The Only Exception

Waking up the next morning in Harper’s arms definitely put a smile on my face. My fingers grasp his hands that are around me and I shiver from his faint breaths hitting the back of my neck where his face is currently placed.

Our legs are tangled and his chest is pressed against my back. Memories of last night hit me like a tidal wave and suddenly the room is incredibly hot. I realize where we’re touching and how intimate it is. Mini-me starts to work up and I flush.

If Harper were to wake up…that’d be so embarrassing!

I try my hardest to get out of his grasp without waking him and somehow I manage. Looking down at Harper, I smile at how cute he looks when he sleeps. He, like myself, is in nothing but boxers. The covers are up to his waist and twisted messily around his long legs. The hair atop his head is a complete mess and I’m curious how one's hair could stick out that way.

Chuckling, I turn to head for the shower when I realize…it’s Friday. With wide eyes, I look at the clock to see it’s well past noon. Holy shit, I forgot that I had school today! Growling, I ruffle my hair and stomp to the bathroom where I take a quick shower.

Walking back into Harper’s home, I check to see that he’s still fast asleep and I smile. I steal one of his shirts and slip it on. The steps creak beneath my weight and when I reach the bottom the floor does the same.

I step into the kitchen to get myself something to eat but I end up shouting instead. Carley is standing at the counter and she turns to face me. She looks at me with an odd and curious expression. The two of us continue this staring contest until Harper appears behind me and asks, “Carley, when did you get here?”

“Late last night,” she replies, finally tearing her eyes from me to look at Harper. I, too, stare back at him to see that he’s in a pair of PJ pants and a wife beater. He yawns and rubs at his eyes. “Who is that?”

I try my best not to glare at the girl and I answer, “I’m Roy…his neighbor.”

Carley whistles and turns to face the stove once more. I expect her to fall silent but when I head for the fridge she giggles, “Seems like you’re more than a neighbor to me.”

“Pardon me?” I throw her a glare over my shoulder. She isn’t looking at me when she answers.

“Well, you two were cuddling in the same bed and your neck is covered with hickies. If you’re just neighbors then you’re pretty damn close.” Carley takes the sausage from the pan and places it on three separate plates. Holding her stomach, she walks to the cupboard to get three glasses and hands them to me, asking to get her some orange juice.

I debate on chucking the glass at her face but decide against it. That’d be way too childish and I’m sure Harper would be mad at me for it. Grumbling, I get the three of us juice and take a seat beside Harper. Maybe I purposely sat extremely close and grabbed his hand but really…that doesn’t matter…Harper and I are dating now so I’m allowed!I totally did it on purpose.

Carley sits across from us and heaves a sigh. One of her hands is resting against her huge stomach and she takes a bite of her breakfast with a smile. “So you’re the Roy I hear so much about?”

“Carley,” Harper growls in a warning tone but I ignore it.

“You heard about me?” I ask, staring across the table into two sea green eyes. Those eyes sparkle mischievously and I’m sure that she knows that what she’s about to say will piss Harper off and she’s probably happy about that.

“Yep,” she giggles, eyeing Harper evilly. “When he came up to stay or talked to me over the phone he’d talk to me about an adorable boy named Roy that he met and how amazing he was and how much of a good kisser he was and-”

“Carley, fucking seriously!” Harper shouts, slamming his fist against the table. Carley leans back in her chair and raises her hands up in defense.

“Down killer, just sayin’.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Harper scowls, “Why do you do everything you can to piss me off?”

“Because I can.”

“Bitch.”

“Asshole.”

“Beat skank.”

“What does that make the one who dated the beat skank?”

My eyes travel back and forth between the two as they throw one insult after the other at each other. Harper is getting more and more pissed off but Carley seems to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Chuckling, I catch their attention by saying, “You two act like brother and sister.”

“If I were related to her, I’d kill myself.”

Carley ignores Harper to say, “Yeah, it’s one of the reasons we broke up. I can’t believe you got such a cutie so fast Harper…why are all the good guys gay?”

“Because they date girls like you and realize that woman are a lost cause.”

I crack up while Carley begins to holler at him. Maybe having her around won’t be so bad?