Page 40 of A New Era

Grabbing a clean glass, I look around for a bottle of wine that isn’t empty.

“At least have one drink with us.”

“Sure.”

One drink turns into two, then three…

* * *

If I don’t move a single muscle, there’s no pain rocketing across my head. If I don’t breathe, I don’t feel like I want to throw up. I don’t bother trying to get up for fear of dying. Keeping my eyes closed, I attempt to fall back asleep when my phone has other ideas. The ringtone drills through my head like a jackhammer and without opening my eyes, I pat around the bed for my phone.

I answer it and drop it on the pillow next to me.

“Hey, where are you? I can’t see you.”

Leo?

Straining to open my eyes and keep them open, I roll onto my side slowly and perch the phone up against Leo’s pillow so I don’t have to use any energy holding it. As soon as he sees me, his laughter is too loud, and I grimace.

“Keep it down, please,” I croak out.

“I take it you had a good time last night?”

“I think so?” I sigh. “The last thing I remember is pouring Nina a glass of wine.”

“It’s been funny as fuck this morning, the brothers have been calling their old ladies and they’re all hungover big time.”

“At least I’m not the only one then,” I groan.

Being able to see now, I groan again when I see I was obviously in no fit state to clean the makeup off my face last night. I have mascara and eyeliner smudged all around my eyes and my lipstick is smeared across my cheek.

My mouth waters and my stomach rolls, I barely mumble a “Hold on,” before I run for the bathroom and hover over the toilet.

Everything from last night makes a reappearance and for a minute I believe this is how I’m really going to die.

Once I’m finished, I quickly brush my teeth and pull out a face wipe. Crossing the bedroom, I fall back into bed, start wiping off my makeup, and pick up the phone.

“Feel better?” Leo chuckles.

“Not even a little bit. Don’t ever let me drink that much again.”

“Make sure you drink plenty of water and try to eat something, it’ll settle your stomach.”

“Oh god, the thought of eating anything right now is…” I swallow the urge to vomit again and think of something else.

“When are you going to be home?”

“Tomorrow morning if all goes well. Hopefully, you’ll be feeling better by then?” He laughs.

“Nope. This is who I am now.”

“You’re cute when you’re hungover, you know that?”

“It’s not something I’ve heard before and since I’m never drinking again, this is the one and only time you’ll see me like this.”

“Shame. If I were there I’d have at least gotten you out of your dress.”

I look down at myself and I am indeed still in last night’s dress.

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