Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Katie

I was never really good at mornings after. That being said I didn't see many, I made a point of sleeping in until the early evening. There would be some comedowns during which I only left my room to shower, hiding away for days, but today was different.

Today I hadn't slept at all. Me and Benji had been talking all night in the bathroom. I probably knew more about him now than his band mates.

"Morning starshine," beamed Saff as I passed her in the kitchen, Benji following behind in hopes of a brew. He rubbed his eyes and shot me a smile as he shook his head and tried to bring himself to life.

"Morning Buttercup," I said with a sleepier smile flicking the kettle on and perching on the counter, I offered Benji a small smile but the more I began to sober up the more nervous I began to feel.

"I made you breakfast," smiled saff taking a joint from her back pocket, she always did that the morning after. She'd make everyone "breakfast" by rolling a joint to pass round, apparently it helped ease the hangover, I tended to find that it just put it off a little longer.

Still, it didn't stop me smoking it.

"Here, I'll make these lass, think I saw Fliss outside," smiled Benji gesturing for me to leave him to it.

"No don't go," hissed Saff grabbing me by the wrist, Benji smirked at the ground and pulled a face at me as she carried on, "Vans out there with her..." she said wide eyes and an excited smile. She was the annoying older sister that obsessed over everyone elses love life...

"Oh yeah, he's hasn't shut up about her since he met her," chuckled Benji rolling his eyes at me with a cheeky smile. I couldn't help but giggle a little. Saff raising an eyebrow as she turned to benji and I decided to make my escape.

I lay back on the patio next to Fliss, placing a pair of shades over her eyes. The afternoon seemed to stretch out before me like one of those vibrant renaissance paintings, eternal summers hung in galleries across the world. Someones early morning in May just hanging there.

I spent the morning tuning in and out of other peoples conversations, a little too shy and startled by my company to contribute to them myself. The others joined us, one by one all of them gathering on the patio, Bondy and Bob looking worse than death as they leant against the wall in the shade and made casual suicide jokes about their hangovers.

Benji sat down beside me, legs crossed, occasionally pulling a face at me when one of the others said something stupid but for the most part he left me to dilly dally and daydream my way around the afternoon.

"Ughhh for fucks sake he's fucking... look at this! Look at this!" Exclaimed Alice waving her phone in front of my face. She had 5 missed calls from Elliot and about 13 or so unread text messaged.

"Someone's a thirsty hoe," I smirked doing a soft little whistle before rolling over with my head resting on my hands.

"Yeah well I wish he'd fuck off somewhere else..."

"Tell him that then," said Van a little more blunt than I expected he realised.

"In those exact words, Elliot, fuck off... somewhere else," giggled fliss by his side, "it'll work a charm im sure..."

"Just tell him we all think hes a nonce...." I shrugged my shoulders unable to help myself but laugh a little at the expression on Benji's face.

We spent the majority of the day communicating like that, through sarcastic smiles, sneers and eye rolls, hidden smirks and the occasional nudge, nod and giggle.

They were all so laid back, easy to get used to. It made a nice change from the usual too, Fliss was always pretty chilled out, but the three of them together could hit a high I wasn't sure I ever would and it was nice to be able to lie back and listen knowing that half my company were even more confused than me.

It was nice to have someone to pull faces at when the silence got awkward or my anxiety got the better of me.

"We'd better be off soon lids," yawned Larry looking around the garden, at the little shed where Alice kept her old guitars. We'd managed to waste the whole day lazing around on the patio drinking various types of tea and smoking various types of cigarettes.

Upon Larrys announcement the lads seemed to come back to life, pushing themselves up. I stood up too about to try and disappear for five minutes before I had to face everyone at once.

"Hey uh love?" Asked Benji taking my hand only to realise moments later and drop it quickly.

"Alright shug?" I asked with a smile turning back to him, hoping that perhaps he wanted to make the escape to.

"Can I give yous my number Katie?" He asked with a small maybe nervous smile, eyes struggling to meet mine. I nodded shooting him a shy smile of my own reaching into my pocket for my phone.

"Course you can," I grinned when he broke into a smile and began typing his number into my phone.

"Cheers, call me or something yeah? Be lovely to see you again,"

I smiled giving him a little wave as he followed his band mates back through the house and out the front door, where Fliss and Saffron were taking the piss out of Bondy and his hat again. Van was lingering around Fliss, like he had something to say but couldn't spit it out and Alice was sitting on the front step tying Larry's shoelaces together unnoticed by everyone but Bondy and myself, a devilish smile on both their lips.

By the time they'd all left I was exhausted. Fliss disappeared immediately to her room and within minutes Magical Mystery Tour started drifting down the stairs.

She was the only other one of us with a room of her own, it was the first on the left on the second floor. Saffron and Alice shared the opposite room and my bedroom, my sweet little sanctuary of solitude, was up a ladder in the attic.

The floors were covered in books and tape cassettes, some of them my dads old music collection, some of them audio books or spoken word. I was the nerd of the group I suppose.

"Benji gave you his number then huh?" Teased Saff slipping in beside me on the bean bags that made up our living room floor. I was watching Louis Theroux's weird weekends and sipping vanilla chai.

"Yeah," I mused trying to hide my smile, hoping to avoid the range of questions I knew she was about to overwhelm me with..."

"Did something happen last..."

"No!" I groaned closing my eyes and shaking my head, trust Saff to jump straight to sex.

"So where were you, I hardly remember you being around the whole night..."

"Thats because you don't remember the whole night," I smirked turning to her with a look that said "oh honey,"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she shot me a cheeky smile before leaning on her hands and looking up at me through her eyeslashes. "So come on what happened. Something must have happened!!"

"It was really nothing!" I insisted though she only persisted until I was forced to roll my eyes and shrug her off with, "we hid from the party all night in the upstairs bathroom drinking wine and smoking,"

She cracked a giggle then rolling her own eyes.

"Typical katie, you actually managed to pull whilst being next level antisocial... oh im so proud of you,"