Page 11 of Wish You Knew
Her words stung more than I expected.
Everything she said was true.
We hooked up.
We had sex.
We went on with our separate lives.
Until now, it had never been a problem.
Was she trying to say she wanted more from me?
I opened my mouth to challenge her, but she’d reached for the TV remote. Suddenly a rerun of Friends filled the room. Whatever conversation we’d been about to embark on was cut short by the image of Joey wearing all of Chandler’s clothes.
Rosie sat up ramrod straight, her legs crossed in front of her, clutching the remote to her chest as if it were a weapon. Her gaze was fixed on the screen, although occasionally she reached for the water on the bedside table.
I attempted to engage her in conversation, pointing out things from the programme. She shut me down each time. Eventually I gave up.
We watched episode after episode, Rosie yawning more with each one. After a couple of hours, she finally fell asleep. The one good thing was she hadn’t had to dash to the bathroom to be sick again. Hopefully it meant she felt better.
In her sleep, she turned and moved closer to me, snuggling up flush to my body. Her arm rested on my chest, a contented expression settling on her face.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t move. I managed to reach for the remote and found a music video channel to keep me occupied. There was no way I would allow myself to fall asleep now. Even so, my eyelids drooped. I battled to stay awake. The robe Rosie wore moved as she did, those curvaceous breasts even more exposed than before. With a sigh, I pulled the garment up to protect her modesty.
A while later, the need to piss became more urgent and I wished I hadn’t drunk so much beer. Carefully, I attempted to slide my body from next to Rosie without waking her. She muttered and groaned. I froze, expecting her to say something. When she turned over onto her other side and started to snore gently, I knew I was safe.
In the bathroom, I stared at my reflection in the mirror while I relieved myself. Dark circles ringed my eyes. It wasn’t that I wasn’t used to being up for hours at a time - I could easily go through the whole night without a wink of sleep with a little help from my white powdered friend - but the emotions which battled in my head wore me down.
A nightcap, albeit a late one, might help straighten me out.
Going back into the bedroom, I shoved my feet into my boots, found the key card for the room on the desk and slipped noiselessly from the room.
Sleep wasn’t my friend at the best of times, with or without stimulants.
I was used to roaming around hotels in the early hours of the morning.
This hotel wasn’t any different. A few night staff gathered in reception, chatting quietly or checking their phones.
“Everything okay, sir?” one of them asked as I headed for the front door.
“Yep, all good,” I answered. “Nipping outside for a smoke.”
“Sure.” He nodded.
The street was quiet, save for the odd delivery truck or taxi. I pulled out my phone to see what time it was. Four a.m.
This time of day was my favourite. Watching the world come to life, giving that little bit of hope and optimism for the day ahead.
I sparked up a cigarette.
When I’d spoken to the rest of the band earlier, I had been serious about wanting to get away and put down some new material. It would be the perfect chance to give my body a break, maybe even get into exercising more regularly in preparation for whatever tour would come our way next. Blowing out a stream of smoke, I coughed. Ha, maybe I could give up smoking as well.
It didn’t take long to finish the cigarette. Given it was fucking freezing and I’d left my jacket in Rosie’s room, it was no surprise. After I’d ground it out with my boot, I headed back inside.
“Can I get a drink?” I asked the same guy at reception I’d already spoken to.
“Sure, coffee, tea?”
