29 A Bizarre Situation

Damian was so surprised that he stepped back, losing his balance. He could almost feel the gravity pulling him down when another force pulled him strongly forward and Radosz fell onto the balcony, specifically on Rafał Brylski, knocking him over to the ground.

The moon shone brightly in the sky. City lanterns shone below. In this light, Damian saw beautiful, green eyes staring at him with surprise and there was something attractively mystical in those eyes.

"I understand you're shocked," said the owner of those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes the color of spring grass, "but you are heavy. Get off.”

In fact, only now Damian realized that he was pressing Rafał to the floor of the balcony. How lucky it was that the actor did not hit the glass while falling.

“I'm sorry” Radosz reacted immediately, standing up. “Nothing happened to you?”

“As if! I hurt my tail. Do you know how it hurts?”

“Tail?”

“Tailbone. Shit, I saw the stars before my eyes!” Brylski was on his feet as well, brushing pollen off his pajamas. Really, pajamas in such heat summer?

"Sorry," Damian felt really remorseful. “I rushed to help you, and it turned out that you saved me. Thank you.”

“You rushed to help me? Why?”

"You groaned a lot," Damian scratched his head in embarrassment. “I thought something happened to you.”

“I was groaning?” Rafał was surprised. “Really? Hmm… Was I doing it in a dream? I do not remember. Anyway, I'm fine, and you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine too...”

Two men who hardly knew each other stood, almost naked, on the balcony of one of them, while the other had just snuck up to him from the next room. As if this situation was not enough bizarre, Rafał unceremoniously appraised Damian with his eyes and leaned down. He picked up the slipper that Radosz had thrown earlier.

“You didn't bring the second one?”

"Hell, I dumped him to wake you up, but you didn't react to the slipper or how I called, so I had no choice ..." Damian felt frustrated. When he rushed to rescue Brylski, he had not thought how silly he would look if this rescue was not needed.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

This one sentence, spoken by Rafał in a warm tone, dispelled the bizarreness of the situation somewhere. Maybe Radosz might have looked stupid in this whole scene, but at least he could smile with relief that Brylski was okay. Because he was ok, right?

“Are you really okay?” Damian asked the actor softly. “You sounded really disturbing.”

“Hmm, I don't feel any discomfort. I must have had some bizarre dream, but I don't remember it. I guess that slipper woke me up too suddenly and I didn't have time to remember anything.

The slipper was at that moment extended towards Radosz, who took it with difficulty, suppressing a laugh.

“It was a nice action, wasn't it?” He asked.

“It was heroic” admitted Rafał and in the light of the night his teeth also flashed in a smile. “It's a little chilly. Will you come in with me or will you come back to yourself?”

For a moment Radosz was tempted to enter Brylski's room. But why would he do this?

"I guess it's best if I get back to myself," said Damian for some reason feeling disappointed. Maybe he should stay and make sure that everything is fine with Rafał? Just in case.

“Which door?” Rafał asked innocently, which caused a little consternation in Radosz. Brylski asked a good question, really.

“It would be stupid if someone at this hour saw me leaving your room” said Damian Radosz with a sigh. "Besides, I had nowhere to put the key so..." he helplessly spread his hands showing that his boxers have no pockets.

“Over the balcony?”

"Over the balcony," Radosz agreed, resigned. Unfortunately, he really had no other choice.

"But this time be more careful," Brylski asked. “I will also protect you. You don't mind, do you?”

"No, no," assured Damian, although he felt his heart pound a bit faster at the very thought that Rafał would touch him again. Brylski really was stronger than he seemed looking at his slender shoulders. His grip was firm but not brutal. The woman in his arms must have felt safe.

Hmm, an interesting contrast to the situation when Damian had him in his arms like a princess. Rafał was so light then that Radosz would never have imagined that he had the strength to stop him from falling and change his direction. How many surprises was this man still hiding within himself? Damian really wanted to find out.

Radosz threw the slipper on his balcony, turned to Brylski and said:

“Now it should be easier for me to go through because I have experience. Besides, there won't be anyone on my balcony to surprise me, so I shouldn't lose my balance. But you should turn on your phone.”

“My phone? Brylski wondered. “Discharged? I have not noticed.”

Rafał was very distracted. This was second time when he repeated the question or problem he had been asked and he clearly couldn't find the answer. He was more focused during the day. Now he was acting a bit like a little fool.

“Are you sure you are well?” Radosz confirmed once again. “No dizziness, no nausea?”

"Everything is fine," Brylski assured. “I think I'm a little sleepy.”

“So it's okay” Damian decided to believe him. “Sorry for the intrusion and... Good night.”

“Good night!”

***

They said "good night" but they could actually wish each other a good day, because literally a few moments after Radosz disappeared on his balcony and Brylski returned to his room, it started to brighten up very slowly. The sun rose early at this time of year, and even earlier it was the wolf hour. Even before three in the morning the sky was losing its dark color to gray. Not night anymore, not morning yet.

Rafał glanced at his phone lying on the table. He lied that his battery was dead. He turned it off on purpose to avoid Anita's complaints. He loved his friend, he appreciated her care, but her overprotection sometimes tired him. The girl tried to protect him from everything, but at the same time denied him the right to stand on his own. And if he doesn't have that skill, he'll be totally dependent on her or someone else.

Rafał Brylski would have preferred that Anita never got to the point of being protective of him, but he couldn't change the past that led to it. Anita wasn't obsessed, he really needed her desperately - her or whoever would lend him a helping hand - but that was years ago. Rafał has recovered and tried to lead a normal life. Of course, as much as possible. Sometimes it was very difficult.

The lie about a discharged battery was the second lie that Brylski told Radosz that night. The first was that he didn't remember his dream. He remembered it perfectly, although he would have preferred to forget it. How could he not remember a dream that had repeated itself over the last dozen years?

If Anita found out that the dreams had come back, she would have started to die of anxiety. She would immediately force him to leave the set of the show, as she would believe it was because of him that they came back. Perhaps she would be right. Maybe the stress and the unfriendly atmosphere of the set evoked bad emotions and memories of his nightmare, but instead of a film set and director Różycki, it may well be a corporation and a mean boss or a mean colleague.

Adult life does not consist of rainbows and rose gardens. Even if it seems to someone at first, he quickly discovers that rainbows are dissolving and impossible to reach, and that spiders, lizards and mice live in every garden.