Twenty-One Night Stand ✓

17 / unimagineable

At some point after the sun had risen, Maddie woke to find herself lying sprawled across two of the beanbags in Posy's den, her body sinking in the gap between them. Her back ached and there was a dull thump at the back of her head, but nothing like the mother of all hangovers she had expected. Then again, her stomach didn't feel too great, and the pain in her head grew a little worse each second she was awake. Next to her was a glass of water, just an inch left inside, and beyond that lay Nick's sleeping body. He made absolutely no sound as he slumbered and if it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Maddie would have been convinced that he was cold.

Posy was nowhere to be seen, though there was a blanket on the sofa that had been shoved to the end, and another glass. That was something of a giveaway. As were the footsteps coming from above, soft thuds that grew louder until a barefoot Posy appeared upside down. Maddie sat up and saw her friend the right way up, looking as though she hadn't been out until three in the morning. She winced from the effort of moving her body, shading her eyes though no sunlight could enter the basement.

"Rise and shine," Posy said, though the words came out as a whisper, directed only towards Maddie rather than with the intention of rousing Nick. "How're you feeling?"

"Ugh," Maddie said, rubbing her head. She knew she hadn't thrown up – that usually aided any hangover, but there was no part of the night that she couldn't remember, and there had been no rush to the nearest bathroom. Every moment was perfectly clear, from drinking too much to stumbling outside for a taxi at half past two while Nick held her steady. She remembered him telling her to slow down, and she remembered ignoring him. Perhaps he had been right.

Posy dropped down onto the sofa and rested her elbows on her knees. Somehow, despite her rather diminuitive stature, she could hold her alcohol better than any of them. In the past, she had been found nursing her six foot four boyfriend after a rough night out, while she felt no effect. For a while, Maddie had wondered if she only pretended to drink, but that idea had been debunked time and time again.

"What time is it?" Maddie squinted against the pale glow of a lamp in the corner of the room, the only light in the room, and struggled to roll herself off the beanbag. The effort was too much. She gave up, slumping back into the position she had slept in all night. Posy checked her watch.

"Only seven thirty."

"Fuck. I need sleep."

Posy laughed. "Yeah, I figured you'd be out like a light today. You were really putting it away last night. Want anything to eat?"

She turned her nose up at the idea of food. Not yet. It would be at least an hour before she was accustomed enough to the day to entertain the idea of eating and right now, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"How come you're so awake?" She watched Posy, who simply shrugged.

"I'm a morning person. Feel free to go back to sleep, Mads. Really, I mean it."

The offer was too tempting to resist, and Maddie pulled the blanket up to her chin. "I think I will," she said, closing her eyes against the nausea that rose like a demon from the dead, and revelled in the cool side of the pillow.

"I'll be upstairs," she heard Posy say, words that she took in but failed to acknowledge. All she wanted to do was sleep off last night. It had been exactly what she needed, and there was no denying that she had had fun with her two best friends, but she hadn't put too much thought into the next morning when she had been drinking away her sorrows.

*

An extra hour's sleep made all the difference, but it still wasn't nearly enough. Maddie would have slept in more, but she was awoken by Posy standing over her and gently shaking her shoulder.