Love Hard

Chapter 2

Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.

-Octavia Butler.

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Songs of this chapter- Count On Me- Bruno Mars

                                             Imagine- John Lennon

P.S.-Look picture of Alexia on the side. Stunning she is, right.

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"Aah!", I woke up with a throbbing sensation in my head, the pain was unbearable. I looked around to find the familiar peach walls of my room surrounding me. The homely warmth was comforting, however the mind numbing hammering feeling in my head was not.

"Finally you're up." I heard Lexi's voice and an instant relief washed over me. I rose up in my bed a little to find her standing in the doorway with a tray in her hands. "How are you feeling now? Oh God Cia I was so worried!", her voice was laced with concern. 

"Like death, I feel like death. I didn't know hangovers could be so bad", I said rubbing my head . Pushing my covers aside I somehow managed to rise up and sit without collapsing right back.

"I am so sorry Cia, only if I had known that this would happen I would've never insisted you to go to that party. This is all my fault." She walked in, shaking her head and placed the tray on the bedside table. The sweet scent of caramel filled my nostrils, soothing my pain a little. "Oh my yum!" I exclaimed. "You made Caramel -Chocolate Cream puffs." I said excitedly. I love cream puffs and the thickened caramel and hot fudge sauce that Lexi is always sure to add makes it my favorite dessert. 

"Yes, I did." She said smiling at me. "But before you start gorging on that, have this." She handed me an anvil and a glass filled with water. "It'll help with the head ache."

"Thank You so much. You're the best friend I could've ever asked for." I took the medicine from her and and quickly swallowed it with the help of water. 

"No, no, no. I am a terrible, terrible friend." She said as she sat on the love seat placed in the corner of the room. "What are you talking about? You're the best." I took a bite of the heavenly cream puffs. "These are delicious by the way."

"Lucia, do you remember anything that happened last night?" Her tone was serious and ridden with a little guilt. But why would she be guilty?  

"No, not really. We went to a party..." I tried recollecting the events of last night. "Oh yes, the bartender, something up between you guys. I think he was sweet."

"No not that. You remember what happened after that?" She asked. "Urmm, let me think." I focused hard, but the pictures of last night in my head were pretty much a blur. "I'm sorry I can't. Alexia what happened? I don't remember a thing." I said in desperation. If there was something important that she was trying to make me recollect, then I definitely needed to know, and by the look on her face I could tell that it was something very important or probably very disturbing. "Come on Lexi, tell me , tell me right now!" I raised my volume by a few decibels.

She was silent for a moment, and for me the silence was becoming unbearable by the second.

Alexia was in deep thought, contemplating whether to tell me whatever apparently went down last night or not. I knew better than to interrupt her when she was in that state. I have known her for the past seven years and this has been her way of dealing with things which trouble her or make her immensely happy, usually the former. As for me, the mere thought of trouble and these minutes of oblivion were terrifying.