Disclaimer and Author's Note:
All characters portrayed in sexual activity are eighteen years of age or older. This story was a request from a reader and dedicated to them. They know who they are and I hope you all enjoy it. Feedback is welcome, flames will be laughed at, I promise.
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Chapter 3- A Bridge Is Crossed
The hangover was terrible. It rattled around between my ears feeling like there was a pinball in my brain and little devils hammering on it with sandpaper maracas. And the pinball was covered in little, wicked spikes.
I groaned loudly as I turned over, the pain descending on me like a tidal wave. What the hell had happened?
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" I wailed loudly, now on my back and the sunlight streaming in to burn my eyes. I covered them and clenched my teeth in pain and outrage at this horrid imposition.
"Hi, baby..." came a weak but familiar and comforting voice from the direction of the dining nook. I slowly forced open my eyes and tried to focus- sitting at the table with her face in her hands was my mother, clad in a terrycloth robe and with a cup of coffee. "Glad to see you made it..."
"I'm not... sure about that yet..." I mumbled, turning onto my side again and regretting it instantly. I swallowed and stopped breathing for a moment, fearing the worst. I managed to not puke and tried to prop myself up on my elbow, at least for a little while.
Mom stood unsteadily and then picked up another mug and wobbled to the coffee maker. She poured a cup and then weaved her way towards me, managing to arrive without falling over. She set the mug down on the little glass table right in front of me and then sunk to her knees, kneeling beside me. She smiled tiredly.
"Thought I was going to die," she said quietly, though whether this was out of respect for my hangover or because she had no more volume to give was unknown. "Just woke up a little bit ago myself..."
She leaned over and looked at her reflection in the chrome rim of the coffee table and grimaced. "Oh, God I look like shit..."
I smiled and reached out to touch her disheveled brown hair, caressing it. "You're beautiful. Being hungover can't change that."
"God, we must have really done a number on ourselves..." she sighed, lowering her head to rest it on her forearms, which were by my thighs on the couch. "How much do you remember?"
I squeezed my eyes shut and finally shook my head. "Nude weekend... air hockey... tequila and beer... after that, it's a blur. A lot of it is just dreams crammed in with drunken details."
"Same here," she admitted. "Kinda sure we did some risquΓ© things, but I'm not sure. Something about a pool cue, but I dunno."
"That... sounds familiar," I agreed. "If we both remember it, there's gotta be something to it."
"Oh, baby," she murmured, her voice carrying a not of concern and possibly remorse. "We must've got really trashed. Are you gonna be alright, even if we went stupid?"
"If I'm gonna get stupidly drunk, mom, you're the only person I'd count on to be around," I replied, meaning it. "If I'm not safe with you while I'm wasted, who could I be safe with?"
"Ohhh," she purred, now coming close and hugging me gently. I returned the hug and she smiled into my eyes. "Drink your coffee. See if that helps. It's a good, dark French roast."
I nodded and slowly reached for the cup. The smell was piercing and strong, almost overpowering to my delicate senses, fucked up as I was. I took a tiny sip, making a wry face. "Jesus... fuckin' cure's worse than the illness."
"Oh, you only say that because it's tough love," she chided. "'You love strong coffee."
"Has it helped your hangover?" I asked, looking at her levelly.
"I... no, not at all," she confessed. "I still feel like hell, was hoping you'd do better..."
I sighed and took another sip before putting the cup down. I frowned as I looked at her hair and then a lock of my own. "Did we shower?"
She shook her head. "I was wondering that too. Maybe when we feel a little better we'll have more answers."
I decided to face my torment with some courage and began to slowly rise. The sheet fell away and I realized for the first time I was still naked. I should have known already, of course, but my brain wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders, so little things could surprise me.
"Oh, here, baby," mom said as she noticed my nudity. She stood and moved back to the little round breakfast table, grabbing her own mug and a small item off another chair. "I brought you a robe too, for when you woke up."
"Thanks." I said somewhat dully, my capacity for expression somewhat limited. I was sure she'd understand. I wriggled the robe on and did a half-assed bow of the belt. As I leaned back on the couch, my robe just flopped open, exposing me. Fuck it, I didn't care. I hurt too much.
Mom obviously didn't care either. She just sat and sipped at her coffee. Her eyes were every bit as bloodshot as mine no doubt were and I could tell she felt like hell. The fact that she was trying so hard to make me comfortable was heart-warming. I loved her so much.
"I don't even have any clue how long we slept," she muttered, taking another sip. "Eight hours, two hours... I've no frame of reference whatsoever."
"Y'got me," I said, shrugging. "I just know I feel like I got eaten by a wolf and crapped off a cliff."
"Very graphic," she said dryly. "I think we're probably gonna have to call this day a loss. We couldn't do anything if we tried. So we'll just sleep this off and try again later?"
"Well, let's try sleeping and then see if we can figure out what happened last night," I ventured, determined to know
something
about what transpired.
She pondered and shrugged her agreement. "If we feel up to it, sure."
I looked around, although avoided gazing at the sunbeams that poured in through the glass doors to the backyard. "What time is it anyway?"
If mom had known at any point already since waking up, the information had abandoned her. She gave me a confused look for a moment and then cast her glance about the room to see if she could spy a clock. Finally she did. "Quarter after one, from the look of it. Let's finish our coffees and then go sleep in our beds."