The Balcony

Chapter 5

*Eliza*

I didn't know what time I had gotten home at last night, or how, but I was glad that I woke up in my own bed, fully clothed with no one next to me. I pulled my clothes off and threw on a baggy jumper and sweatpants (i.e. my ultimate sick/ hungover ensemble, because otherwise I would not be seen dead in such an attire) and pulled my duvet with me to the lounge room. My flatmates, Jase and Lauren, laughed at me the moment I walked into the room.
"Good night, so?" Jase asked me, raising his eyebrows and smirking.

"Not really" i replied, whilst throwing myself onto the couch. Lauren left the room and came back with a hot mug of tea and paracetamol, clearly the more caring of my housemates. After about an hour of wallowing in my own alcohol induced pain and sorrow, I got a text from Alex:
A: ~ Come over and hang for a while? X ~

E: ~ Mate, I'm so fucking hungover, I don't think I can leave the couch tbh. You come over tho xx" ~

A: ~ Alright, c ya soon x ~

A: ~ Oh and btw, the lads you met last night stayed at mine so is it okay if they come over too? X ~

E: ~ No probz x ~

What else could I say? I didn't want the awkward sober encounter to be with Van so soon, but I couldn't invite Al over and then tell him he couldn't come just because of his friends. I didn't want him thinking I was some jealous cow who couldn't get along with his other friends.

I went to answer the knock on the door, who I knew were the lads, and was greeted by them all giving me a hug. Van was the last one to come in, and I could tell he didn't know whether to hug me or not. So I made the decision by hugging him. "Alright Van?" I asked, giving a small smile. He looked slightly confused before replying with "sound" and a smile, before making his way into the lounge where everyone else was. I decided that I was going to carry on as normal, because nothing happened. We were both drunk, and it meant nothing. End of. I walked into the lounge and just as I was about to ask if anyone wanted tea, i noticed that they all had a can of cider and were watching the footie.

"Well, I was gonna ask if anyone wanted tea, but I guess not" I said, sighing before laughing.

Bondy tossed a can of cider to me. "You look like you need it, rough night eh?" he laughed, before I threw it back at him for the comment. I laughed. "Drinking more will not cure my hangover, which was caused by drinking in the first place. So no one for tea then?" I asked, getting a response of shaking heads as I left the room to make my own.

"Make us a brew there too love."
I turned around to see Van leaning against the doorway.

"Sure" I replied, and smiled, handing him the mug.

"So... Late night eh?" He asked.

I laughed. "It'd be a lie to agree or disagree with you because I don't even know what time it was when I came home."

"Well at least you did come home." He replied, but there was something strange about his tone. I just nodded in response.

We went back to the lounge, to find them all completely immersed in the football match. Between the lads and Jase and Lauren, there wasn't much space left on the sofas, and I didn't realise this until I noticed how close Van and I were sitting next to one another, with Bob and Bondy either side of us. I looked around to see Benji and Lauren sitting very cosily together, yet they had room not to be so close. I smiled, thinking of how cute they'd be if they were together, and made a mental note to tease Lauren about him later.

An hour and a half had passed, and we were now watching some random movie that was on TV. Then I felt gentle nudge against my ribs. Van. "Come for a ciggy with me?" he whispered. I nodded, getting up off the couch. No one even seemed to notice us leaving, as they had nearly drank all the cider the lads had brought.