I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by the light from the window, in spite of the dreary gray winter day outside. During the night, someone had driven a steel spike in my forehead. For a moment, I was unaware where I was. A male body lay beside me on the bed, and I touched his shoulder before I realized with a start that it wasn't Craig and this wasn't our bedroom.
I sat upright too quickly and my head spun. The man beside me slept on top of the covers, wrapped in a blanket. It was Paul, wearing sweat pants and tee shirt. But I was still dressed and felt okay between my legs. I hadn't had sex, at least.
His eyes had opened at my touch, and for an instant, he seemed as surprised as me. Then he smiled.
"I hope you don't mind. I tried to sleep on the sofa, but it's not long enough."
"I don't know how I got here, but I guess I should thank you. I've got to make myself a note to never drink like that again."
He pressed his fingers against his eyes. "I've had ouzo before, but I've still got a hangover. It's sneaky stuff. Goes down too easy. How are you feeling?"
I flopped flat on my back again. "Like I'm afraid I'm gonna die, and afraid I'm not."
He began to laugh, but stopped short to groan and press on his eyes again. "They say there's no hangover like an ouzo hangover."
"I wouldn't know. I've never drunk anything stronger than beer and wine. My boyfriend started me drinking wine, and I was raised in the land of Bud and Busch. But no hard liquor, ever."
He turned over and propped himself on an elbow. "Speaking of your boyfriend, how are you going to explain this to him?"
"I can't think about that now. I hurt too much. My head hurts; my muscles hurt; even my hair hurts. And my stomach aches from throwing up last night."
Paul said cautiously, "We were both drunk last night. I said a lot of things that I should have kept to myself..."
"Don't worry. I'm not in the habit of betraying confidences. But as they say,
in vino veritas
. I feel I know you better."
He nodded. "The things I said were true, but they're not the things a person wants blabbed around."
"Don't worry about that." I took his hand and gripped it affectionately. Even that minor gesture made the muscles in my forearm ache.
He got up from the bed and brought a large glass of water, which I cautiously sipped. It didn't sit well. I knew that the fastest way to recover from a hangover was to drink lots of water, but I feared making myself sick again.
How was I going to explain this to Craig? And how would he react? Anger? Sadness? It was too much to hope that he'd simply shrug it off as an undergraduate antic. I was older than the average student; I should be more sensible, too. I wondered if he'd lain awake, waiting for me to return home, while I snored obscenely in another man's bed. He was either worried by now, or furious.
"Can I use your phone?"
"Sorry. I don't have one. I have to use the pay phone on the downstairs landing, and it's broken half the time."
I'm sure I looked like the Wicked Witch of the West as I pulled on my jacket and, half bent over, descended the stairs. The phone was there, but a frayed wire dangled where there had once been a handset. Someone had also mangled the coin box with a chisel or crowbar. Conscious of my tangled hair, I went out into the damp cold to the tobacco store. A blue 'Phone' sign was fixed over the door. I found the phone and dropped nickels in the slot.
I'd forgotten that it was still a workday for Craig. I hung up and waited for the nickels to rattle into the return slot, and dialed his office.
"Craig, it's me."
"Are you okay? I was getting worried, but I didn't know where to start looking for you."
"I'm safe, but I've got an awful hangover. I was too sick to get home, and I overnighted at a friend's place. I feel dreadful."
"Give me the address and I'll be right over."
I didn't know the address, and wasted valuable seconds of my three minutes getting the store's address from the counter girl. I gave it to Craig.
"That's a long way from the university. What the heck did you do last night?"