Lockdown | Conor Mason

You just say I drink too much

I fumbled with the lock in the door, my eyes still bleary behind my sunglasses. Come on, stupid thing...Finally the old rusty metal gave way and I practically fell into my flat. I stripped down to my boxers, pulled on my cozy sweatpants, and dropped onto the bed.

I still didn't know quite how to feel about last night. With everyone at home and everything closed, people were putting on makeshift shows in the evenings. So I'd been one of a handful of artists on an Instagram Live with Radio X. They called it Quarantine Karaoke and...well, I did what I usually have to do to survive a karaoke night: get fucking smashed.

And I'd been round my mum's to check up on her, so of course it made sense to sing Britney in her dressing gown and a pair of women's sunglasses...

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, stretching out in the pillows. How cringe could I get?

I groaned as I pulled myself up to sitting, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. I stumbled into the kitchen, beelining for the coffee. I set the water to boil and opened the cabinet.

Crap. I'd finished the coffee yesterday. Just on the morning I really needed it, too.

I pulled out the tea. Two bags this morning, then. As I was absently dropping them into my mug, my phone buzzed in my back pocket.

on the way to Aldi, text if you need anything <3

My fingers touched the little heart, and I drew in a breath. Amelia. She always had such good timing, I thought with a grin, as I texted her back.

If you really don't mind, maybe some coffee? whatever you drink will be great, thanks! x

The three typing bubbles appeared nearly immediately, and I felt a bizarre fluttering in my stomach.

you got it. be by in a bit.

I'd meant to go back to the kitchen and make some toast, but my head was pounding harder each minute. I grabbed some aspirin from the bathroom, wrapped myself in a blanket and flopped onto the couch.

There was nothing on TV but bad news about the pandemic. I flipped through the channels absently, the news shows blurring into each other.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew there was a knocking sound coming from the hallway.

"Coffee delivery!"

Amelia's voice jolted me out of my haze, and I sat bolt upright.

"Great, just a...just a minute!" Mask, where's my mask? I cast about till I found it, in a corner on the kitchen counter.

I slapped my face a few times to wake up, then sped to the door and opened it, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

The cool breeze that hit me harder than expected was my first clue. The second was Amelia's face. As the door swung open she looked up at me, smiling, but her gaze immediately shifted down, and her mouth fell slightly open. She gulped visibly.

I looked down, at my favorite pair of slouchy sweatpants. But, unfortunately... that was all I was wearing.

Instinctively I grabbed each opposite elbow, covering myself.

"Fuck, um, sorry, just...two seconds..."

I flew to my room. Great, now she thinks you're so full of yourself you show off your bare chest all the time. I pulled on my Lemon Twigs shirt and sprinted back to the door.

"I'm so sorry, I --"

"No, it's ok, really --"

"I fell back to sleep, and I forgot --"