Steamy Dorm

by Kristine Robinson

  I finish the day with my client and get all of my case files in order for court tomorrow morning before finally leaving for the day. I just want to go home and have a glass of wine so I can forget about my boring life for a while, but it is Thursday which means dinner with my parents. Every Thursday my mother cooks a big meal and I am expected to be there at six pm, no excuses. It is the one day a week that my mother cooks. Since my father made partner in his firm when I was a child, she has always had housekeepers and cooks to handle all of the chores. However, Thursdays were deemed family nights even then, and my mother believes a wife should cook a hearty meal for her family at least once a week. Like the good child I am, I always make sure to arrive just a few minutes early because my father has always said, “If you’re not early, you’re late.”

  When I arrived I knock on the door and am immediately greeted by the housekeeper, Arleen. “Hey Dean,” she says as she offers to take my coat. “It’s good to see you. Your mother said you can go ahead and join your dad at the dining room table.”

  I gave Arleen a hug before insisting I can hang up my own coat. Arleen has worked for my parents since I was a child, and she’s more like family than an employee. Thursdays are the only days she doesn’t actually join my parents for dinner since she says it should be our special family time. I think she just enjoys the break from the mundane conversation about work and law. “Thanks, Arleen, it’s good to see you too.”

  When I walked into the dining room my mother was bringing in a roasted chicken, while my father sat in his usual spot at the head of the table. After my mother sat the food down on the table, I gave her a hug and pulled out the chair to my father’s left for her to take her seat.

  “Thank you, darling,” she said with a kiss to my cheek before she sat down.

  As soon as we all filled our plates with food my father started with the usual business banter. “So, I talked to Ed Morton today. He says you’re doing a great job working through cases faster than any new attorney he’s ever had in there before.”

  “I’m just doing my job, dad.”

  “Well, keep up the good work and you might even make partner before your thirty like your old man.”

  I smiled at my dad, unwilling to lie out loud and say that I hoped he was right, but also not about to tell him I wasn't even the slightest bit interested in becoming a partner at any law firm.

  “Well, I heard that there is a young lady there who has the biggest crush on you,” my mother chimed in, and I nearly spit my wine out. Along with never telling my parents the truth about not wanting to become a lawyer, I’d also never told them why they had yet to see me bring a girl home.

  “I really hadn’t noticed anyone who might have taken a special interest in me, mom,” I lied. “Honestly, work is so busy and I am still new. I’ve just been focusing on my clients and doing the best job I can.”

  “You’ve always been so focused on your studies, and now work. Always striving to be the best at whatever you put your mind to. Just don’t forget to put that same effort into finding the right person to spend the rest of your life with.”

  “Of course, mom,” I said through a forced smile. I know that she means well, but my mom has always had a way with words that made me feel like no matter what I did, there would always be something else she wanted from me before she would be completely satisfied.

  "Oh, Grace, leave the boy alone," my dad told my mom and he winked at me. Dad always encouraged me to do well and become a lawyer, but he'd never been quite as forceful as mom. "He's only twenty-six so he's got plenty of time to settle down. From the praise he's getting already he will be a partner in no time. Then he can focus on finding love and getting married."

  “I know, Harold. Just don’t wait too long, honey.”

  "I won't, mom." I was ready for this dinner to be over so I could go home and watch Netflix until I passed out. These dinners were becoming just as monotonous as the day to day chore of pretending to actually enjoy my job. Maybe I can actually get out of town this weekend and have some fun. It has been a really long time since I did anything I truly enjoyed, and I think it might be time for me to do something for me, even if it is only for the weekend.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I made it through the day on Friday and actually managed to get out of court early for a change. Most likely the judge had weekend plans and was in a rush to get out for an early weekend. On my lunch, I came across an ad for a singing competition in Charleston that night. If there is one thing that I truly love it is music. Thanks to an early day out of court I decide it is time for me to do something for me, finally have some fun for myself. As soon as I get home I find a hotel online and gather my things to head to Charleston so I can check out the singing completion tomorrow night. Maybe a weekend out enjoying something I actually love will help me get through another dull week at an attorney.

  The bar where the competition was being held is on the beachfront and the atmosphere is laid back and relaxed. Maybe it’s because of the competition tonight, but the people seems to be here just to have a good time and enjoy some music. I grab a beer and a seat near the stage so that I can enjoy the show. Over time a few people join me at my table and we make small talk between sets.

  “You should go up there and sing,” one of my new companions, Tara, tells me after someone finishes singing one of my favorite songs by Johnny Cash.

  I look at her confused; unsure why she would suddenly mention I should go up and sing. We had only just met so there was no way for her to know how much I had always wanted to do just that.

  “Why is it you think I should do that?” I asked her.

  Her boyfriend, Brandon, started laughing and sat his beer down on the table for a moment and cocked his eyebrow at me. “Really, man? You’ve been singing along for the past thirty minutes.”

