Broken Dreams(77)

Henry took offence to Cam’s statement. “She’s more than that to me,” he snapped.

“Alright, I get you.” Cam held his hands up in a defensive position. “I apologize. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Henry slammed his drink. Cam refilled it right away. “What else is going on with you? You seem really off.”

“Work stress. No big fucking deal. Same old bullshit.” He took another swig.

“You know what you need?” Cam leaned his elbows on the table and took a sip of his drink.

“What’s that?”

“A vacation.” Henry burst out laughing. “What?”

“I’m not that lucky.” He leaned back in the chair, and spun the glass around a few times.

“You obviously have the cash flow for it, or you wouldn’t be tipping my boys C-Notes every time they breathe. You should go take a jaunt across Europe, or even go camp out on a Caribbean island for a month.” Henry loved the sound of that. A month long island trip with Elaina would be a dream come true, but it wasn’t feasible.

“Wish I could. You’re right. Cash flow is not an issue for me. My issue is no one can cover for me at work. I can never get away from it.” Wasn’t that the truth? His job would always be the proverbial monkey on his back for the rest of his so-called life.

“I hear that.” Cam sighed and sipped his drink. Henry finished his second.

Cam continued to refill Henry’s glass until the bottle was gone and he was shitfaced. That was exactly what Henry wanted. He tried to stand up to leave, and he almost fell over.

“Whoa, partner. Let me help you out,” Cam said as he got up and grabbed Henry’s arm. “Let’s get you home.”

“Yeah. Good idea.” Henry smiled with heavy-lidded eyes, and clapped Cam on the shoulder. “Cam…you’re…a fucking great…friend.” Every word came out staggered and slurred.

Cam laughed. “You’re drunk, my friend.”

“That…I am.” Cam signaled to Philip, and walked Henry out to the valet area.

“You know the routine. Stand here against the building while I get my car. Don’t fall over.”

“Got you.” Henry chuckled.

Cam drove him home, followed by Philip in Henry’s Tahoe. He felt bad for putting them out, but he lived only a few blocks away. He walked home one time, but got into a fight with some punk ass kid trying to mug him. He decided that walking home alone and drunk off of his ass was no longer an option. It would just get him into more trouble than he needed.

Cam walked Henry up to his apartment building, and nodded at the doorman. Soon enough, Cam would develop a tight friendship with him if Henry kept his drunken escapades up.

The elevator ride was a little shaky. Henry nearly fell over when it stopped at his floor. When they finally made it to his door, he struggled with his key.

“Here, bossman, let me get that for you.”

The next door neighbor peeked out of her door. “Ahh, drunk again, I see.”

Cam shot her a look. “Leave him alone. He has been dealing with some heavy shit.” She slammed her door shut. Henry chuckled. Cam unlocked the door. “You want me to make sure you get to your bed, or are you good on crawling there?”

“I’m fine. Thanks.” Henry stumbled into his apartment.

“Listen. Send her flowers or something like that. Tell her how you feel. You’re a good man. She will take you back.”

“If…you only knew, Cam. I have…a lot of…skeletons.”

“Don’t we all? Go get some rest. Philip’s parking your truck in the garage. I will have him leave the key with the doorman.”

“Thanks.” Henry closed the door and locked it. He staggered over to his fridge and checked for the injection. It was still there.

He weaved down the hall to his bedroom, running into the walls on both sides. He tripped over the ottoman, and laid his jacket on the chair. After he lay down on the bed, he yanked his shirt out of his pants and unbuckled his belt.

Henry reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. He debated whether or not he should call Elaina. He decided that it wasn’t a good idea since he was drunk and, more than likely, would probably dig the hole deeper after some intense groveling.

After scrolling through the pictures again, the one that struck him the most was of Elaina just standing there, facing the camera with her hands on her hips. He captured her full attitude as she stood there in one of those tight tank tops and shorty shorts that he loved so much. He loved her attitude and her body. What he wouldn’t give just to hold her, let alone make love to her again.