Chapter 15

I woke up with her hair tickling my nose. I pulled her waist tighter and nuzzled around her neck until I could kiss her neck.

“Go cuddle your girlfriend,” Celeste murmured and scrunched her knees to her breasts.

I was fully awake now. Guiltily, I rolled over and wrapped my arms around Adelaide. She inched backwards and laid her hands on mine.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I said.

“Good morning, handsome,” she replied weakly.

“Are you free today?”

“I’m always free for you,” she told me.

“Do you have work?” I asked instead.

“From 9 to close.” She said. I looked over her shoulder. She had an alarm clock radio saying it was just before noon.

“Perfect, I’ve got you for hours,” I squeezed her. “Sleep if you need more, but I want a shower.”

I kissed her shoulder and climbed over her. I walked naked to the washroom. The door was locked.

“Fuck.” I moaned.

“Nisha’s hungover,” Lidie said leaning out of the kitchen. I heard the green haired girl retching through the door.

“Nice,” I frowned. I banged on the door. “Nish, gotta pee.”

Moans and zombie noises shambled from the toilet across the bathroom to let me in. She was as green as her face. Her throat was vibrating. I grabbed her by the waist and rushed her back to the toilet. She spewed as I pulled her hair from her face.

“You OK?” I asked. I had been rubbing her back and she wasn’t spasming anymore.

“I can breathe for a minute,” she moaned.

“Perfect,” I pulled her aside and she sat on the floor next to the toilet as I forfeited my patience and relaxed. I audibly sighed happily.

“Do you want me to put my face in that?” Nisha asked. I grimaced as I looked down at her.

“No, your face is a wreck,” I said. I had questions for myself. I shook myself dry. I walked over to wash my hands. “I know a great place for breakfast sandwiches. Adelaide knows they make great hangover cures.”

“Oh...” Nisha said and dry heaved. “Oh...”

“There’ll be water and aspirin waiting for you when you can get out of here,” I promised her. I grabbed the tylenol bottle from behind the mirror and laid out two tablets on the counter. I filled the toothbrush glass with cold water and rubbed her shoulder as I left.

“Breakfast sandwiches?” Lidie asked. “I can cook.”

“Awesome!” I cheered and grabbed her around her waist, spinning her. “You look lovely.”

“I need to wash my face and put on makeup,” she pushed off of me with a laugh. “I look OK.”

“OK!” I slapped her ass.

“Oh god!” Celeste ran like an antelope across the apartment. “Get out of my way!”

“Did she drink last night too?” I asked when Celeste’s ralphing noises carried through the apartment.

“No, she just had to fuck her sister,” Lidie frowned at me.

“Adelaide!” I worried and dashed back to my girlfriend’s room.

“Hey babe,” she said with a dimness in her eyes. “You wanna do breakfast sandwiches? That’s like our place, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” I said. I squatted down and brushed the hair from her face. She smiled. Adelaide was just tired. I kissed her and she was luminous again. I kissed her once more. “How are you? Hungry?”

“I could eat,” she said. “I’d like a shower first.”

“Do you want me to join you?” I smiled.

“Of course I do,” she stood up and took my hands. We stopped at the bathroom door.

“Maybe we can stop at your place?” She asked me when we saw the state of Celeste and Nisha.

“Good idea.” I agreed.

Thanks to Nisha and Celeste tagging in and out, Adelaide and I only focused on cleaning up in the shower. When we finally rubbed each other down with towels and made our way to the living room everyone seemed to have cooled down.

“Go put your face on, sweetie,” Lidie said, turned Adelaide back around. I squeezed my girlfriend’s hand and went to collect my clothes.

“What sizes are you?” A healthier, happier, Celeste asked me from Adelaide’s doorway.

“Huh?”

“You’re putting on dirty clothes. Adelaide says you make us go to work rather than serve you,” Celeste answered.

“One of those sentences seems related,” I said and zipped up my jeans.

“Aa-and, it’s not difficult for me to stop by Wal-Mart on the way home so next time you have some fresh socks, underwear, jeans, and a t-shirt waiting for you.” Celeste clarified.