  “Exactly,” Tara agreed. “And you sound good. Like really good, Dean.”

  I shake my head at them slowly. “I don’t know about that,” I say. The idea of getting up on stage and singing in front of all of these people has my stomach doing flips.

  “Oh, come on,” Tara urged. “We’ve been listening to you sing and your voice is amazing. Just get up there and do it. Shut your eyes if you have to, but you’ve gotta go. People will love you.”

  Tara didn't give up for several more songs and before I knew what I was doing I was signed up to sing. Deciding I needed a little more courage I went to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila while I waited for it to be my turn to go up on stage. There were still a couple people ahead of me, so I was shocked when they called my name after what felt like only a couple minutes. I felt like my blood drained from my body momentarily. Nervously I ran my fingers through my hair, pushing it back out of my face, and then I slowly made my way up to the stage. Trying not to make eye contact with the anyone I kept my eyes trained on the mic as I made my way onto the stage and up to the mic. The band began playing the music for the song I had chosen, "The Sound of Silence", and I closed my eyes and let the sound of the music drown out everything else.

  “Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again…”

  As I got into the song I slowly felt more at ease, and within a couple verses, I was giving it my all.

  “And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people maybe more. People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening...”

  Once I had sung the final line of the song I heard clapping, and I finally opened my eyes. People were standing beside their tables clapping, and when I saw Tara and Brandon, Tara whistled and gave me a thumbs up. When I turned to walk off of the stage the bass player was right there with his hand out. I reached out and he shook my hand. “That was great, man,” he told me. “You seemed so shy when you first came up I wasn’t sure what we were about to get, but you’re great. I can’t figure out why you were nervous in the first place.”

  When he smiled at me I felt my heart flip; he was gorgeous. He was a couple inches taller than me, so
I would imagine about six foot one, and he had messy sun-kissed brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was muscular, with beautiful tattoo work highlighting the muscles along his biceps, and his jeans hugged his thighs perfectly.

  “Thanks. I guess I’m just not used to singing in front of others,” I told him.

  “Well, you should,” he told me as he pulled his hand back from mine and picked his guitar back up.

  I took my seat with Tara and Brandon who both praised me repeatedly. They insisted that they couldn't understand why I was so nervous about singing when I had the best voice of the night. Two more people performed after me, then the votes were tallied for the winner. The club manager made her way up to the mic to announce the winner, and when she said my name I nearly choked.

  “Oh my god!” Tara screeched. “I told you that you were gonna win!”

  I slowly stood and made my way up to the stage to receive my trophy and the five hundred bucks they were giving out to the winner. Once I’d said my thank yous and was getting ready to leave the stage when I felt someone touch my elbow.

  “Told you that you were great,” said the bass player. “I’m Colton James.”

  "Dean Emerson," I responded. Of course, he already knew that since I had just been named the competition winner, but he just smiled politely and didn't call me out on it.

  “Would you mind if I buy you a victory drink, Dean?”

  His gorgeous smile makes me forget to speak for a moment. I have never dated much, and definitely never anyone who looked like Colton. Everything about him right now screamed rock-n-roll, and he was hot as hell. After making it through my inner monologue, I decide that I made this trip to have fun this weekend and step outside of my norm, so as long as Colton wants to spend time with me I am going to say yes.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Colton buys me a drink and we share stories about our love for music. Surprisingly enough, we seem to have more in common than I would have guessed in the beginning; at least, we like the same music.

  “I cannot believe that I have met a lawyer who loves Volbeat and Johnny Cash,” Colton says, laughing.

  “So, just what kind of music is a stuffy lawyer like me supposed to like then?” I ask him, still smiling at how shocked he obviously is.

  "I don't know. Classical or oldies like the beach boys. I could maybe give you Johnny Cash, but it is the Volbeat that really throws me."

  “Maybe it’s the rebellious side of me. The one that dreads going to work every day because being an attorney bores me to death.”

  “Really? That’s horrible. Why don’t you quit?”

  Colton looked genuinely concerned when he asked me that, but I decided we had talked about my boring career long enough. I came here to escape my real life and have fun.

  "Look, Colton, it is Friday night and I'm having a good time. Let's leave boring work talk for another time."

  “I get that,” Colton said with a nod. “How about food?”

  I looked at him not sure what he was asking. “Like, what are my favorite foods?”

  “No,” he laughed. “I meant do you want some food? Playing all night like that makes me work up an appetite. I know it’s late, but what do you say to going out to eat with me?”

  At Colton’s mentioning of food my stomach growled, reminding me all I ate before coming here was a sandwich around two-o’clock in the afternoon. “I could eat,” I told him, and we stood to leave the bar.

