Wake Me Up

Hi guys! Welcome to my first story here! I hope ya'll enjoy, and please feel free to leave any comments down below. No sex in this chapter, sorry about that! I promise it'll get hotter the longer the story goes on!

*****

Gabriel

Another morning sunrise stretched out my window. Logans bear paw was wrapped firmly around my middle, strangling my non existent abs in a tight grip. The clocks red numbers pierced through my hooded eyes, 9:15 beaming at me through the mid morning darkness. My first class began at 9:55, and I knew it was going to take me a couple of minutes to get my lug of a boyfriend off of me and get ready.

I squeeze my twig like arms in between his mammoth muscles, and stretched them over my head. His body rolled onto the other side my twin XL bed, what little other side there was, and he resumed his light, breathy snores. Since Logan didn't have classes until 1:10 on Thursdays, he could sleep for another couple of hours easily.

Asshole.

I slung on the first pair of pants I could find, a dark washed denim with a small rip in the left knee. I threw on an old forest green shirt with a front pocket, my black scuffed up leather jacket, and a ripped up pair of maroon vans. The jacket clinged to my body in all the right places, making my gangly limbs look a little bit fuller and defined. The only reason it was so worn in because it was a necessary part of my daily ensemble. Not wearing it for me would be like not having my right foot or my left arm. I spritzed on some CK cologne, brushed my teeth, and rushed out the door. It was only about 9:30, so I knew I could run to the coffee bar down the street before class.

With a styrofoam cup brimming with hot, black coffee, I sank into one of the many desk chairs in my Business Communication course at 9:54. A portly gentlemen that went by the name of Professor Cord stumbled his way to his desk at the front of the classroom. His bleary, sleep sunken eyes stared at the overtly bouncy girls with the low cut tops in the front row for a couple seconds longer than necessary. I silently gagged at the clear display of academic favoritism to the opposite sex, while still being slightly jealous. If only I had a set of C cups to help me pass this class.

Unfortunately, I was left to my own wits and academic prowess to forge in this class. I had barely passed through my first three years of college, hanging onto the fact that "C's get degrees" and praying that would be true for me.

Professor Cord was making that hope become smaller and smaller. Though I showed up to a solid 75% of his classes, which was an amazing feat for me considering the time the class was at, he still graded me severely. I was passing his class with a low D, and praying it didn't dip any lower than that.

Lecture started at about 10, when the late stragglers shuffled in quickly and found any open seat. The door slammed and clicked a lock into place. The professor waddled back to his desk, and began to drone on about how to present an oral presentation in a business setting using different graph features in excel. I had to chuckle whenever he pronounced the word oral, seeing as he was probably having very little of that as I had heard his wife of 12 years had recently moved into an apartment down the block from their two bedroom house in the suburbs. If Professor Cords reputation through giving young woman easy A's through extracurricular activity had finally come to Mrs. Cords attention, I was in no way surprised by the move.

My eyes turned into the barest slits as I leaned my feet onto the empty seat next to me and leaned my body as far back as it could go in my seat. Though I didn't fully fall asleep, I was very close to it. My head lulled back on the top of the chair, and I ran through what was happening today.

After this I had another class until about 1, then I was probably going to grab some lunch with Carly at the cafeteria. After that, hopefully Logan would come over and we could, as the kids call it, "Netflix and Chill."

Recently, it had seemed as if Logan was a lot less interested in spending time with me. We had been dating for the past 7 months, and I kind of expected for things to be a little less casual than what they were. Though he had asked me out, and had wooed me completely in the first three months, he had gotten increasingly distant after that. We still hung out, went to the movies and out to dinner, and fucked like rabbits.

It just always seemed like he was concentrating on everything else except me. I wouldn't see or talk to him for a week, and in this digital age that was unheard of. He always had pretty good excuses, he had a big test he was cramming for, he was home and wanted to just concentrate on his family and baby sister. I know I couldn't exactly talk to him when he was at home, since he wasn't exactly out and proud to his family yet, but the least he could do was send a text a day. When he had come over last night, I had pretty much worshipped the ground he walked on, and waking up to him this morning was a sweet treat.

