Whilst at first, words didn’t come at all, now they’re practically tumbling out of him. “Why did I do that?” he asks. “I’m so stupid.”
“No, you’re not,” I whisper.
“I made another $5,000 and then…then it all disappeared.”
“How?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out and then says, “The stock plummeted after the CFO of the pharmaceutical company was arrested for insider trading.”
We sit in silence for a long time. I don’t know what to say and Hudson has nothing else to say. Eventually, and with a great deal of effort, I turn off the light and take the laptop from his lap. I pull the covers over him and give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Where are you going?” he whispers.
“I thought I’d give you some time to rest,” I say.
“Can you stay? Please?”
I climb into bed with him. Hudson wraps his arms around me. He presses himself against me. We spoon for some time. Minutes tick away. Sometime later, I turn to face him. I think that he’s asleep, but he’s wide awake. Still staring out in the distance.
“You should get some sleep,” I say. “Things will be better in the morning.”
Hudson looks at me. He disentangles his hand from the covers and brushes his index finger along my bottom lip. His fingertip feels soft like silk. Slowly, he pulls himself closer to me. I feel his breath on my lips. Our lips touch.
His lips are effervescent. He parts my lips with his tongue. It feels familiar and strange at the same time. As we kiss, our bodies morph into one. I can no longer tell where he begins and I end.
Suddenly, his kisses become more forceful. He presses his whole body into mine. Every last inch of it is hard and strong. He climbs on top of me and kisses me harder. So hard that it borders on painful. I try to keep up. I push back into him. He rises a little above me. I’m surprised at my own strength.
We make out well into the night. It doesn’t go further than that. We don’t rip our clothes off. We simply make out. Like teenagers. Because, mainly, we still are. I don’t want to lie. It’s not like thoughts of pulling off his clothes don’t strike me, but I don’t initiate. He doesn’t either. At this moment, this is enough. This is more than enough. Sometime later, after we’re both worn out, we fall asleep in each other’s arms.
2
It’s 3:37 a.m. when I sneak out of bed to get something to drink. As I pour myself a cup of milk, Dylan comes in and flips on the lights. He startles me. I shield them as best as I can, but the bright lights still sting my eyes.
“Hey, I’m so sorry. Didn’t know you were in here,” he says.
Dylan’s dressed in a suit. The one he wears exclusively to clubs.
“Shit, Alice, I’m not having a good day,” Dylan says.
“Neither is Hudson,” I say.
He looks away. Pours himself a cup of water. “Oh, he heard? I was going to tell him in the morning.”
“He lost $15,000, Dylan,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Oh, shit, I didn’t know it was that much. I thought he’d only invested five.”
“No, he invested his gains back into it.”
“Ah, well, that’s what happens.” Dylan shrugs.
“Is that all you’re going to say?” I ask. “That’s all his savings. He lost everything.”
I’m so angry, I want to punch him.
“Hey, if it’s any consolation, I lost twenty grand. Just about.” He shrugs.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t have a rich dad to bail him out,” I say. “You can still afford to go party all night. He can’t.”
Dylan shrugs. He doesn’t look like he cares much.
“How could you let this happen?” I try again.
I have to make him understand. I know I shouldn’t be doing this at three in the morning, after I didn’t get much sleep and he has been out all night, but I can’t stop myself.
“Hey, listen, it was an investment. He knew what he was getting into.”
“But it was your guy!”
“So what? That guy made him $10,000! Would you be here yelling at me if he had pulled out?”
“No, but he didn’t, did he? He lost all his money!”
“I don’t want to hear this shit, Alice,” Dylan says. “I lost a lot of money, too. Hudson’s a big boy.”
“He’s right,” Hudson says, coming out of his room. “He’s right, Alice. I knew about the risks.”
“But don’t you think Dylan should’ve warned you—“
“No,” Hudson cuts me off. “It’s fine, really. It’s not Dylan’s fault.”
“It just sucks,” I say. “You lost so much money. I just wish I could help.”
“I know, but you can’t. No one can. It’s fine,” he says.
“No, it’s not.” I shake my head and open the door to my room.
I leave Hudson and Dylan alone. If he’s not mad at him, why should I be? I rub my eyes. Juliet turns around in bed. She’s engulfed in her comforter and I can barely see her face. Only her eyes.
“Sorry to wake you,” I whisper and close the door behind myself to block the light from the kitchen.
“It’s okay,” she says. Her voice is raspy and uneven. “Dylan and I broke up.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say, changing into my pjs.
“It’s okay,” she sighs. “He’s back with Peyton. Again. He’s obsessed with Peyton.”
Though I can’t see very well, I can tell that her eyes are puffy. She has been crying.
“Hey, weren’t you supposed to be away for the weekend?” she asks.
I fill her in on the details. Simon. Hudson. Hudson and I making out. Hudson losing his money. Wow, this has been a ridiculously long day. Just going over it in a few sentences tires me out.
She listens quietly, taking it all in. Doesn’t comment. I’m grateful for that. I couldn’t deal with a snarky remark right
