The Morning After.

Robert got home Sunday morning at 5:30. He lived in a one bedroom flat. In the corner against the wall were a couple of painted canvases. A wooden easel with an unfinished painting stood in front. A short distance away was a small table with a variety of different colors of paint tubes, a tin-can with used brushes, paint thinners and pencils. A two-seater blue couched stood against the opposite wall. In front of it were a small coffee table and a small TV.

He jumped into the shower and changed into a pair of shorts and opted for no shirt.

Robert placed a clean canvas on the easel. He had the smile of contentment on his face. He closed his eyes, inhaled until the air filled his lungs to their capacity. As he exhaled a smile of pure joy got painted all over his face.

"Life is good," he nodded to himself still smiling. "O yes, life is very good."

He took the pallet in his hand and added paint to it. Without, looking he reached out his hand to a brush on the small table an arm length away from him. The brush quickly flew out of the tin-can straight into his hand. He mixed the paint and started painting.

At noon Robert was still painting. Jason opened the door and let himself in.

Robert stood with his back to him. He was painting a bright colorful picture. Without looking around "Morning Jason." he placed the brush and pallet down. Robert turned around wiping his hands. Jason grunted

"I hate it when you do that. It creeps me out you know? One day you have to tell me how you always seem to know what's goanna happen before it happens. "

Robert frowned as he looked as Jason with scrutinizing eyes.

"You look like hell! Did you actually get some sleep last night?" he asked and walked past him to the kitchen "Beer or coffee?" he asked Jason over his shoulder.

"Beer of course and a hand full of aspirin if you got any." He said and followed Robert to the kitchen.

"Yeah, some, did you get any?" Jason took the beer that was held out to him.

"Come on, out with it."

Robert shook his head smilingly and handed him some aspirin with a glass of water. Jason pulled his face at the glass of water Robert held out to him.

"You my friend have a one track mind, do you know that?"

Jason placed his hand on his chest playfully pretending to be shocked at this outrageous accusation.

"Who, me? I only wanted to know how much sleep you got last night." Robert laughed.

They sat down at the small kitchen table. Jason had opened his beer and was busy downing it. He laughed as he put his empty beer bottle down.

"She gave you the slip… or did she kick you out?" He looked at Robert with a mocking smile on his face.

"Come on, out with it…. Which was it?"

"Neither." Robert took a sip of his fruit juice.

"How did you manage to sleep?"

He quickly tried to change the subject while casually looking out the window. He took another sip of his juice.

Jason smiled. "I was too tired to dream, and too drunk to care." he stopped and looked at Robert.

"Don't change the subject. Come on out with it. How was she?" he sounded impatient.

"It wasn't like that at all." Robert smiled and took another sip of juice.

Robert started laughing out loud shaking his head.

"And I thought you had no sense of humor."

Jason looked at him with curiosity in his eyes, awaiting a suitable answer "So she didn't kick you out?"

"No"

"And you didn't just drop her off?"

"No"

"And you didn't get any?..."

Robert laughed enjoying this side of his big bad – if needed - best friend.

"We had some coffee. We sat and talked and…" Robert did not continue.

"And what?" he shouted

"Robert, be serious now" He counted on his fingers. "First; I let you get the girl. Second; the girl that, I saw first. Third; the girl which I saved from that hairless ass. Fourth; I even went home and gave up on the roommate, for you! Right," he looked at Robert for confirmation before continuing "right, and you didn't even get some?!!"

Robert pulled up his shoulders and gave his friend a real school boy grin.

"I don't believe it, what a waist. Have I taught you nothing? O wait it's that old morality thing isn't it? "

He threw his hands in the air and shook his head.

"You are hopeless, do you know that, fucking hopeless. I swear, sometime you are this eighty year old fart stuck in a young mans body. It's not the eighteen hundred anymore. You can just enjoy live. Forget your scruples for once."

He got up and walked over to the fridge and helped himself to another beer.

"Did you at least kiss the girl?"

"No" Robert gave a little chuckle as he felt the excitement bubbling inside him and could not contain his happiness. The evidence was clear on his face.

"Its nothing like that," Robert sighed

"I can't explain it. I enjoyed her company. I just like to hear her voice, too be close to her."

He looked up a Jason, laughed and shook his head

"I know, I know it doesn't make sense to me either. But, but she's ... I … well… she makes me feel good about my self."

He stroked his chin with his forefinger as he leaned back in to the seat.

"She makes me feel calm."

He looked out the window and in his minds eye he saw the girl with emerald green eyes looking at him and laughing with him once again.

"I feel like I can be just myself, with her. I feel like I belong. I don't feel that I need to keep secrets from her or pretend with her… She likes me, for me."

He looked at Jason frowning face and laughed nervously.

"Yes I know I sound like a giddy school girl, but I don't know how ells to describe it."

He looked up and laughed. Suddenly he felt very self-conscious and took another sip of his juice and looked away.

They sat in silence for a minute.

"Well I knew it had to happen sooner or later. Here's to the loss of another great single man."

Jason downed the last of his beer and placed the bottle on the table with a loud thump.

"I am glad for you… really. She looks nice …" he sighed

"…By the way, you're out of beer, did you know that?"

Robert looked at him and both burst out laughing.