He sometimes did try to make it up to me though. I knew after those days he would completely ignore me, he would suddenly flood my life with himself. If he wanted to be with me, all my other plans got cancelled instantaneously. I was not going to leave my 6 foot 5 hunk waiting. With his beefy arms, ripped chest, black superman-like hair, and almond colored eyes, it was hard to resist his pleas of wanting to make my day with his 7 incher.

Dreaming about his cock in class was not going to help me pass, so I shook myself out of my daydreams and tried with all my might to listen to the professor drone on. Once the clock finally hit 11, half the class sprinted out of their like the hounds of hell were on their tail.

I rushed with all my might to stuff my notebook and pencil into my bag when I heard the professor yell.

"Gabriel, can I talk to ya for a sec."

Fuck.

I slowed all my movements and creeped down to his podium. His eyes still hadn't totally opened yet, so he resembled some of the potheads that I saw walking behind my dorm building on spring afternoons He withdrew some papers from his laptop bag and glanced them over, and then glanced at me.

"Gabriel, I graded the test you took last tuesday, and it's not good. Once I enter this grade, your final grade is going to slip to an F."

My stomach sunk to the floor. I'm sure if I looked down, I could see it their on the floor in between my sneakers. My mind spun in panic.

"Luckily, there are some things you can do to pass the class still. Though it's the last three weeks of school, I have a presentation on small businesses in Windham coming up with some local business leaders. If you fill out some questions on the presentation and get at least a B on the final, you can pass the class with a C."

Hope lifted my stomach back into my body and stopped my mental running.

"Thank you so much Professor. I will absolutely be in attendance at the presentation, and I'll make sure to study extra hard for the final. I really appreciate the extra credit."

"No problem, just to make their to be their at 2 pm next Monday, and don't forget to sign in. I'll see ya then."

I scrambled out of the class, mumbling a quick goodbye before ducking out. In that moment, I had never wished more to be a girl with C cup tits.

*

Wes

The day started out pretty great.

I rolled out of bed at about 9:15, and took a long, relaxing shower. After the rowdy game of flag football yesterday with the guys, my back was twisted up in knots. It was 9:40 by the time I stepped out, dried my hair, and threw on my usual business attire. My soft, worn in light blue jeans, a plaid black and gray button down, and my black Doc Martens seemed to fit my job description well.

I was lucky enough to own my own business. I ran a small microbrewery and bar a couple of blocks from my house, called Lucky Taps. I would go in every day, check up on everything, maybe try out some new beers, figure out all the finances, then settle in to help with the bar upkeep and talk with some of the patrons or just go home.

In the beginning, I was their constantly, day and night. The first two years, I barely left to make sure that all of the people I hired were taking their jobs seriously and to make sure the bar and beer was up to my standards. Luckily, after firing a few bad eggs and having some rough patches at the beginning of the second year, we've been in business now for five years and are happily on our way to our sixth. Once word finally got the college in town that there was a new, hip microbrewery down the street, the kids rushed here by the swarms. That's what got us through, and what's been keeping us in business since.

I knew that the bar wasn't going to open until 3, when the usuals began to drag themselves in after work or out of the house. I like to get their early enough to be able to work on the beer for at least a couple of hours before we get any customers, so I ate a quick breakfast of cheerios and coffee and ran out the door with another to go mug of coffee in my hand.

I made it to the bar at about 10:30. I opened up the back entrance and turned all the lights on. The place I had set up so many years ago looked almost exact to the place I had dreamed about when I was 20.

I had bought an older building on the main street of Windham. It used to be an old lightbulb factory, but was put out of business in the 90's. It has been in disrepair until I bought her. The inside was completely gutted. Their were no walls or windows, but their was second floor balcony into the building.

