Amnesia

Chapter 16

Her hair is a mess, her mouth coated in an unpleasant sour taste and she almost falls as she stumbles to the bathroom. Eyes bleary, Penny blinks up at herself in the bathroom mirror and groans at her appearance. Stretching his arms above his head and yawning, Avi enters in after her, pausing as he spots her near the sink.

Penny gives him a brief glance before huffing, "Don't."

Avi smirks and holds his hands up in defense. "I didn't say a word."

"No, but I can feel you thinking," Penny says, her head suddenly starting to throb. Rubbing her temple, she opens up the medicine cabinet, shoving aside pill bottles until she finds the ibuprofen. "Thinking, Avi. I feel it."

Penny frowns when he laughs and moves around her to grab his toothbrush. She narrows her eyes as he begins to laugh in earnest, squeezing the toothpaste onto the brush. Avi chuckles as he brushes, further earning Penny's scorn.

"What is so funny? And why are you brushing your teeth before breakfast?" she demands, swallowing down a few ibuprofen.

Avi shakes his head and spits into the sink. "Oh, Penny," he starts, his voice lilted, "It's after noon. Like, two in the afternoon, after noon. You've been asleep for fourteen hours."

A wave of nausea hits Penny and she grips the counter, fingertips digging painfully against the surface. Penny hangs her head and blows out a steady breath before peeking over at Avi with one eye cracked open. "Fourteen hours?" she asks, swallowing down another wave.

Avi eyes her worriedly, moving a few inches closer to where she stands. Penny can feel his gaze burning against her skin, his eyes raking along her frame and he frowns. "I forgot how badly you feel hung over."

The nausea Penny had managed to keep at bay slams into her hard and slapping a hand over her mouth, she darts for the toilet, making it just in time before her stomach protests her previous night of drinking. Sighing, she rests her head against the seat, ignoring her thought of, his ass has been on this seat, and says, "That makes two of us."

Avi crouches down beside her and Penny blinks up at him as she peels herself from the toilet seat and leans against the wall. "Oh, God," she moans, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Avi just shakes his head and hands her the box of tissue. Penny mumbles her thanks as she takes several and wipes her mouth, frowning in disgust before tossing the tissue in the toilet. "I think you should go back to bed," Avi says gently. "Or at the very least not live on the bathroom floor."

Penny glances up at him as he fully stands and extends his hand. She accepts his help, needing Avi to grip just above her right elbow to get her upright. Swaying slightly on her feet, Avi's touch never leaves her until she's steady. Penny doesn't argue when he doesn't let go of her hand and slowly leads her back to bed. She groans as she falls onto the mattress, curling her legs towards her chest.

Avi moves the pillow under her head and Penny feels a pang of emotion zipping through her chest as he brushes the hair from under her cheek. She blinks up at him as he moves to pull the blanket over her body, tucking it gently in at her sides. "I'm sorry, Avi," she whispers.

Avi waves her off. "You've taken care of my drunk ass before. I guess it's only fair I return the favor."

Penny laughs. "You? Drunk?"

"Oh, yeah," Avi smirks, lying down next to her, sighing as he settles down on his back. Penny watches as he pulls the hem of his beanie over his eyes and tugs the pillow under his head. "You've seen me, very, very drunk." Avi falls quiet and his breathing evens out as Penny's eyes begin to grow heavy.