A Day to Be Envied

Chapter 17

Trent's teeth chattered uncontrollably after jumping out of the shower. He had been wet for far too long, and his body was finally beginning to rebel against the unnatural state. He dried off as much as his threadbare towel would allow, but only improved from wet to damp.

Sandy sat up on his bed and stared at the naked man stepping out of the bathroom. She giggled at his uncontrollable shivering, but didn't say a word. At least, he hoped she was laughing at his shivering. She couldn't say anything about his being naked while she sat there in nothing but her birthday suit.

He noticed the joint she held in one hand only after she released a cloud of smoke in his direction. The pretty blond had certainly made herself at home. “Where were you while I was sleepin'?” She asked, her voice a husky drawl that whispered across the room.

“Eh, had some errands to run, and I picked up a dog that decided it wanted to be my friend after it failed to kill me.” He left the sentence hanging in the air. He wanted to make her laugh again. Erin had always been easier to deal with when she was laughing.

She laughed. “Do what?”

Trent thought about going into the entire story of his morning, but his mind flinched away from thoughts of what had happened prior to finding the dog. Erin's sobs played background music to everything that had come after the episode outside Charlie's. “It's a long story,” he said, then really looked at her. She was naked and only a few feet away from him after all, he couldn't help but look.

Sandy certainly did have the body of someone that worked in the occupation she claimed. The bed was uncomfortable, but the beauty lounged on it as if it was a down mattress. Trent came to the conclusion that she had entered his room willingly and under her own power, rather than the influence of alcohol.

“When are you gonna get over here and share that?” He pointed toward her, but left it up to her to decide whether he was talking about the joint. Or her.

She floated up off the bed, rather than simply stand, and Trent felt his jaw drop as she swayed her way across the room. The girl was nothing if not comfortable in her own skin, and rightly so.

“What, this?” She said, stopping just inches away from him and holding her arms straight out to her sides. Neither glanced at the burning joint.

Trent had to look straight down to see into her eyes, and he noticed for the first time that they were an extremely light sea green. An exotic color if ever he'd seen one, but he wondered how much better she would look if those eyes were a dark brown. Not like Erin's weak brown, but a darker, richer...

He laughed at the look that came over her face when he snatched the joint from her hand. “Yeah, that,” he said with a mocking smile as he backpedaled away. Sandy smiled, and set to trying to steal the joint back.

Trent lost sight of what he had been meant to do over the next few hours. He could think of nothing but the beautiful girl in his arms, and the kinked blond hair that whipped around the room with her.

*****

Sandy's eyes were closed, her head resting lightly on his chest as they lay back in his bed. The covers were halfway across the room, but neither of them noticed or cared. Trent stroked her hair, content to just lie in bed exactly as they were. Her breathing felt as if she was asleep, so it surprised him when she began to speak.

“I know I told you what I do,” she started slowly, “But I don't want you to think this is somethin' I do a lot. Hookin' up like we did. Hell, I don't come to these kinds of parties at all. I dunno if you want me to, but if you're willing, I wanna come back and spend time with you.” She snuggled in closer to him, as if to accentuate her intent.

Trent wondered if he should really be getting into anything even remotely resembling a relationship after the fiasco with Erin. But he felt no reluctance to spend time with this girl. She was cool, and hadn't said anything crazy to him in the hours they had spent together. Plus, her voice didn't grate on his nerves the way Erin's always had. What was there not to like?

Even the fact that she was a stripper didn't bother him. It was just part of who she was. He was the last person to judge someone on how they made a living after his interview with the gangster. He didn't give a thought to anything long term, but he wouldn't be upset if that's what it turned into.

“I'd like that.” The tone he used let her know just how much he wanted her to stay with him. A long speech wasn't necessary.

They lay in comfortable silence for an indeterminate amount of time after that, until Trent broke the quiet again. His hand never stopped moving through her hair. “I'm about to start workin' nights, anyway. So, we'll be gone at the same time. You can come over whenever you want, and chances are someone'll be here. I don't do much durin' the day , so if you're here it'd make things a lot more...enjoyable.”

He stopped, worrying that asking her to come over all the time was too much. Girls would leave you in a heartbeat if they thought you wanted them. When Sandy sighed against his chest he realized she wasn't anything like Erin. He didn't have to count his words and worry constantly, he could say what he meant and do what he wanted.

Being comfortable would take some getting used to.

His thoughts strayed to his writing then. It was quiet, and he was relaxed, so he thought of what he wanted rather than what he had to. The entire reason Erin had agreed to his quitting Charlie's. He had completed a manuscript. It was rough, but it was done, but now it felt like too much trouble.

Writing had been his dream his entire life, but it was a dream that died the instant he stepped out of his perfect life and ran away to live in hell. Sandy would make hell a much nicer place to be, whether he had his writing or not.

“S**t, there goes that night.” He groaned when he heard the people in his living room begin to move around. People were talking, and they weren't making an effort to be quiet. Either everyone was awake, or no one cared to allow anyone to stay asleep.

“I think we left night behind a long time ago.” Sandy laughed and glanced at the clock sitting beside the bed. “It's already two.”

