Don't Stop

A sock suddenly materialised across my face, making me slightly jump out of my sleep. The sudden light that hit my eyes ignited a pain in my temples and I swore, pinching the bridge of my nose. I picked up the sock that had disturbed my sleep and looked wearily to the door where Ashley was leaning against the door frame, looking smug.

“Looking good, man.”

“Fuck off,” I groaned, letting my head hit the pillow again. I rolled onto my side and took my pillow with me, wrapping it around my head.

“Get up!” Ashley was suddenly shaking the mattress, jolting me around.

“Ashley, I swear to fucking god I’m going to rip you apart,” I began threateningly, but I couldn’t help the small smile the emerged when I saw him grinning as he shook me. He stepped back and laughed.

“I want to hear about last night. Plus it’s 1:30, the sun’s out, and I made breakfast.”

“You made breakfast?” I perked up a little.

“Yeah.” I looked at him sceptically. “Like two hours ago and it was for me.”

I rolled my eyes and instantly regretted it, burying my head in the pillow again. “Get me some water or juice or bleach, at this point just anything to wet my mouth, please,” I moaned. “And then maybe I’ll talk,” I bargained.

I heard him leave the room and dared to open my eyes fully again. I could vaguely smell the remnants of a flowery perfume on the pillow next to me and smirked. But as quickly as it came it went. It was a bittersweet feeling to not wake up to Juliet, to not wake up to the smell of her on the bed next to me.

I rolled over and faced the window, adjusting my eyes to the light gradually. Then when I could fully open them without pain I began sitting up, swinging my legs over the side of my bed, and rubbed my face.

“Here you go,” Ashley announced, dropping down some painkillers next to a glass of orange juice. Just the sight of it made my mouth water. I popped the pills in my mouth and greedily followed it with several large gulps of juice.

I looked at Ashley slightly panting after my drink, anticipating his next question. Before he could even get a word out, however, my phone buzzed loudly beside us on my bedside table. My quick reflexes were considerably lacking in my hung over state, so I had no chance of reaching my phone before Ashley after we both spotted the name on my lock screen.

“Isn’t there a three day rule?” He laughed loudly but excitedly, as he stood up, reading the preview of the message. Another sharp laugh escaped his mouth. “Stella is wondering the same thing, as it goes.”

I groaned for Ashley to hand over my phone, and he grinned as he chucked it into my lap willingly. I unlocked it and clicked onto the text, or more accurately, the essay.

I think there’s a three-day rule to these kinds of things, right? Now does that apply for texts and phone calls, or just calls? Let’s pretend I found a loophole. From what I remember in my drunken state, your face was kind of cute and I want to see it sober. Is the feeling mutual?

I smiled at the words.

“What does the rest of it say?” Ashley asked.

“None of your business” I replied, light heartedly, clicking onto the text box, forming a reply in my mind. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, suddenly hyper aware of the full sentences and nice grammar she used in her text. In made me self-conscious about any accidental text speak I might use, and I mentally warned myself to stay away from smiley faces made up of punctuation. Were emojis okay?

“Dude, just tell me, let me help. You look like you’re stuck.” Ashley smiled smugly at me again, interrupting my train of thought. I begrudgingly handed my phone over to him and waited for him to read it.

His eyes scanned quickly over it then he glanced up at me. “Before we can do anything, you need to tell me what happened last night.”

I knew this was coming, so I sighed but nodded my head with a smile and Ashley eagerly sat down on the bed with me. I recounted the events of last night. From leaving him, running into Stella, and her friends, losing her, and then what came after I found her again. Soon after we came back to the club was when I found Ashley and we both hung out with Stella and her friends. The rest of the evening was pretty chill…as chill as it could be I guess. I got absolutely hammered because Ashley handed me drink after drink and I didn’t catch on to the fact that he wasn’t matching me drink for drink until it was too late. That was his plan all along; to get me smashed and forget my troubles. I’m sure I made a fool of myself in front of our new companions for the night but from then on it’s a blur for me.

“I can’t believe I hooked up with a girl and went back to the club. That’s so unlike me.” I told him.

“That’s so like me,” Ashley laughed. After a pause he continued. “So is the feeling mutual?”

I nodded. He grinned, putting his fingers to the keyboard. “Fuck the three day rule.”

I laughed. “Fuck the three day rule,” I repeated him, feeling upbeat. I did feel somewhat rejuvenated. Despite the hangover. I had Ashley to thank for that, making me go out with him.

“Done.” Ashley said proudly. Caught in my own thoughts I didn’t even realise he’d sent a text. My face dropped.

“Wait, what did you say?” I asked frantically, grabbing back my phone.

The three day rule is for shmucks. Life’s too short. Let’s do it. ;)

I groaned. “I could’ve handled that if you didn’t put the winky face”

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked defensively.

I looked at him blankly. “It’s so like you.”

He looked offended but couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto his face. “Just heading you in the right direction. So what’s with this girl? How did she get you out of your rut?”

I shifted to a more comfortable position while I thought, playing with my sheets between my fingers.

“I don’t know,” I lied, thinking about the way her accent captured my attention, the glint in her eye when she asked me if she was good during sex, the way she bit her lip or laid her hands on my chest when she spoke to me. Maybe I was in a rut, and maybe the alcohol had gone to my head, but there was no denying the connection I felt. “It probably could have happened with any girl.”

It definitely could not have happened with any girl.

Notes