The first thing I did build a wall halfway up right to the second floor balcony. I kept one side a bar, and the other side was my brewery. I liked the layout, because then people could see the large brewing tanks and other machines, but couldn't just go and walk around them. The back I filled four tall brewing tanks that could all be reached on the second floor balcony. I set up shop on the second level by putting long, skinny shelves up their filled with any recipes, ingredients, or tips I needed. I would spend hours up their testing out different ideas in my head, waiting for inspiration to spark.

The bar I helped my sisters design, though they were the driving force. Harper and Leighann, who everyone calls Harp and Leigh, made that bar picture perfect. The layed the cement wall with old dark cherry wood, and built shelves along the back of it for different liquor bottles. They then strung long strips of lighting behind the bottles, making them glow like neon. They built one long, gorgeous bar stand matching the cherry wood panels and wrapped it around the wall so no one could get back their to the doors that would lead to the other half. The put in dark leather booths on the edges of the building, and put huge leather circular couches with dark tables matching the rest of the bar. They also set up the second floor as well, building huge staircases leading up on both ends on the bar side. We put in a wall on both sides of the second floor as well, but only where the balcony was. Their were doors their as well, but they were kept locked. Since the balcony was quite large, we put a couple small tables and dark leather chairs up their as well right next to the guard rail so people could look all around. They also convinced me to take out a couple chunks of the ceiling in a kind of patchwork arrangement and put in skylights. People love to come in and recline in one of the couches with a beer and look up at the night sky. I fell in love with it too soon after it was built. Some of my favorite memories are after a huge rush ends and we start closing down the bar, sneaking off to the brewery side and laying out on the second floor deck and looking up at the stars.

When I get into the bar that morning, I first check on each of our tanks, checking temperatures and overnight fermentation. We keep one tank specifically for our house specialty and the others we rotate out certain seasonal beers or try out new variations.

Our house specialty was made by myself and Leigh one late night about 6 months into the business. We had been trying to search for some flavor combination all our own, unlike any other. I really wanted to play with some spices since fall was coming up and people go nuts over that autumn flavor profile. After a secret mix of about 20 different spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, rosemary, and allspice; we had a delicious brew that sang in your mouth. People adored it, so we named it Fall Forever and kept it on tap since then.

Leigh's our master brewer. I love doing it, but since I own the business, I have to focus more on finances then the beer sometimes. Luckily, Leigh's a total beast when it comes to making new options for the bar, and the worst one shes made still tasted better than most beers I've bought.

While Leigh runs the back, Harp runs the front. Harp is fantastic at running the front. I've never been a social butterfly, though I usually get along with a solid part of our clientele. Luckily, Harp gets along with everybody. She could charm a snake out of its skin.

Harps the oldest of our family, with Leigh being the middle child and me being the baby. I may own the business, but sometimes it feels like I'm working for them. Being the youngest may have it perks, but they both still see me as the younger brother they used to draw butterflies on when I slept. We all look pretty alike.

Were all quite tall, with both my sisters hitting 5'11" and 5'10", and I hit 6'4. We all live pretty active lives, I play soccer with my friends whenever I get the chance, Leigh tries to enter as many local marathons as possible, and Harp used to be a local swimming champion, and she tries to get to the local YMCA pool at least three times a week. This makes us all pretty built, but not crazy muscley. Harp and Leigh adopted a lot more of their looks from our father, while I have more of my moms looks. They both have light brown hair, with Harps about mid back length while Leigh chopped most of hers off and dyed it black. They have sharp noses and wide, dark brown eyes. I have hazel eyes, with dirty blonde hair that i keep buzzed on the sides and swooshed up in the front. My skin is a couple shades darker then there's, giving me my mothers more mediterranean complexion.

Since I'm the first one here, and Leigh should be getting here soon to start on next weeks spring beer, I get everything set up before she comes in. I write down on our master list a couple of ideas I have, wanting to try maybe some floral extracts or a new kind of hops. I know she'll read it when she gets in, and since I worked yesterday on the house beer, I know I have to make up for it today with mindless office work.

I head down to my office in the basement. There's only office space for myself and any other junk we've collected throughout the years. I open my laptop up, turn on one of my spotify playlists, and "Icarus" by R3hab blasts through my speakers. I bop my head to the music as the lyrics flow throughout the room.

