The Greatest Mind I Ever Knew

Chapter 10: Moonlight In The Morning

The next morning I awoke to blinding light beaming in through Lotan's bedroom windows, because his curtains were wide open. I quickly shielded my squinting, dry eyes, and glanced around me. Soon my heart began to thud: Lotan was beside me on the bed, still asleep. His back was facing me and so broad, I realised! I stroked it, feeling his smooth, tanned skin beneath my fingertips, then I broke into a huge smile and quickly put my arms around his body and shuffled closer. That was when I realised I was completely naked! But Lotan was still wearing his trousers and belt, which was very reassuring since I couldn't remember anything after puking on the pavement.
               For a few minutes I lay there peacefully with Lotan, my face nestled into his back, breathing in the beautiful, albeit alcohol-scented smell of his skin. But then I caught a whiff of my own breath - yep, awful - and was slowly getting up to brush my teeth when Lotan stirred, rolled forwards onto his chest, and yawned into his pillow.
               He swore, before quickly turning his head to me and apologising. I sent him a casual smile and he soon relaxed.
               'Oh, Olivia.' he murmured quietly, rubbing his eyes, 'I never been very drunk as this, my whole life.'
'Me neither.' I said, stroking all the way down his spine now. 'I think I threw up in front of you.'
'What?' Lotan said, glancing over my head and shoulders: everything else was covered by his duvet.
'You don't remember that?'
'No?'
'Phew!' I exhaled, rolling onto my back again. 'It must have been very unattractive - but it looks like you didn't mind much.'
               Lotan snorted and moved closer to my body.
'I am sorry I made you so drunk, Olivia.' he said. I felt for his hand and squeezed it.
'Don't be sorry, Lotan, for anything. Last night...' I smiled, '...last night was the best night of my life.'
'Really?'
'Really.' I nodded. He smiled wider.
'Good! This is good. Très bien! Moi aussi.' But then he buried his face in his pillow again and groaned, 'Now I am dead, Olivia.'
'Me too.'
               I yawned, rubbing my eyes. That was when I felt the hardness of mascara on my eyelashes, and shrieked, 'Lotan! Why didn't you tell me I still had all my makeup on!?'
               He grimaced at my noise and pulled the duvet up over his head. Panicking, I got out of bed quickly and dashed to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Sure enough, mascara was smeared all over my face, my eyeshadow had turned into two bruised eyes, and lipstick had wandered up my jawline and down to some parts of my neck!
               I cried out in embarrassment and quickly began scrubbing it off with water and soap. Then I brushed my teeth, and while I was slurping some water out of my hand Lotan appeared in the mirror behind me, a half-naked zombie. His face was pale and his lips stained pink from my lipstick, and his eyes were dark like a panda's.
'Woah, you look just as bad as me.' I couldn't help but observe. He nodded weakly.
'I tell you, I am dead.'
'Here, come and brush your teeth. It'll help you feel better.' I said, handing him the toothbrush. He took it, after checking his breath and muttering to himself,
'Ah, yes.'
               I waited for him to finish brushing his teeth, enjoying the view all the while, then I started the shower. He looked so poorly I simply had to baby him, no matter how crappy I felt too. So once he'd tossed the toothbrush in the direction of the cup and wiped his mouth on the back of his wrist, I helped him out of his trousers and pulled him towards the water. He stepped through the door, but clung onto my fingers to make sure I was going to follow. With a rush of excitement I did.
               The water felt sublime, but Lotan's embrace felt even better. We stood very still under the shower with our arms draped around each other, too weak to move much and yet, perfectly content at the same time. We stayed in his little shower for ages, letting the droplets wash away the sweat and alcohol and reek of sin, until we were too tired to stand anymore.
               After that we each tossed on one of Lotan's t-shirts and some underwear, and trudged downstairs. There we flopped onto his sofa, too hungover to even reach for the painkillers. Lotan tried to offer to bring me breakfast, which made me feel sick but even so I smiled because he said 'cereals' and 'coffee' in such a cute way.
               I lay with my temple on his chest, growing so relaxed with the feeling of his body beneath mine and his hand stroking my hair from top to bottom over and over again, that after a while I murmured,
'I think I've died and gone to heaven, Lotan.'
'Me too.' he whispered back. 'I am er, er, sleepish, again.'
'Me too.'
'I am surprised. I sleeped well last night. I should not be sleepish again.'
'Well,' I murmured, 'we can't have slept for more than four hours after the ball. I normally try to get eight hours - I know some ballerinas who need ten or eleven.'
'I try for two hours.' Lotan's rich, rumbling voice replied, making my eyebrows rise. I lifted my throbbing head to look at him.
'What? Two hours, Lotan? Just two hours of sleep per night?'
               He looked at me nervously and nodded. I frowned. 'Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. Has it always been this bad? Since the, the, bomb?'
               His hand resumed its stroking of my hair.
'Yes.' he said. 'It was, er, er, worse, but I am sleeping more, because I have you. You are fixing me.'
               He sent me a frail smile. I reciprocated.
'You must be so tired all the time though, my love.' I whispered. Lotan sighed.
'No, not all the time. You, er, how do I say, er...' He looked deep into my eyes for a moment, then said more articulately, 'You make me excited about life, Olivia. Many excited, so I am not, er, er, often, feel tired. But I am tired now - this is good. Good, er, tired feeling. I want to fall asleep with you.'
               I smiled again and nodded.
'I understand, baby. But you should still sleep more at night. Have you tried sleeping pills?'
               The ashen-faced man tensed and quickly shook his head.
'No, no, no pills.' he said. 'No pills. I had pills for my, er, panic, panic, er, panics -'
'Panic attacks?'
'Yes, panic attacks. I do not want more pills anymore. I'm not, er, panic attacking.'
'I understand.' I said again, caressing the t-shirt covering his chest. 'But I'm talking about pills that are just for sleeping - not for panic attacks.'
'I tried them also.' Lotan assured me, holding the back of my head gravely. 'Please, Olivia, no pills.'
               I looked into his eyes for a few moments, wondering how bad an experience he must have had to turn him so steadfastly against any and all medications, but when I saw how troubled his face had become I quickly nodded, kissed him again, and said,
'Okay, my love. No pills. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I just, I'm worried about you.'
               Lotan sighed again as if that was the last thing he ever wanted to hear me say.
'Don't worry about me, please.' he said quietly. 'I am better now.'
'But you're not fine yet.'
'I feel amazing.' he said, nodding a little. 'And you feel amazing, also.'
               With that his hand slid down my back, and moved underneath the material of my t-shirt to caress my bare skin. He was trying to distract me, I knew, but at the same time his touch felt so nice that I forgot all about my hangover and our conversation, and just closed my eyes while he cast his spell over me.
               'I am definitely in heaven now.' I breathed out after a while. I lifted my temple from Lotan's chest and found him gazing at me with a serious, almost aching expression.
'You are my angel, Olivia. You, you are a person, out of this world. You are a beautiful ballerina, and your body is like, er, harmony, on mine.'
'Harmony?' I asked happily. 'Really?'
'Yes.' He stroked the side of my waist so lightly that the skin on it pricked with goosebumps. 'I hear music right now, my love. Is more beautiful than Claire De Lune, or Liebestraum, or anything. I would playing for you if I move, but, I don't want to moving from you. Ever.'
               Smiling contentedly, I nestled my face into the crook of Lotan's neck and inhaled him.