Trent began to say his clock was wrong, but there wasn't a hint of a blink or fuzziness on its scratched and faded display. The numbers blazed brightly at ten past two.

Unbelievable, he thought. Everyone else could get a straight answer out of his clock, but it hated him.

“Yeah,” he laughed with her, glaring murder at the little brown box.

They both knew it was time to get up, but neither wanted to be the first to move. Trent could have laughed for the simple joy of being comfortable. Even his lumpy bed couldn't ruin the sensation.

Five minutes later Bobby slammed the door open and startled the couple so badly they nearly fell off the bed.

Bobby's hair was a mess; it was too long to sleep with and not straighten up in the morning. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, but he looked determined to get something done. Trent hoped it was something besides seeing him and Sandy naked.

“Crap...I'm sorry.” He said slowly. Extremely slowly. His eyes never left the woman in Trent's arms. “I'll just...They want you out here, Trent.” His eyes didn't move in spite of who he was addressing. Trent coughed loudly as the moment stretched. Bobby shook his head and ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.

“You'd think he'd never seen a girl naked before,” Sandy laughed.

Trent laughed with her, but it was tempered by curiosity. She hadn't moved a muscle through the entire ordeal, not even preening at the continued study. He figured she was used to being stared at, though. She did it for a living, why would it bother her if Bobby got an eyeful in exchange for a laugh.

Trent sat up, and pulled Sandy's head around to kiss her once more before they had to face the world. The two of them dressed in silence; Sandy in the skimpy party outfit she had worn beneath the hoody, and Trent in a new pair of Dickey's. Well, semi-new. As new as he was going to get, and a plain green t-shirt that was lacking the customary random slogan on it.

Their eyes repeatedly found their way to each other as they went through what was normally an awkward morning after ritual. But Trent was smiling broadly when he finally exited the bedroom, and Sandy ducked under his arm on the way out. They were like two high school kids that just discovered the joy of being with someone.

Everyone was awake, even Bailey, although the fat shopkeeper was still sitting against the wall next to the microwave. The girl that had been sleeping beside Lex was gone, and Trent blinked in surprise. He had assumed Sandy had come with the girl, but Sandy didn't even notice her absence. Apparently they weren't as good of friends as he had thought.

Bobby was playing with the dog when the two of them walked out, and since he had already seen Sandy, he was the only one that didn't seem surprised, even if he did blush clear to the roots of his hair. Dave took it in stride after arching an eyebrow, as Trent suspected the old bum would take anything, and Bailey was too far gone to do more than goggle at the gorgeous woman.

Trent stiffened at the look his best friend threw at him, though. Lex seemed upset at the mere sight of Sandy. Trent couldn't figure that out, it wasn't like he had slept with an ogre. Lex had introduced them, what did he think the outcome would be? Trent stared hard at his friend, but Lex's expression didn't fade.

“What's up?” Trent put Lex's pouting out of his mind.

“Dude,” Bobby's voice shot through the oddly quiet apartment. “Where the hell'd ya get the dog?” The dark mutt wagged her tail wildly under Bobby's hands, and Trent laughed at the look of doggy delight on its face. Somehow he had forgotten the dog even existed while he was with Sandy. He had forgotten the world existed.

“She and I had a fight. I won, so she came home with me.” Trent kept it simple. And cryptic. It was always more fun when it was cryptic. He didn't want to get into how he had wandered into the apartment covered in mud and ooze from some dirty pool that wouldn't be used as a cesspit. When he ran over what he had said, he realized it left more questions to be asked than he had answered. Definitely much more fun.

Dave wasn't going to let him have it all, though. “Didn't look like you won when you came in.” He glanced around the room, searching for an audience. Bobby and Sandy were it, but it was easy to tell they were interested. Lex stared at the ground between his feet, and Bailey was crawling around the floor doing who knew what. “You shoulda seen him. Didn't look like nothin' human. An' he smelled even worse. Covered in mud and god knows what else when he squelched through the door.” Dave laughed loudly, and Bobby responded in kind while Sandy giggled at Trent's side.

“Yeah,” Trent glanced wryly at Dave. “Thanks for tellin' everyone. I had the great treat of getting to take a splendid shower in that damn refrigerator I call a bathroom.” He smiled down at Sandy, “Although I got to warm up afterward.”

Lex glanced up in time to see his friend and the girl on his arm smile at each other. No one paid attention to the sharp shake of his head.

“Joint.” Bobby said.

Everyone in the room nodded their agreement. None of them was going to argue with a joint. Even Lex came out of his funk enough to join them. His presence was the only concession he granted them, though. He didn't say a word as they gathered around the TV.

The small group found various objects to sit on. Everyone but Bailey, anyway. He took his time crawling to the gathering and just fell against the faded pink armchair in exhaustion.

Trent and Sandy only took up one spot on the little couch because of how close they sat. There was easily room for another person on the rickety sofa, but no one filled it. Dave surprised everyone by bringing a plate of scrambled eggs to Sandy. Bobby exclaimed at the appearance of food as he rolled the first joint.