“That’d be nice,” I held the side of her neck and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

“Yeah, I do that,” Celeste sighed. “I mean, it might be easier for us to move in with you.”

“We still got 10 months on the lease, Celee.” Adelaide squeezed her sister’s shoulder and kissed my cheek as she navigated around us. “I think Nisha wants to go home, or at least your place, to sleep the rest of her morning off. I offered to let her use my bed but she doesn’t feel at home here.”

“OK, um...” I nodded. “The black one.”

Adelaide looked over from her chest of drawers. She brought back out a lacy bra. “It is pretty, but I have sexier and cuter in blues or greens.”

“Once you go black,” I counter argued.

“I gotta get ready for work,” Celeste said. “Right?”

“Yeah, babe.” I squeezed her shoulders and sent her off with a slap. “So we just need to get rid of Lidie?”

“If you don’t want me around, I had fun last night. And there’s a totally cute boy looking to show off for me, if you know what I mean?” Lidie wiggled her eyebrows, walked over, and kissed my lips. “You treat him right, Addie.”

“I will. Go be a good mom.” Adelaide smiled, clarifying for me what Lidie meant. I took a deep breath and smiled.

“Go on, number two girl,” I said. I got a vice-grip hugged for that. I got another kiss and she headed for the door. “Bye Nishie! Bye Celee!”

“Bye, I can’t remember your name!” Celeste shouted back. Adelaide and I waved as the door closed behind Lidie.

Adelaide had picked out a nice summer dress. Her black bra was just visible beneath it. I looked back up to her eyes and grinned.

“Yeah, I always knew these worked together,” She put one hand on her hip, raised the other and posed. I pulled her into an embrace. “But you’re the first guy I’ve had the courage to do it for. Courage!” She was laughing. I brushed her cheek. “I’ll do anything for you.”

“Yeah,” I said licentiously. “I have a big favor I’m about to ask.”

“Yeah?” She blushed and her shoulders lowered a little.

“Let’s go get breakfast sandwiches,” I said, and took one of her hands. “After all, we may help Nisha with her hangover, but this is our thing.”

“Oh,” She lit up her terawatt smile. I pulled her hand. “Nisha, call us a cab and hurry up to join us.”

“I’m coming!” Nisha muttered and mussed up her dark green hair. She took out her phone and began Googling for the number.

I got off the elevator. Adelaide’s hand in my left, the bag of breakfast sandwiches in my right, and Nisha still tagged on behind.

“You sure you’re happy?” I asked. Adelaide smiled brightly. “OK, my hands are full, key’s in the front pocket. No other side. The brass one.”

The lock didn’t click, so she turned it the other way. The door was locked. She laughed and unlocked the door.

“Safe.” She smirked at me and pushed the door open.

“I like to live dangerously,’’ I joked.”

“It’s really OK if I just crash in your bed?” Nisha said.

“As soon as we take care of Goldilocks.” Adelaide said. I frowned and walked up beside my girlfriend. Jess was looking at us, her head down on one of my pillows the other squeezed between her arms and knees.

“I think Goldilocks should be blonde,” Nisha said. “I’m gonna pee. If she’s still in bed when I get out, she better not hog the covers.”

“Um ... I um...” Jess muttered.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“It, um, smells like you,” Jess whispered.

“Ew...” I frowned. “I better go put the laundry on.”

Adelaide put her hand on my elbow and shook her head. She took my elbow and led me across the apartment to my little kitchenette. She started taking mugs out of the cupboard and I grabbed some Coca-Cola out of the fridge.

“I was going to make tea.”

“I don’t want these getting cold,” I said. I punched the white takeout bag I had put on the counter.

“Right,” Adelaide said. “Hey Sleeping Beauty.”

“I thought I was Goldilocks,” Jess muttered. “Will?”

“Are you alright? Feeling OK?”

“No,” she shook her head. “But I’m not sick. Just heartsick...”

“Aw...” Adelaide said with affected sympathy. “What are we gonna do with Goldilocks, Papa Bear?”