Strangers▪ Matei Covaci imagine

Twenty Seven

I wake up to see a blurry figure eclipsing a ray of light peeking through a pair of curtains. I can sense that I'm in bed; a duvet and fluffy blanket are hugging my aching body, but the longer I'm awake the hotter and sweatier I feel. Grimacing, I push the sheets off me and vigorously rub my eyes. As they refocus, the figure gets closer, and I realise it's Katrina. Her neon green t-shirt and pink jeans would be an eyesore anyday, but right now they seem especially vibrant. Thankfully, she's given me a more toned-down grey vest and joggers to wear.

"Katrina, I-"

"Shh, you'll wake him up." she whispers, pointing to my left.

I look over and am filled with both confusion and embarrassment. Matei is asleep in an armchair, head nuzzled into his own shoulder, arms crossed, and legs tucked onto the seat. He's still wearing a jacket and trainers . If I wasn't so puzzled I would be swooning at how adorable he looks. Katrina has taken the blanket off the bed and put it over my shoulders, pushing a glass of water into my hands. I gradually sit up so I can drink as much of it as possible.

"Why is he here?" I ask between gulps, "Wait, where the hell are we?"

"Will you be quiet!" She hisses, "We're in my flat, duh! This is my friend Kay's room, thank God she's away for the weekend..."

She drags me into the living room, and as I look around it becomes embarrassingly obvious. The decor is all pink florals and vibrant animal prints, the living room is swamped with decorative lamps, photo frames and trinkets. As Katrina goes to the adjacent kitchenette, I slump onto the pea green sofa which is practically calling out my name. It's so comfy.

"You need to explain yourself, miss." Katrina says, "I had to let the two of you in at midnight and you could barely stand up!"

I want to wrap up in the blanket and disappear. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." I mumble.

"What happened?"

"I remember being at Hannah's, and I remember leaving... I'm not sure where."

"Matei said you went to his house. Wow, that's like a 3-mile walk?"

"Why did he bring me here?"

Katria shrugs. "I tried to tell him to go home but he wasn't having it, he wanted to make sure you're ok. Anyway, he's only just fallen asleep, so keep your voice down pretty please."

My embarrassment slowly turns into guilt. "He stayed up all night?" I ask, watching Katrina fuss about in the kitchenette.

"Yep. We both did. Well, I stayed up until about three. I've got to get at least five hours or I'm absolutely hideous. Not the most talkative guy, is he? He wouldn't tell me anything about you two."

"He's just shy." I reply. Katrina rolls her eyes, joining me on the sofa. She hands me a few pills and a mug of herbal tea.

"Here, take these." she says, "I made you my special remedy. Kills a hangover in no time."

The tea smells like a mix of peppermint and camomile, but my senses aren't what they usually are. Still, I take the mug and swallow the pills, immediately feeling better.

"Thanks, Katrina. I'm really sorry about all this..."

"I'd be a hypocrite if I judged you. I'm sure I did worse at your age."

"What, in Stoneybridge? There's nothing there."

She pretends to act offended. "How would you know, you never visited me! But you're right, maybe Newcastle is a bit more...dangerous. You're lucky nothing bad happened on your little three mile wander." She pats my shoulder and goes to leave the flat. "I've gotta open the cafe, will you be alright up here?"