He woke up panicking and drenched in cold sweat, from yet another nightmare and as he opened his eyes, they were immediately assaulted by the golden rays that penetrated through the window curtains.The pain in his head, as if someone was drilling a hole was so severe and when the smell of alcohol on his clothes engulfed him, he felt nauseated.He squinted against the stream of sunlight and got up, flashes of memory of the previous night flickering in his head. It took him a moment to process that he was in an alien environment and his panic raised even further. He caught a glimpse of his image in the small vanity, he no longer had the black wig, his head was a mess of white hair, disheveled.As he hastily descended the small staircase, sweating in panic, his eyes briefly caught a glimpse of the photographs that decorated the walls.He tried to recall what had transpired the night before but all he could remember was the many drinks that he had ordered and how he had gulped them one after the other.
He had no idea where he was and even how he had gotten there, he knew that he had to get out of the house fast. He halted in the living room, his light blue eyes fixed on the figure in the kitchen. Grey could only see his back which was facing him, the man was about six foot with toned lean muscles and his hair appeared a lighter shade of brown with blondes highlights in the glory of the light that penetrated the kitchen windows. As if sensing his presence, the man turned to face Grey, and he recognized that face,
'Percy?'
Percy walked towards Grey in complete silent and Grey resist the argue to flee.When he was a few steps away, Grey took two backwards. Percy simply gave Grey a shy dimpled smile and extended his hands to him,
'A glass of water. Helps with hangover'
Though an act kindness, trust didn't come to Grey easily and he shook his head to decline the gesture even though his throat was dry.
'How am l here? What happened?'
A wave of dizziness washed over him and he shook his head as if to dismiss it but it was soon followed by a gnawing headache. Percy noticed this and adviced him to sit down on the couch. He went to the kitchen and returned with medication,
' Take this with water, the hangover will be gone in a few hours.'
Grey wanted to decline again but with the trobbing head and the nauseating sensation in his throat, he took the medication on the glass table, popped it in his mouth and gulped the entire glass. The hangover symptoms became somewhat bearable. He threw his head back, resting it on the couch,needing a moment to catch himself. He cursed inwards at Gianni, knowing that he would probably not be in this situation if Gianni had not forced him to the club.
He opened his eyes after a few seconds and found Percy oddly staring at him with a strange glint in his eyes,
'So, what is happened, how did l get here?' Grey rubbed his temple in a bid to soothe the headache. Percy sat on the opposite navy blue velevet couch and linked his fingers repling,
'Uhmm so l ran into you at the club, the A-list,was there to met a friend.'
Grey nodded , his mind blank and Percy continued,
'You were drunk and there was a guy forcing himself -' he trailed off, his voice sounding as if a certain emotion had ingulfed him. Percy words were the spark that Grey needed and they ignited the memories like wildfire.
After Gianni had left, he had ordered a couple of martinis and maybe some tequila. He knew that he could have left the club the moment Gianni had gone to the tattooed guy but at the same time he needed the escape that alcohol could give him. He had thought that the club was different but he had been dead wrong. The club had came alive at about nine, with sweaty bodies mixed with expensive perfumes, swaying to the loud music and grinding against each other. He reckoned the pulsating beats and a stranger approaching him at the bar and his musky colgne . He had rejected the man advances and when the guy had been persistent, Grey had got up to leave. The guy had caught up to him in the neon lit club hall way. The guy, sober with sheer power had pushed him into the wall, causing the black wig to fall from his head. Disgusted, he remembered, the way the guy had forced a kiss on him and the way his calloused hand had ran over his body, the other one pinning him to the wall.
'Shit' he cursed loudly, surmising how things could have turned out if Percy had not found him. He knew that, with how drunk he had been , he couldn't fight the guy and things could have gone another way. He knew that he had lost his chauffeur's digit somewhat during the encounter with that stranger in the club.
Percy sat in silent watching with a strange glint the white haired man caught in the thread of his memories.
'Uhmm thanks, man.' he ignored the look of amusement on his photographer's face.
'God, it wasn't even a gay club.' he murmured to himself, running his fingers in his white locs in frustration.
'Don't worry about it, anyone could have done that. I should have taken you home but l figured that with how drunk you were, you probably would have forgotten your security passcode. So l brought you here' '
Grey thanked him again and grateful for the first time that someone had recognized him in that club. He knew that he didn't have any close relations with any members of the crew that worked for him. As a matter of fact, this was his first conversation with Percy, outside of work.
There was awkward dead silence in the room, Grey caught in his memory. Grey ran his hand again through his tousled hair, hoping to tame some stray hairs, feeling the punishment his other night, his aching muscles and the uneasiness in his gut. His eyes roamed the house, the expensive furniture and the candid photographs that covered every inch of the walls. The apartment was a gallery in itself with various images captured and turned into a masterpiece.
'So do you need - ?' Percy inquired, but the loud ringtone of the phone upstairs interrupted him and he got up and walked across the room, climbing the stairs and emerging seconds later with a black iPhone,
'Its yours, it was charging ' Percy explained as he handed the phone to Grey. Grey took a deep breath before answering Gianni's call,
'Hey kiddo, did you have fun last night?'
White foam was covering up to Gianni cleverage and her hair was wrapped in a white towel,
'Do l look like l did?'
'Calm down, Rhea said she been trying to call you but you weren't answering. Poor soul, she thought that she was in trouble because you missed your flight' Gianni sipped red wine, leaning her back on the porcelain tub.
Grey briefly closed his eyes, remembering the flight to the Bahamas that he had missed. He was supposed to be disappointed but somehow, he found himself hopeful,
'So does that mean that the deal with Qat-, l mean Ray Electronics is over'
Gianni laughed, her white teeth glistening on the video call,
'You wish but sorry to disappoint. Even if you were a week late we can't break the deal off. Anyways, l have spoken to the manager in charge. He said not to worry, the main events haven't started yet but you need to be there by Thursday.'
Percy, who had disappeared into the kitchen after giving him his phone, sat a plate of toast and juice on the glass table in front of him,
' Helps with settling the stomach' he stated in a low tone.
' Good God, did l heard it right. Whose husky voice is that? You finally got laid. Ohh, how did l miss that, you're in his house'
Gianni squealed like a fan girl, surveying Grey background, her voice loud enough to be heard by Percy who was apposite Grey.Grey managed to hold the blush of embarrassement that wanted to creep into his pale face as Percy climbed the stairs giving him privacy. He rolled his eyes,
'Gianni!'
She ignored him and started rumpling,
'Was he any good? Better than Mr Club hunky. I had three orgasms, He -'
'Okay Gianni, l gotta go, bye'
Grey clicked the red button on the screen, ending the call. He decided that he would never mention it to Gianni, that Percy had literally saved him. Gianni liked drama but he wasn't going to give it to her.
When Percy returned, he had changed from his t shirt and sweatpants into acid washed jeans, blue sweater and combat boots. He offered Grey a ride since he was meeting a business associate on that part of town. Grey took the offer almost to quickly, as he was spared the hustle of taking a cab. In the elevator,he was surprised that the guy lived in a condo on top of a fifty story skyscraper and even more puzzling was that the guy owned a luxury car, a porsche.
'