Confessions of a Party Animal

I yawned and stretched, looking over at the naked figure in bed beside me. I looked the boy up and down—his well-toned torso, nice ass, disheveled brown hair. He was quite the looker, that was for sure. Was pretty damn good in bed as well if my memory of the previous night served me correctly.

I got out of the bed, letting the sheets fall from my bare body as I began to gather up my clothes. I heard the boy move, murmuring softly before fully regaining his consciousness.

“Steven?” he asked softly, crystal blue eyes shining.

“Hm?” I replied, pulling my clothes back on.

“Where are you going?”

“Home,” I said with a shrug.

“But…But what about last night..?” His voice sounded sad, a little weak even, as reality of the one-night stand hit him hard.

“It was fun, kiddo, but I’ve got to go,” I ruffled his hair. “Thanks for the great fuck by the way.” I smiled cheekily at him before walking out of the room and through the house, stumbling over bodies that had passed out sometime during the course of the party and hadn’t yet awoken.

As I walked back to my apartment, I reflected ever so slightly. The kid had been cute, no doubt about that. And it was almost amusing that he thought anything would come of last night. Of course nothing serious would have sprouted. I was far from a serious guy. Everything was a joke to me. Every night was another party. It had been this way for as far back as I can remember. Same old, same old. Just the way I liked it.

I hung up my coat on the hook beside the door as I yawned then stretched. I ran a hand through my hair and surveyed my rather plain apartment. The kitchen that was attached to the small living area was a mess, the living area in disarray. A few blankets and pillows strewn across the couch, empty glasses and bowls on the coffee table, and a rip in the back of the arm chair. There was a few articles of clothing making a trail from a few feet inside the door to the one bedroom. I followed the trail, stripping of my shirt and pants, dropping them on the floor as soon as they were off.

I made it to my room, going to the small stand beside my bed to greet Harold IV, my hamster. Don’t ask what happened to the first three.

I fed and watered my little companion before making my way to the small bathroom and showering. Then lounging around in my boxers the rest of the day.

When the evening rolled around, I got dressed and headed to tonight’s party. An acquaintance of mine I had met in college before I dropped out was this evening’s host.

He greeted me at the door with a plastic cup of booze which I gladly and hurriedly accepted.

“Steven!” he yelled over the blaring speakers and pounding bass. “There’s a cute guy been asking about you!”

“Is there now? How cute?” I called over the music, smirking as I took a sip of the mixed concoction in my hand.

“Damn cute. I’ll see if I can find him then I’ll drag him around with me ‘til I find you again.” He clapped me on the shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

I made my way through in a different direction, settling myself on a couch between two hot women before turning on the charm. I knew my gracious host would be easily distracted and it would be halfway through the night before he found whoever it was. I decided I’d see how many times I could get laid before he found him.

It wasn’t long before I was buttoning my shirt back up and slipping out of one of the upstairs bedrooms. Again. With a smirk on my face, I mentally counted. Four. Not bad at all. And still no sign of my host, Aaron, and the mystery man that was asking about me.

I went back downstairs, thinking about finding one more but quickly dispelled the thought. I was low on energy. I needed to replenish some of my stamina if I wanted to have any more fun tonight, so I grabbed another drink from the kitchen.

I went with a simple beer. Tonight wasn’t going to be a wasted night. It was going to be a tipsy night, as most had been since I’d hit twenty. I’d learned the sex was better if you could remember it in the morning.

On my way out of the kitchen I unsurprisingly bumped into someone—a shorter guy with a mess of brown hair. His drink sloshed all over his shirt and he looked up at me, agitated, before quickly gaining a deer-in-headlights look.

I looked at the frozen figure for a moment, trying to analyze his reaction before it hit me. That mess of brown hair. Those crystal blue eyes. That lean figure. It was last night’s fuck. Damn. What was his name..?

I decided to play dumb.

“Dude, I’m so sorry, now you’re gonna smell like booze all night. Totally my fault.”

I grabbed a paper towel and tried handing it to him but he appeared to still be frozen.

“Ah, you found each other! Good, I’ll just leave you to it.”

I looked up and briefly saw Aaron as he retreated back into the living room, leaving me alone with the kid.

Aaron seemed to have snapped him out of his freeze. He set his drink on the counter before grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me out to the backyard, finding a secluded area by the fence with a hammock before pushing me back so I fell into the hammock.

I dropped my beer as I struggled to sit upright and stare, dumbfounded, at the boy.

“Um, yeah?” I asked, still playing dumb.

“You,” he whispered softly.

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“You…you don’t remember at all..?” His voice broke ever slightly.

“Look, kid, I don’t know who you have me confused with but I’ve never met you before,” I told him sternly, going to stand back up.

“Oh, I see,” he said, shrugging it off like he believed me as he straddled my waist, forcing me back into the hammock.

He started kissing my neck, his hands making their way just under my shirt to grab my hips. I shivered as I contemplated breaking me rule of never sleeping with the same person twice. He believed that I didn’t know him right? I could just give him a different name…

After a few minutes, once I was all “excited,” he nipped my ear, tugging at it slightly with his teeth, earning a small moan from me. Then he whispered in my ear. I froze and looked at him with wide eyes. He smirked and rolled off of me, laying on the hammock beside me.

“I know it’s you, Steven. And I know you remember. So quit playing dumb.”

He laid his head on my chest and cuddled into my side, smirking at my “problem.”

“C’mon, kid,” I whined slightly.

“Payback. It’s the best I could come up with on short notice. But don’t think it’s over.”

He stared up at the stars through the bare branches in the late autumn chill, his head still laying on my chest.

“Payback..?” I asked quietly, feeling like if I spoke too loud something in me might snap and break, falling to pieces and turning to dust to be blown away in the cold breeze.
I shivered slightly in the cold, wishing I had my coat. He felt the shiver and moved closer to me, his body heat feeling amazing against my body.

“Payback,” he repeated in a whisper, “for making me believe we could’ve had something like this.”

He cuddled up closer to me, his head still on my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and held him, deep in thought. A relationship? That had never really even occurred to me before. But…this did feel nice. It was different. A good change of pace from my partying and one-night-stands. Something real I could hold on to.

I woke up when morning came. I woke up lying in the hammock, shivering and alone, last night’s happenings and thoughts swirling through my head. When my eyes finally focused, I caught a glimpse of something black on the back of my hand. Pen ink. The name Gavin written followed by a phone number and a heart.