The Night Watch ✓

25 / slow and steady

The entire morning had vanished by the time Bree peeled her eyes open on Tuesday, her alarm clock blinking that it was five past twelve, and the flashing red dots seared into her brain like lasers. Closing her eyes again, she tried not to move as the full force of last night crashed down on her, crushing her organs with the undeniable throb of a hangover. She blindly reached for her water, lifting her head just enough to drink from the glass before her wrist gave in and she spilled the remaining inch down her neck. When she moved even a millimetre, her head burned with the most intense headache, as though her brain had swollen and her skull was fit to crack under the pressure.

Nick had left a couple of ibuprofen on her bedside table and she grimaced as she reached for the sugar coated tablets, swallowing them dry. Last night was a blur. She never blacked out, but she was struggling to remember the details. All she could think was that Gaia and Evan were a thing. They would probably get married, she thought. After all, they were both ready to settle down. Evan had always talked about meeting the right woman and putting a ring on her finger, and Gaia had had her life planned out ever since she was a child. Bree was just a pawn in their game, the unsuspecting player who had brought them together.

She needed to eat. Her stomach was painfully empty except for a couple of pills and a mouthful of water, and she was well enough acquainted with painkillers to know that she shouldn't take them on an empty stomach. Wondering why she was so ravenous, the memory of getting home crashed back into her, of Nick holding her as she had thrown up, and mortification coloured her cheeks. She had overdone it. It was rare that that happened: the last time had been the night after she had broken up with Melody, before that she couldn't even remember.

If she had needed another sign that something needed to change, then that was it. There was no way her body could take another day of the fear that paralysed her mind, flooding her stomach with nausea, and despite the pain that had set up camp in her head, she heaved a deep breath and stood. It was only then that she noticed she was wearing nothing but a pair of pants, the pink material hugging her buttocks, and her cringe deepened. It would be hard to face Nick anytime soon after last night, the occasional memory coming back.

She pushed through her nausea as she pulled on a sports bra for comfort, but as she reached for her jeans, neatly folded on her desk, she couldn't fight back the effects of last night. Her stomach churned, something more than just nerves, and she clamped her hand over her mouth as she hurried to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the loo. Her chest ached, her lungs screaming, and she hardly had the energy to stand up when she was done. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, grimacing at the acrid taste in her mouth, and slithered to the floor, resting her back against the wall.

The floor was deliciously cold, soothing her aching body, and she lay flat on her stomach on the chilly tiles. In her state, it didn't matter that the floor was probably disgusting: Gaia compulsively cleaned the bathroom, so it was probably no worse than Bree's own bed. It felt good to lie flat on the hard surface, her cheek pressed against the white ceramic, and her eyes closed of their own accord as the feeling of sickness drifted away.

It was only when the bathroom door hit her head and Gaia screamed that she opened her eyes, squinting up at her flatmate, white as a sheet.

"Holy fucking shit, Bree," Gaia said, a quiver in her voice. "What're you doing? I thought you'd died. Fuck, I think I just had a heart attack." She clutched her chest, eyes wide. "How long've you been down there?"

Bree screwed up her face in thought, and made an effort to stand. She felt better, the pounding in her head reduced to more of a dull ache, and her limbs did what she asked them to. "What time is it?"

Gaia checked her watch. "Just gone one," she said. "I went out a couple of hours ago. Have you been there all that time?"

"Only since twelve," Bree said. She plucked a scrap of toilet paper off her cold stomach, dropping it into the toiler before she flushed it. "I have to say, a quick nap on a cold floor does wonders for a hangover." Rubbing her head where the door had bashed it, she gave Gaia an apologetic wince. "I'm sorry, Gee."