"Rob, psst., Robbie are you awake?"
I'm groggy, disoriented, in a state of twilight sleep. Not sure if I am awake or asleep, dreaming I had heard my name. Lays silent, I try to focus on any sounds that might have been similar to what I might or might not have heard.
"psst, Robbie, you awake?"
There's no doubt about it, I'm hearing my name, a low whisper, nearly imperceptible. My eyes open, a dangling hand moving back and forth above the edge of my pillow. A good foot away from my face yet I can feel the light breeze washing across my cheek. I'm in the lower bunk, finally recognizes my surroundings.
"Yeah? I'm awake now, what's wrong? You OK?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, just thought if you were already awake you could maybe answer a question I have."
The whispered voice was barely louder than moments before. The dangling arm retracts followed by a loud, "THUMP, SHIT."
"Watch out for that low ceiling there Tonto."
"Shut it you."
Tag finally uses his full voice, he growls his demand for my silence. Chuckling inside, I sit up, propping my left elbow on the pillow, palm flat, ear pressed into the clammy pedestal.
"You know that stuff we were talking about before we hit the sack? Well, are you serious about the offer?"
For sure, this is not what I thought was going to be the topic of this middle of the night chit chat. Looking out the open window, the crescent moon shines brightly, not a single cloud to diffuse it's brilliant whiteness. I'm awake now, totally awake, listening intently to the breathing of my friend in the upper bunk.
"OK, what part of what we were talking about are you referring to Tag? We had a few different conversations, some of them I don't even think I will remember until you remind me about them."
"Well, hope it was not something that I got messed up in translation, did you offer to act out a bit of our fantasies? No sex stuff though, just role play stuff, you know maybe a little good cop, bad robber? Was that what you were talking about just before we turned in?"
"OH, that! Shit, I didn't think you even heard what I was saying cause you got up, seemed kind of out of it by then. Yeah, that's sorta the gist, what do you have in mind?"
My body begins to tingle, feel the swell of my penis under the thin sheet, sheets that Tag's mom must have gotten for him a good decade ago. Baseball players, bats in hand, pitchers throwing what could be interpreted as a fast ball with lines leading from the ball back to the pitchers hand to exemplify speed and flight. It's really kind of cute, like a young stud still wearing Superman underwear. Innocent yet sexy all at the same time.
"I don't know, this was your idea. You tell me what you have in mind, I'll let you know if it's something that's in my wheel house."
He's putting all of this on me, to come up with a play scenario that we can both be possibly into yet still comfortable enough about that it wouldn't mess up our friendship, maybe a little turn of the screw is in order.
"Tag, let's get something straight first, no matter what happens, no matter how good or bad this play turns out, it does not effect us, our friendship, promise? It's the only stipulation I have, we've got to agree with that or we should just forget the whole thing, deal?"
"Deal, I want to have some input though, not that I don't trust you or whatever experience you might have had playing out your fantasies but I really want to make sure that what ever happens is just as much my doing, just as much my fault as it is yours, so DEAL."
What before we had gone to bed seemed so simple has begun to take on real stress. The reality that our imaginations could possibly become reality causes me to break out into a cold sweat.
"Listen, Tag man, you said you consider yourself to be a forced alpha male, well here's your opportunity to take a swing at that ball. I believe in you man, go for it, give me your best shot, put me in the position I need to be in."
Hears ruffling of sheets, the creek of the bed frame, decides to choose to lay flat on my back. Stares directly above me, springs and slats beneath the upper bunks mattress strain as Tag's body moves from side to side, shifts, lifts. He's obviously uncomfortable having been put on the spot, I wonder if it is all a little too much, too soon.
"OK, listen up, your old man and Lee are set to return this weekend, right?"
Pushes the back of my head deeper into the surface of the pillow, ears partially covered with the downy cushion. This is definitely not what I had expected to hear. Where the hell is this coming from? Even worse, where is it going?
"Yeah, I got Dad's text yesterday, said he was arriving at the house some time mid afternoon Saturday. Lee is staying at the job site, sleeping in the trailer. He's gonna get things up and running there. Dad will get everything back home and unpacked, settled so that Lee can just come home Monday evening. Dad will bring him back from the job site that way, they won't have to switch vehicles."