"Tried to breathe but I've been drowning in waves

Of jealousy and anyone could see that I'm lost

Through the seas I've been tossed

And I'm not free, I'm not free, yeah."

Soon I focus in on the tasks at hand, and I lose myself in the numbers. Though I complain about this part of my job constantly, I do love sometimes how quickly time can pass when you're mind focuses on something like this. Though it's not as adventurous or rewarding as making beer or working with my customers, it's simple work that gives you a little sense of pride when you finish it.

At around noon my stomach begins to growl and i start thinking less about profit margins and more about the steak sandwiches over at Brady's.

I run upstairs after I finish one of the columns I was working on and see Leigh lounging on the deck. She has on a pair of grey jean shorts and a black cotton t-shirt from some rave we went to back in college. Overtop of that she has on a Lucky Tap apron, the only dress code standard have I for my employees. As long as they're not to scantily clad, wearing shoes, and wearing our apron, I don't care much else what they wear.

Leigh sees me climbing up the wooden steps, a mockery of steps compared to what we have for our customers out front. This is more of a ladder then steps if I'm being honest. After I get to the top I sit down and let my feet rest over the little edge we've made to climb up on. Leigh swings down next to me.

"Brady's?" she asks, pointedly looking at my stomach as it growls at the mention of food.

"Yeah, let's head out."

Leigh slips out of the apron, hangs it on her hook, and grabs her wallet. I already have everything since it was in the basement, so we head next door to Brady's.

Brady is one of my closest friends, and also the man who introduced me to the warehouse where I now own my brewery. His father owned a great restaurant next door, called Brady's Diner after his son. When his father retired about four years ago, Brady took over. Brady's been a huge help to his father's business, and mine. A lot of our guests will bring over apps in plastic baskets to our brewery and sit down with a beer, or buy a six pack here and head to Bradys to eat. We absolutely love the partnership, and often encourage guests to go to each other's business when asked.

The door chimes with the hanging bell, and we are rushed to a window booth by Doris, one of the many waitresses that have been here for the past fifteen years. She already knows our order, but we do both order drinks, me having more coffee, black, and Leigh getting an iced tea.

Doris scurries to go make drinks. Brady's is packed with the usual business lunch crowd. The diner is hustling to get tables turned so people can get in and out.

"So Wes, what are we thinking for May? I know you wanted to try out sunflower seeds, but what kind of grains should we be using with that?"

My sister always wants to talk shop, no matter where we are. She loves discussing our craft, and I guess I'm one of the very few people she can chat about with. We have other people who come in and help her with any of the menial tasks, but they probably don't know much about what their doing in the way we do.

"I was thinking maybe some floral notes? I know that sounds odd, but it's a different thing that I haven't seen much of yet on the market. I think if we start with something simple, like orange blossom flavoring, we could make a whole line of beers based around floral flavors."

Leigh seems pretty interested, so we keep discussing the pros and cons of the idea. Our food comes out, A philly steak sandwich with onions, mushrooms and bell peppers with a side of raw carrots for me and a Reuben with a side of fries for Leigh. We each split the sandwiches we have in half, taking the others, as well as the sides. It's been a lunch time tradition of ours for a while, always order something both of us like at lunch, so we can split it with each other.

Leigh suddenly steers the conversation in a different direction.

"I know it's only been a month since you and Maggie broke up, but you need to get yourself out their little bro! Your wasting away in the basement, hell your almost as pale as me! Why don't you try out just a couple one night stands? They're great usually, and there's none of that commitment crap."

Leigh was a free spirit. I don't think any man would ever be able to tie her down, nor did she want to be tied down. Me on the other hand...

"Leigh, you know I don't do one night stands. That whole ordeal is just to much of an uncomfortable situation. I'd rather wine and dine a girl first and see where it goes."

"Alright Wes, but you are gonna have to go through a lot of wine before you find the one, so we better start making it at the brewery."