Free Holding on to Hope by Sid Love

Part 1
     
    L ESLIE WAS certain.
    Her best friend Brad had totally lost his mind.
    After being forced to get out of bed at six in the morning, Leslie had given up on thinking the day would get any better. She had groaned and cried and begged for some mercy, but Brad hadn’t shown any.
    “This is important, Les!” The phone call had arrived somewhere around five thirty in the morning, and his commanding tone rang into her ears, no less annoying than a blaring alarm clock. “ I am important. Nothing else should matter to you more than to know what is happening in your best friend’s life, and this is huge. Woman, I need you now!”
    Leslie loved to hear those words when they came from her boyfriend’s dirty mouth. Coming from Brad, though, they only ticked her off. Not only did she have to end her sleep, but she had to turn down Pat’s tempting request to take another wild round before she left. Poor guy had to settle for a quickie and go back to sleep alone.
    So when she reached Brad’s place, Leslie gave him an earful. “Whatever this is about, it better be good, mister, because I’m this close to kicking your ass,” she grumbled as she breezed into his dorm room. Brad and Patrick were roommates, and her feet automatically took her in the direction of her boyfriend’s bed.
    Briskly, she swiveled on her feet and dropped her butt on the squishy bed. Her hands felt the warmth of the sheets underneath, making her realize how badly she needed some more sleep, and that made her angrier than she already was.
    “It’s the day after Valentine’s, Brad.” Leslie crossed her arms over her breasts and frowned. “Most couples get out of their beds a little late because the sex last night has worn every fucking inch of their body out. Women just want to lie cuddled in their man’s arms….”
    “I thought you hate cuddling.” Brad raised his right brow, giving her a mocking face.
    Although he was right on that part, she wouldn’t admit it to him. “I love cuddling. I can stay spooned up with my Patty-pie all night and still wouldn’t complain. I am the queen of cuddling, all right?” Leslie shook her head, realizing she was getting off topic. “But that’s not the point, Brad. You call me up in the middle of night—”
    “It’s six in the morning….”
    He had the nerve to interrupt Leslie again, and she wasn’t going to let him this time. Instead, she spoke louder and continued, “… in the middle of night, Brad, and expect me to leave everything else and come running to you for your stupid little problems. You can’t do that. I know you are my best friend, but you aren’t the only person in my life right now. Pat is too, and he deserves to be given priority over you.”
    Brad narrowed his brown eyes at her. “How could you?” He gasped suddenly.
    “What?”
    “You forgot to get him a Valentine’s Day gift, didn’t you?”
    Leslie threw her hands up in the air and whined, “I thought Valentine’s Day was tomorrow, and I was going to get him something today. But damn, these days come and go too quickly for my taste.” The day never meant anything big for her. But Patrick was the romantic type, who eagerly looked forward to the day of love. So, for his sake, she had decided to give in to this nonsensical belief. “Come on, Brad, don’t give me that look. I feel guilty enough already. I mean, that guy got me a pretty expensive… um… gift… ahem.”
    “Don’t bother explaining. I already know what it is.” Brad smirked. He had, by then, plopped on his bed, which was on the opposite side of Pat’s.
    “He showed it to you?” she gasped.
    Brad chuckled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. “He wanted a second opinion, so….”
    “Yeah, well.” Leslie’s face felt warm, and she desperately attempted to change the subject. “Anyway… what is this important thing that couldn’t wait until later?”
    She watched her friend as his fair skin turned crimson and he averted his eyes from her.