“Well, if you want some, ya better have me a joint rolled when I get back.” He raised an eyebrow and strolled back to the stove.

The dog curled up at Trent's feet and watched Sandy tuck into her breakfast.

Dave brought a plate of eggs for Bobby, and Bobby handed him the first joint in exchange. Dave pulled up a crate that groaned beneath him when he fell on it. He glanced worriedly down, then shrugged and fished out a lighter. Bailey looked at Dave with the same expression the dog did Sandy.

“What?” Dave snapped impatiently.

Bailey looked at him, “Do the rest of us get breakfast?” His voice seemed to whine with all the petulance of a child in a toy store. It didn't have any positive effect.

Dave lit his joint and stared at the obese man as if he'd lost his mind. “I dunno why not, but I ain't your damn maid. Get it yourself.” Bobby laughed and was forced to hold a hand to his mouth to keep from spitting eggs on the TV.

Trent was completely aware that the acid in Dave's voice was sincere, but he just went about lighting the joint Bobby handed him. Sandy didn't pay any attention as she made appreciative sounds for the eggs.

The sound didn't escape Dave's notice, and he looked at Trent with a wry grin. “I'm glad ya like it. We woulda had bacon, too, but someone decided to bring a dog home, and it ate before we did.” He looked at the dog curled up at Trent's feet, but it never took its eyes off Sandy. She stuck her tongue out in response.

The dog gave up on the hard-hearted girl and wandered over to Bobby. There were easier targets. Bobby's hands were busy with rolling a joint, and his plate sat unprotected in his lap. The stoner was forced to watch as the dog licked a glob of eggs off his plate.

“Hey!” He screamed.

The dog stopped eating, but didn't back away. It had lived hungry for too long for a simple yell to make it abandon a good meal. When Bobby didn't reach out to stop her she moved in for another mouthful. “D****T! Someone grab her!”

Everyone laughed at Bobby's inability to keep the dog away from his food before she finished it all. He wasn't going to spill the weed in his lap to keep the eggs. Even after finishing the joint and fetching another plate she managed a mouthful through his defenses. A few more joints found their way into everyone's hands as they prepared for the dismal work of being conscious.

Eventually Lex stood and mumbled that he had to get himself to work, but no one paid much attention. He hadn't been the best of company, and Trent wouldn't pretend he was upset to see his back. The joy of smoking weed was that he could pretend he just didn't notice.

Bailey stood next, claiming he had to get to his store and open for the day.

At his statement Trent and Dave glanced nervously at each other, but a guilty smile widened on both their faces, and Dave shrugged. Trent shrugged back. Bailey would be okay. The shopkeeper shuffled out of the apartment with no idea that his store had been broken in to. He had just finished a joint, so it might not bother him too bad. Plus, it was the slums, being robbed was a regular occurance there.

Bobby frowned, and wondered aloud if he was on the schedule to work for the day, and in spite of Bailey's having been at the party, he wouldn't forgive Bobby not showing up. Trent, Sandy, and Dave watched as Bobby trudged out of the apartment in a haze. He would show up to work just as high as he normally was. The goofy blond stoner was nothing if not predictable.

“So, whaddawedo for the rest of the day?” Dave asked.

Sandy set her plate on the floor, and the dog ran over to get a good lick at it. She leaned back to look up at Trent.

“Well, I oughtta be gettin' back to my apartment. But, if ya want, I can come back after work tonight?” Her voice was hesitant, but Trent squeezed her arms around her reassuringly as he nodded.

She untangled herself from him, stood and ran into the bedroom to get her purse. Trent and Dave allowed the silence to linger. When Sandy emerged again, she kissed Trent, said goodbye to Dave, and sashayed out of the apartment with the knowledge that both men watched every step.

Trent shook his head to clear it as the door closed behind her. Dave was staring at him curiously.

“What?” He asked the older man cautiously.

“I'm impressed.” Dave said with a sly smile. “She's a good lookin' girl, and after Erin I figured you'd be slow to jump back in the game. That's the usual run of it. From the looks of her you didn't hesitate in the least. Good for you.”

For some reason, in spite of how personal the statements were, they didn't bother Trent. If anything, he got the feeling Dave didn't care one way or the other how he acted about Erin's disappearance. It was just another thing that had happened.

“Yeah. I'm happier with Erin gone. I guess the girls pick up on that.” He cringed at the memory of Erin crying, but Dave didn't see it.

“Seemed like she ran roughshod over you. I dunno how long she did that, but even a day is enough to make you shout with joy when it's over.” Dave's mouth was still open, but the door burst open and- Bobby came rushing in. They were high enough that neither reflexively jumped before they saw it was Bobby.

“Holy s**t! Bailey's got broken into!” Bobby laughed long and hard, and the other men looked at him strangely. Bobby plopped down on the couch with Trent, forcing him to remove his legs or have them sat on. Trent glared at him.

“That's a good thing?” Dave asked dubiously.

“Hell yeah! Means I ain't gotta work.” He glanced around and smiled even wider. “What y'all say we get down to some serious smokin'?”

What better way to spend the day?