in the chair. I was on my side facing away from the light coming in through the blinds over the balcony doors, my knees were pulled tight against my chest and my arms wrapped around them to help keep me warm, I didn’t have a blanket, the boys had them all.

I was just about to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion when I heard a sigh come from the sofa bed. “Anna,” Jordan sat up and turned my way. “Just come over here already, you are going to wake up sore if you sleep like that.”

“I can’t,” I told him. “Besides, I’m fine, it’s surprisingly comfortable like this.”

“Yeah right!” He scoffed. “Why can’t you?”

“You know why.”

“No, I don’t Anna. If Josh has a problem trusting you, then maybe you should really rethink your relationship because without it, you have nothing.”

“It’s not me he doesn’t trust.”

Jordan laughed, “It is you Anna. If anything were to happen between us, you would be a participant as well as me.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Or maybe it’s you that don’t trust you?”

“That’s crazy,” I rolled my eyes. “I trust me just fine! And so does Josh!”

“Then get your ass over here so we all can get some sleep.” When I didn’t move, he sighed again. “Fine, wake up really sore and cranky because you didn’t sleep right, but don’t blame it on me.”

The stubborn person that I am, I waited a few more minutes before I uncurled my body and made my way over to the sofa. “It’s about time,” Jordan mumbled as he slipped over for me to slide in.

Once again I turned back on to the balcony doors as I looked up at Jordan. “I don’t want you to die,” I said suddenly. “I don’t want to think that there’s a possibility that you are sick until we find out the results of the test. I know that may be a little ostrich like of me but I don’t care. I don’t want to look at you and feel sadness when we aren’t sure what’s going to happen.”

Jordan slipped his hand out from under the covers and lifted it to my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to be sick, or die or anything else either Anna. I freaked out, I’ve been keeping that knowledge to myself and it’s been bringing me down. I didn’t tell mom what happened with the moles, I told her they were nothing, she doesn’t know I had them removed. I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“You told me Jordan.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I trust you.”

He didn’t add anything else, he dropped his hand from my shoulder and soon, I heard the soft sounds of his snoring mixing with Nick’s. I passed out not long after.