  Colton drove us to a Waffle House, since it was one of the few places open so late. Just being cooped up in his car, with him only inches away from me, had my body feeling wired. Colton was incredibly sexy, and I couldn’t remember ever being so attracted to anyone else in my life. I felt like I had electric currents traveling through my body the entire car ride. Once inside, we ordered our food and made more small talk about music and Colton told me how he had become a bass player. It was obvious how much he loved playing music in the way he lit up like a kid in a candy store when he talked about it. I envied him in that he had been able to follow his dream and do something he loved. Unlike myself, who was stuck in a job I hated all to please everyone but me.

  “How do your parents feel about your decision to do music instead of finding a traditional job?” I asked Colton after our food arrived.

  “Well, I am twenty-eight, so I have to make my own decisions for my life. I am too old to get my parents’ permission for things. That being said, they have always been supportive. They are firm believers that life is too short not to do what you love in life.”

  “They sound great,” I told him. I loved my parents, but at that moment I was extremely envious of Colton. I couldn’t imagine where I would be now if my parents had been accepting of me following my dreams. As it stood, they didn’t even know I wanted to sing. My future had been laid out for me since I was a child.

  “They are pretty great. I guess I lucked out in the parent department. I know a lot of parents would not be happy about their children choosing music as a career choice. It isn’t exactly a guaranteed income.”

  “Yeah, my parents would fall into that category. My mom especially. For her, being successful and making a name for myself in the business world is incredibly important.”

  “Do you at least enjoy your work?”

  I looked down at my plate, not wanting to look Colton in the eye. I was suddenly feeling embarrassed. Here he was doing what he loved and following his dream, while I had just always stayed inside of the lines and did what my parents wanted.

  “No, not really. I know it is a good career choice, but it is just so boring.”

  Colton laughed quietly. “You completely hate it, don’t you?”

  Finally looking him in the eyes I smiled slightly. “God, yes.”

  We both laughed and soon the waitress came by so we could pay for our meal and leave. Since I had taken a cab to the bar, Colton offered to take me back to my hotel and he walked me to my room.

  “If you don’t have plans for the rest of the weekend you could spend it with me. Give you a chance to explore life doing what you love.”

  He moved in closer to and took my hand, caressing it by moving his thumb over the top of my hand. His close proximity made it hard for me to think, so I just nodded in agreement. My mind was too consumed by his intoxicating smell, and how close his hard body was to mine to say anything. Then he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips, and I felt every nerve in my body light up. It was brief and innocent, but I had never had a kiss affect me the way Colton's did. When he pulled back I had to force myself not to pull him back and yank him inside of my hotel room, but I didn't want to seem too desperate. We would be spending the rest of the weekend together, so we had time to further explore where this kiss could lead.

  “Good night,” Colton said as he slowly backed away.

  “Yeah, good night to you too,” I replied; my voice husky as my body still worked to calm down after our shared kiss. It was going to be a long, and likely sleepless night waiting to see him again tomorrow.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The next two days were amazing. Colton took me to all of his favorite places in Charleston, and not surprisingly most of them revolved around the music scene. Saturday, after we had lunch, Colton told me he had a little surprise for me. Not one who was used to surprises, I was nervous right away. When I discovered just what his surprise was, I thought I might faint.

  Colton pulled up to a beach where preparations for a party were clearly underway. “We’re just going to a party. Geez, Colton, you could have told me. I was nervous for nothing.”

  He smiled at me, and I could see something flash in his eyes; something mischievous and my nerves were right back. “It is a party, but I wouldn’t say we are just going to the party. More like, we are going to be performing at the party.”

  Colton turned and started walking towards what I just noticed was a stage. I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me. “What do you mean by we?” I asked him.

  “My band,” Colt
on said and he paused. I took a deep breath and relaxed, but he wasn’t done. “and you, of course.”

  “Colton, I don’t know if that is a good idea. The only reason I found the courage to get up and sing last night was because I had a few drinks.”

  “Look,” he pulled me into him and held me close with his arms wrapped around my waist. The proximity of our bodies made it hard for me to think. “you are incredibly talented, Dean, and I know that you love singing. Anyone who heard you last night knows that you are amazing; this is what you were meant to do. You have nothing to be nervous about.”

  I took a deep breath. He was right. I loved to sing and it had been my dream since I was a kid. Plus, feeling his body pressed so close to mine was making it hard for me to argue with him. I was pretty sure that he could get me to agree to just about anything as long as he kept his firm body against mine. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

  “Great,” said Colton, and then he leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

  When he pulled back he smiled at me, then he took my hand in his and turned and started heading towards the stage. Colton’s bandmates were getting set up when we walked up onto the stage and he introduced me to them. “Everyone this is Dean. Dean, that’s Zack on the drums, Aaron on the electric guitar, and Jack on vocals.”

  “Hey,” they said in unison, so I waved and said hello back.

  “You’re the guy who won the competition last night,” Jack said. “You were amazing, man. Colton says you’re going to perform with us tonight. I’m looking forward to belting out some good music with you.”

  “Thanks, Jack. It should be fun.” I agreed with him. I was still nervous, but knowing that Colton wasn’t the only member of his band who thought I had talent helped.