“Sleepy too.”
I patted her hip. “You wanna head upstairs?”
“Hmm? No. ’M fine right here. You’re warm and comfy.” She nuzzled my chest.
“Okay, then. Sweet dreams.”
“Sweet dreams,” she said drowsily, “of penises.”
“And erections.”
“Mmm.” She sighed and fell asleep.
I turned off the lamp next to us. I couldn’t reach any of the others, but I didn’t really care. I had a warm and snuggly girl in my lap.
My erection wasn’t entirely happy with the situation, but that was too bad.
We’d forgotten to turn on the heat after the party, so the house was cold when I woke up. I was glad to have a blanket over my bare legs. Christy lay curled beside me with her head in my lap, warm under her own blanket. She had taken off her Alice dress and draped it over the arm of the couch. A pretty blue bra lay on top of it. I tugged the blanket up to cover her bare shoulder.
I sat quietly for a moment and surveyed the room. It looked like we’d had a party, but I’d seen worse. My hangover was fairly mild too, mostly because I’d switched from Jameson to Coke after the costume contest.
Christy stirred. She stretched and added a little squeak at the end. I couldn’t help but grin.
“Morning,” I said softly.
She blinked several times. Then she looked up at me and smiled. A moment later her eyes widened in panic as she realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. She pulled the blanket tight around herself and sat up.
“You must’ve gotten up during the night,” I explained. “I guess that’s when you took off your clothes. I didn’t see a thing.”
She nodded, but her eyes still darted frantically as she tried to remember.
“We didn’t do anything, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
She still didn’t say anything.
“Seriously. I’d tell you if we had.”
She eventually nodded. “What time is it?”
“A little before nine.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not ready to start cleaning up,” I said, “and I’m a little stiff from
sleeping sitting up. Think I’ll go for a run.”
She nodded automatically.
“Relax,” I said. “Nothing happened. We just fell asleep together.”
She still wasn’t mollified.
I sighed. “Whatever. I’ll be back in a bit.”
I kicked a bunch of empty beer cans out of the street when I returned. I tried to ignore the cigarette butts that littered the yard and sidewalk, but I picked up the cardboard remains of someone’s costume. Then I pulled a trio of empty wine cooler bottles from the mailbox and tossed them into the yard with the rest.
At that point I realized that we hadn’t picked up the mail in a couple of days. We’d been so busy with party preparations that we’d simply forgotten.
I sorted through the letters and immediately recognized Gina’s handwriting on one. It felt thick, several pages at least. I resisted the urge to open and read it then and there.
The scene inside the house hadn’t changed, except that Christy’s dress and bra were gone. She’d left a note on the dining room table.
She returned as I was cleaning, by myself. I’d already picked up the porch and front yard and was working on the living room.
To her credit, she pulled out a trash bag and joined me.
“How was church?”
“Fine.”
“Did you confess your sins?” I didn’t even try to keep the contempt out of my voice. “What’s the penance for sleeping with a man who isn’t your husband?”
“I’ll start on the kitchen.”
“What are you so guilty about?” I shouted at her back. “We didn’t
She disappeared through the dining room.
I fumed and snatched decorations from the ceiling to vent my frustration.
Wren came downstairs wearing Trip’s Han Solo shirt and little else. She winced as bottles clanked when I dropped the trash bag.
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked.
“Ask your friend,” I said with a gesture at the kitchen. “That is, if she isn’t too busy saying Our Fathers or Hail Marys.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Never mind. I know.” She glared at me.
“Why are you such a jerk about this? It makes her happy. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She can be as happy and guilt-ridden as she likes… just not with me.”
She huffed. “Fine. Whatever. It’s too early for this crap.”
“It’s almost eleven,” I said petulantly.
“Do you have somewhere else to be?”
“Yeah, I think I do.” I headed upstairs to change into my running clothes.
Again.
I tried to put things into perspective as I ran. Christy was simply my housemate. We were friends, nothing more. So why was I so upset? Part of the answer was simple. I’d had fun the night before, but she felt guilty about it. I reminded myself that
I decided that I needed to wear myself out physically, so I sprinted the last quarter-mile to the house. Then again, maybe I just needed to find someplace else to live. Christy’s flirty and shy moods would drive me crazy if I lived with her much longer. I paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the house. I stared at the mailbox on every pass, thinking of Gina’s letter.
