The Elementalists

13.

I nodded off pretty fast. I guess knowing that I wasn't alone was reassuring enough to lull me to sleep. It was a restless few hours. I woke with a start, my hands flailed around to hit an imaginary enemy. My heart rate was elevated and my eyes were wide as they surroundings for the imaginary threats.

Once my brain realised I wasn't in any immediate danger, I relaxed slightly. My eyes drifted over to Wafi's form, his head slumped on his chest. The TV was still on but most of the light in the room came from the rising sun's reflection off the pool's calm waters.

My body still ached from yesterday's exercise, and my head already hurt from the lack of rest. However, I didn't want to go back to sleep. Bones and joints popped in relief as I stood up and stretched. A burst of energy made its way throughout my body out of nowhere.

Wafi's prone form prompted questions in me. What would happen once he woke up? Would he still be angry? I didn't feel angry anymore... but should I be? He seemed to have driven here drunk. The thought terrified me.

For starters, it would be very awkward. Being in an awkward situation when hungover is the worst. It's hard enough to concentrate on being upright and not hurling, but with a tense atmosphere. Hurling does seem the only way to relieve the tension and  make someone say something. I could decide to yell at him about driving under the influence but I don't think he'd hear it beyond the jackhammer in his skull.

I shook the thought out of my head and decided to go ahead with my daily routine. Wafi would be out cold for a while more. No point in hovering over him, and watch him sleep like a creep. Even if he looks better than me doing it.

I guess I'm from the shallow end of the gene pool amidst the two of us.

Wafi woke up pretty close to midday. I had to call Brett and tell him I couldn't make it. He wasn't too happy because the weekends were one of his busiest days, but that's what Sunday was reserved for, making up for missed work and procrastinated homework.

The sliding doors to the pool rattled open and made me pause in the middle of my lap. I tread water as I stopped in the middle of the pool to look up. Wafi stumbled out, looking every bit the hungover man.

"Good morning." My voice was just below yelling point, making him grimace anyway. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a tractor did me over." He growled as he came closer. His hand was up to shield his eyes from the bright sun.

I cocked an eyebrow at his choice of words and pushed the euphemism to the side for once. "There's juice and a couple of painkillers on the table. There's breakfast too if you're up to eating."

"I usually take a shot of whatever I've been drinking and then hit the pool. But I guess I'll have to do with that today." He turned and walked off, leaving me more and more worried about how different yet similar we were.

Climbing out of the pool, I waited for gravity to kick back in before I shrugged on a thick robe. The sounds of toast crunching could be heard clearly as I walked in. How could he stand it it? Even the sound of gulping water was enough to set off black spots when I got drunk.

I tiptoed into the dining room and quietly took a seat across from him. His eyes flickered to me and back to his occupying job of chewing slowly. The glass of juice was empty and there were two pills missing from the casing.

I took a piece of bread and began to butter it. He threw me a look and I shrugged. "I'm hungry. I've been swimming for over an hour."

He nodded. Still not up to talking, it seemed. In a while, we both got up. I needed to change out of this chlorine soaked robe and he needed... to just use the bathroom in general.