Birthday Beginnings

She was still a little apprehensive of facing him. How could she do this? How could he do this? ‘That’s right! How could he just sleep with me when I was so obviously drunk last night?’ she thought. Then she recalled how he clutched at his head when she yelled at him. ‘Maybe we were both drunk,’ she conceded with a sigh. ‘But at the very least, he remembers more than I do.’ She’d have to ask what happened without upsetting him again. She entered the kitchen, which now emitted the pungent smell of her favorite imported Kenyan roast. She inhaled the heady aroma, feeling rejuvenated already. Sighing again, she walked over to the dining room table where Jake was hidden behind her morning newspaper.

“Jake?”

“Hm?” came a curt reply from behind the Sports section.

“Can we talk?”

“Mm hm.” She sat down in the chair next to his and waited for him to put the newspaper down.

He didn’t, so she touched his hand in a silent plea for his undivided attention. He took a deep breath and exhaled his frustrations, then lowered the paper to meet his azure eyes to her cobalt ones. Her scarlet hair hung heavy down to the middle of her back. Her alabaster skin was very smooth and had a soft glow from her shower and their activities of the previous night.

His throat suddenly went dry. He swallowed and absently licked at his lips. ‘I want her right now.’ The thought came unbidden, and he frowned again at his lack of self-control.

He was trying with little success to stay angry with her. He thought that they had finally gotten their relationship to where he really wanted it to be and that this was what she wanted too. Instead, it turns out that he might very well haakenaken advantage of a woman who was drunk. It was himself that he should have been angry with, but he was very hurt that she seemed almost offended that they’d been together. “Well. I’m listening.” He tried to sound terse, but he knew that he was done for when he looked into her eyes again. They were shining in supplication; it was like drowning in two pools of deep, blue water.

She lowered her gaze to gather her thoughts then hastened forth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just . . . I was confused. I do remember a little of what we shared last night, but up until I saw you I thought it was only a dream. I’m sure I was dreaming my memories of last night just before I woke up. I never thought it could be real.” She looked up at him hopefully.

“Didn’t you hear the water running?” He said it with a lot more sarcasm in his voice than he’d intended. He immediately regretted it when she looked down again, and started nervously wringing her hands.

“Yeah, I did. I thought it was raining out. My head’s still not very clear, but I understand much better what happened last night. Please forgive me for the whole bat thing. I was just surprised.”

He thought about what she said for only a few seconds before responding. “It’s okay. I’m sorry if I’m being hard on you. I just didn’t expect you not to remember, you know?”

“No please. It’s my fault. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. I should have known better.”

“No one’s fault. Just misunderstanding.” He smiled warmly at her. “Still friends?”

She stared into his baby-blues for a while, searching their depths. Her reply when she finally spoke was tinged with remorse. “I don’t know, Jake. Are we?”

He looked at her seriously for a moment. “You’re right. We need to talk.” He folded the newspaper and put it aside. “Coffee first. This isn’t a conversation to be had with a hangover.” AgreAgreed. Cream, four sugars,” she instructed with a tired smile.

‘Hmm, no wonder she tastes so sweet,’ he thought, smiling in bemusement. She caught his far away look and watched as a salacious grin spread across his handsome features.

‘He’s right,’ she thought with a dreamy smile of her own. ‘Oh shit was definitely a poor choice of words.’ “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked him aloud.

“Huh?” He guiltily snapped back to reality, temporarily stowing his memories of their laightight revelry into the back of his mind. “Oh . . . uh, nothing. Just wool-gathering.”

“I see,” she drawled, knowingly. He shrugged, smiling, and got up to fix their coffee.