An Exception to Compatibility

Post-drinking regrets

I wake up at 11 the next day, feeling groggy and even more tired than I had been before going to sleep, the tell tale symptoms of a hangover. I had noticed a few buzzes from my phone during my slumber (I knocked out at 10 - what can I say I go hard), so I check my phone. A string of numbers form the contact that had texted me, an unknown number.

Friday 10:13PM: Ah, you got me. 

Friday 10:14PM: Hope you got rid of that pent up frustration.

I jolt upwards, as the last message triggers a mirage of images and dialogue to play in my brain of last night. Wine. My not so modest dress. A quarter zip. Big, veiny hands. Tattoo man rolling his eyes at me. Luke.

God, I'd been too confident last night. The post-drinking regret was hitting me extra hard. Still confused about his messages I open the chat. 

Me

 Friday 09:45PM: Contact - Rhyas Complex Reception No.

Friday 10:00PM: You know you could have just asked me for my number if you wanted it so badly.

Unknown Number

Friday 10:13PM: Ah, you got me.

Friday 10:14PM: Hope you got rid of that pent up frustration.

I had double texted him after sending reception's number. Not only that but I had suggested the whole charade last night was just a way of him getting my number. No, now I'm bathing in a puddle of post-drinking regret. To be fair, he had played into it and flirted back, which made me relieved but also - butterflies were entering my stomach. More images of last night played in my head. 

Wine. More wine. Gripping my sheets. Waves of pleasure.

Hope you got rid of that pent up frustration.

I want to die. My cheeks are hot thinking about what I had touched myself to last night. Or I guess 'who'. I was clearly just extremely touch deprived last night. Though admittedly, even the cocky way he had replied to my message was adding colour to my cheeks at the present moment.

I have to admit its fun. I haven't flirted in a while, but I also don't think I've ever been so turned on by just a simple conversation with a man I've just met. Most of all, I can tell he enjoyed it too - a bit too much for my liking. I don't like him having the upper hand, so I know I should respond soon. I add his number to my contacts, get up and wash my face before heading to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. 

As I do, I scan my apartment as I hadn't really remembered in my wine-d state, that Luke had probably taken in his surroundings during his visit. Cleanliness wise, it was passable. There was an unwashed coffee cup on the dining table and another in the living area, my blankets weren't folded and I had a bunch of bills and receipts sprawled over my coffee table. But otherwise there wasn't anything too compromising.

Like bras or panties. Though, part of me wouldn't have minded him seeing that just to see how he'd respond.

I pinch my wrist, to snap out of that perverted thought. This was getting out of hand. I needed a distraction, so I call Vicky which I had to anyways as I hadn't gotten back to her after hastily ending our call yesterday and only sending a follow up text. I guess I had been too horny too function.

"Babe, you went MIA last night." she says as soon as she answers.

"Ah, I know I'm really sorry, I had to answer the door and I swear the wine made me..." I stop because I wasn't going to just out my behaviour last night.

"Uhuh? Made you what?" Vicky pokes looking puzzled.

I stay silent. So she proceeds to FaceTime me. My strategy of keeping my mouth shut was deteriorating. She was in bed next to her pup, Rocko and looked determined.

"Dela. Who was the visitor?"

"Um... tattoo man needed reception's number so -" I began but she rudely interrupts. The audacity.

"Tattoo man? You bitch." she jokingly gets mad as I grin. I knew I had a reprimand coming.

"How dare you not tell me as soon as - Tell me everything now and if you - I am never going to forgive you for not - "

"No! Nothing happened, He just needed reception's number so I texted it to him because he forgot his phone. That's all."  

"Hm."

There was silence as Vicky's face turned from feign hurt to a mischievous smile. She made me fill her in on everything. And I mean everything. Vicky had the most coloured visual of exactly what had happened. She'd even made me take the time to google and send pictures of what kind of quarter zip he had been wearing.

"Oh, you're having fun, aren't you?" she asks me noticing my smile. To which I shrug and beam. She shakes her head with a giddy smile. We were both clearly victims of the fun.

"Oh you are. You were ballsy last night Miss Dela. You better keep it up. What are you going to reply with?" which was the most important task on this call: Drafting my message with Vicky. 

It's just more fun this way, and reminds me of what we'd been like during high school despite it being nearly 8 years ago. We'd been your usual type of high school student. Studious. Outgoing. Boy crazy. Many a message to a boy one of us liked, were drafted by the two of us together. Not that I liked  Luke, I barely know him. He's just a man of interest. All of Vicky and I's friends back in high school were the same, but we were the two that had survived The Grand Breakdown of our friend group of six girls in senior year. We're evidently trauma bonded for life.

"I was thinking of just ignoring it, and saying good morning." I prompt.

She gives me a blank stare and pipes up mockingly saying "Oh yeah! That's the shittest idea ever." to which I giggle to.

"No girl, we need to hit back." After a few minutes of arguing - Vicky repeatedly writing something sexual and me telling her to tone it down - we come to our conclusion. 

"Okay I've sent it."

Saturday 12:00PM: Yes sir, I definitely did.

I let out a heart laugh at how silly the message was and its jab at him regarding our elevator exchange. I felt relieved the task was done, and anxious to hear his response.

"Thank you for your help Vicks, now onto you."

"Onto me? I have nothing -"

"Um, Finn? Yeah the guy you've been repeated seeing, that's nothing." I tease. 

"Okay, okay. So things are getting kind of serious? I think. Like he's slept over, but we're having dates every now and then. And he's been really sweet saying he wants to see me all the time." They are disgusting. My heart.

"And?" I push her to keep talking as I sip my coffee.

"And... now he wants me to meet his friends... and for him to meet my friends." I raise my eyebrows as it does seem like a big step upon first hearing this. But it seems like he genuinely wants to know more about her so I say,

"I'm so down, Vicks." 

I see her visibly sigh and she puts her face in her hands, "Oh my god, really? Ah fuck, thank you it means a lot. I can't wait for you to meet him."

I beam at her and we do a little combined shriek in excitement.

"Oh I'll be grilling him."

"Oh absolutely. You won't be the only one, he's asked to bring a friend. And don't worry okay," she says as I begin to question her.

"I've communicated your conditionals. This is not a double date. I'll admit at first I was going to set you up because of your lack of a love life, but Finn has confirmed he's an absolute casual, fuck-boy type so I made sure Finn has communicated you wouldn't be interested. Besides, you've got your hands full with tattoo man." she raises her eye brows up and down and grins. 

"Well no thank you for insulting my love life but thanks for passing it on. I just want to get to know Finn anyways." Which I absolutely do. I'm excited for Vicky.

"Oh you will. He's quite the character."