Samuel wouldn’t think of it again. Or so he thought. The very first thing that happened when he saw Kevin Monday night was his heart quickened and his brain returned to the hot moment when he’d dreamed he’d licked cum off his finger. He wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making, but it must have been funky because Kevin gazed at him with concern.

“Dude, you okay?” Kevin grabbed one of the plastic chairs and dragged it over.

Even though he was physically fine, he collapsed on the chair. “Yeah. Just some weird thoughts. How have you been? How are your urges?”

“I’m having a hard time. I’ve been dreaming about getting high.” A shiver must have run down the guy’s back because he trembled. “I hate it.”

Only God would ever know the shit Samuel was dreaming of. “I have those sometimes. They suck because you wake up without. I used to get high at night, so it was always the hardest for me. Just remember to be always vigilant. You have to always be prepared. Have a game plan.”

“Yeah.” A hefty sigh left the guy’s mouth.

The sigh was heavy enough to break the earth. “You okay?”

“I just…” Heat clawed up Kevin’s neck, and he fiddled with one of his silver earrings, something Samuel realized was a nervous tic. “I lost my job. They found out I had been coming in high.” He hung his head, and a silver cross he wore around his neck dangled over the table. “Now my parents are kicking me out and I can’t go back to my girlfriend’s because she threw me out too.” While Kevin spoke, he buried his face in his hands with a groan. “All this shit is a mess. I’m scared living on the street will put me close to meth and I’ll use again.”

Eyes widening, Samuel’s brain went into overdrive. You have an extra bedroom, whispered a voice in his head, and you run a call center that always needs employees because who the fuck wants that job? But the dream haunted him, and he was horrified to feel his dick stir a little, even here. He couldn’t let that stupid dream keep him from being helpful.

Kevin was still talking, unaware that he had become lost in thought. “No, I won’t use. No matter what. I have to get my girlfriend and daughter back.”

He thought hard for a second. Offering to let Kevin stay with him was a bad idea because: a) he didn’t know him well, and b) he liked his privacy. But the thing was, Kevin looked so lost sitting there hunched with his face buried in his hands. He didn’t like to leave someone hanging, especially when he had the means to help them. As he watched Kevin straighten up and begin to toy with his piercings again, he realized he wasn’t going to keep his mouth shut, even if the other guy gave him hard-ons and he didn’t know him that well.

“I think I can help you.” Running his tongue along his teeth, he watched Kevin turn his head toward him, and he remembered the dream. Heat made his cock jump a bit, but he shifted, praying Kevin wouldn’t notice. “I have an extra room and my call center is always hiring. I can put you up for a while until you get your shit together.”

Like a kid blowing spit bubbles, Kevin opened and closed his mouth several times, his dark eyes on him. “I’m not a charity case, okay? I can take care of myself.”

The reaction caught Samuel off guard. He held up his hands. “I don’t think of it that way. I needed help when I was first getting sober too.”

Kevin lowered his hands and stared at them as if he’d never seen them before. “I’ll think about it.”

“Just remember to always be prepared for temptation,” he said “It can strike at any time, especially when you’re stressed.”

The words pissed him off a bit, but Samuel reminded himself of the way he’d felt at that age, like he had something to prove. He slouched and nodded, his knuckles clenched before he took a breath. All his frustration left him when he saw the other man’s downcast face.

Life was tough, fuck anyone who said otherwise.