Robbie woke up to a splitting, bursting agony inside his head.  He blinked a few times and groaned, feeling the needles of pain stabbing through his brain.  He managed to slowly sit up and look around.  Emma was sitting across from him in a chair.

"Good afternoon," she said.  "Feeling better?"

Robbie groaned again.  "Where are we?"

"Home." She said.  "Would you like to explain why you bailed out  on your own grandfather party? And on me?"

Robbie held his head in his hands, trying to recall what happened last night.  Everything was vague.  Grandfather, Emma, the dinner.  Then he remembered Harry.  Seeing him at his apartment.  Those intoxicating green eyes. . .

"Wait," Robbie had a thought.  "How did I get home?"

"Harry called me," Emma said.  "He said he found you nearly passed out in front of his apartment.  He was good enough to put you in a cab and send you home."

Good call, Robbie thought.  He wouldn't have to explain why he was at Harry's.  He really owed Harry one. 

Emma stood.  "Now that I know you're alive, I have to go.  I have a million things to do today.  I'll try and get back early so we can have dinner together." She reached into her pocket and pulled out his phone.  "You can have this back since you took time out for your family.  Do you need anything before I go?"

Robbie shook his head.  "I'm good.  I'll try and go in the office later."

After Emma left Robbie quickly leaned out of the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand where Emma put it.  He checked the incoming calls.  Mostly business.  He noticed that Harry had called several times.  Thank God his phone was locked or Emma would surely have noticed.  Not that she would have been suspicious.  As far as she knew he and Harry were just buddies.

Robbie dialed Harry's number and waited.  It kept ringing before voicemail picked up.  Robbie hung up and redialed.  He was not in the mood to leave a message.  Where the hell are you, Harry?

Finally Harry picked up.  "Yeah?"

The second he heard Harry's voice Robbie's heart began to race. "Uh, hi, it's Robbie."

"I know."

Robbie was a little taken aback by Harry's brusk tone.  "I just wanted to thank you for seeing that I got home safely in my condition." he said.  "I know you helped me to get home."

"No worries," Harry said in that same tone.  "I'm sure you and Emma are very grateful."

He must be at work, Robbie guessed.  Probably busy at the moment.  Explained why he was acting like the living dead.  "Listen, I wanted to explain about the other night. . ."

"I know," Harry cut him off.  "Your grandfather's birthday party was on the same night and Emma took your phone so you couldn't call.  You already told me."

"Yeah." Robbie said.  "Totally sucked."  Okay, he was off the hook, no more explanation required.    "So, when do you want to get together?"

"Get together?" Harry said in that same living dead tone.

Robbie sighed impatiently.  "Okay, what's the problem, are you still mad about the other night? I already told you what happened.  I couldn't help it."

"Of course you couldn't."

Robbie was confused about what was going on.  "So how many times do you want me to say I'm sorry? A hundred? A million? What?"

The silence on the other end seemed to drag on for a while, longer than the throbbing in Robbie's head.  "Wow," Harry finally said.  "You really don't get it."

"Get what?" Robbie was exasperated.  What did everybody want from him?

"I'm sick of being your second," Harry said.  "I'm sick of being anybody's second.  I deserve better than that."

Robbie couldn't believe what he was hearing.  "Well correct me if I'm wrong but when we first hooked up, did you or did you not know that I was engaged?"

"Wait--"

"Did you or did you not know that I had a fiancee and that we are getting married soon?" Robbie insisted.  "You knew this when you seduced me.  I didn't hide anything from you.  You knew what you were getting into."

Again more silence.  Got 'em, Robbie thought.

"Yeah, I knew it." Harry finally answered.  "The question is:  Did you?"

"Excuse me?" Robbie didn't expect that.

"Did you even think about your fiancee when you were driving down to my club practically every night?" Harry went on. "See, if you loved your fiancee so much, that would have been more than enough to keep your ass home with her instead of sneaking around my club checking out the other gay people.  Instead of following me around and playing with my emotions.  If you loved Emma half as much as you claim you do, we would have never been together."

Robbie didn't know what to say to that. He just sat there with his phone in one hand and rubbing his temple with the other.  He really didn't need this crap, what he needed was a brand new head and the willpower to not drink himself into a coma.

Yet Harry was right, he had to admit as he leaned back against the headboard. He did love Emma, but his feelings for Harry seemed so intense it drowned out all the sense in his head.  What was he going to do? 

Robbie had the solution to this craziness.  The best thing for all was to end it with Harry right away before everything went to all out hell.  Everybody can get on with their own lives and no one would get hurt.  He was playing with fire, it was best he got out now before it blew up in his face.  He wasn't being fair to Harry or Emma.  Best to just call it quits. 

"You're right," Robbie said.  Make a clean break.  "We knew what we were getting into,"  Rip it off like a bandage.  "I'm not being fair to anybody.  This was just a casual thing anyway.  Maybe it's best--"

"You see," Harry said on the other end.  "This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have feelings for you."

"What did you say?" Robbie thought his heart was going to stop right away.

"You heard me.  I have feelings for you."

Robbie thought that was what he said.  He knew that Harry had taken a liking to him, but to go the next level.  "Define feelings."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."  Harry said in that quiet tone.  "I'm putting my heart right on the line here.  I've known about this for a while now, and you have too."

Robbie was frozen to the spot.  Feelings, that thing that made everything so complicated.  He thought he had this all figured out. This was suppose to be casual, a good time.  Who knew feelings would get in the way? 

"I need to see you." Robbie blurted out, his breakup plan as well as all reasoning gone.  He wanted to see Harry and be with him.

"Why? So we can screw each other and forget our feelings?" Harry said.  "I don't think that's going to be enough for me."

Robbie felt his heart racing in a panicky way.  "What are you saying?" 

"Do you think we should keep this going?"

Robbie tried to calm down.  His heart was pounding as hard as the pain in his head.  A minute ago he was thinking the same thing.  A clean breakup would be the perfect solution. 

No.  He couldn't do that.  He needed Harry.  "Okay, I admit it,"  he said.  "I like you, really, more than I should.  I know you like me. Yes, I am torn between you and Emma, and I don't know what's going to happen with me and her.  All I know is that this thing between us is too strong to just call it quits."

"I don't know," Harry said.  "I can't go through this again."

"Look," Robbie said.  "Just give this a chance, please.  Let me worry about Emma.  I'm not ready to give up on us.  I need you." He could hear himself begging.  He meant every word he said.  He couldn't break up with Harry.  Harry felt like a missing piece of a puzzle, a part of him.  He wasn't sure why, only that it would destroy him if Harry left him.  "Please,  Harry, don't leave me."

Robbie was now sitting up in bed listening to Harry breathing.  "I don't know," Harry said.

"Come over now," Robbie said.  "I have the entire place to myself."

"You're really killing me here."

"Good.  We're even."