Twenty-One Night Stand ✓

26 / coming up roses

Maddie was awoken at what felt like an ungodly hour by Posy walking into the dresser and loudly cursing the shooting pain that greeted her thigh, and she rolled onto her back on the ridiculously comfortable bed.

"Christ, Posy," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and heaving a sigh. "Way to wake me up."

"Sorry," Posy said with a laugh, "but it is after eleven. I figured it's getting close to time for you to wake up."

"It's eleven?" Maddie struggled to sit up, grabbing her phone and squinting at the screen, though the time was evident from the hot sun that streamed through the window and bathed her in warm light. "Shit," she muttered when her phone confirmed that it was indeed four minutes past eleven in the morning, and she had a text from her father, checking in that she had arrived safely. Locking her phone, she vowed to respond later.

Posy bent forward and scooped her freshly brushed hair into a blonde explosion, twisting her hair round and round itself so that she didn't have to use a bobble. Maddie stretched and tipped herself out of the bed that had comforted her like a cloud, rooting through her suitcase for fresh underwear and pulling on yesterday's shorts before she peeled off the top she had slept in and found a bra.

"How'd you sleep?" Posy asked, running a chap stick over her lips and adjusting her almost disproportionately generous breasts in the mirror and straightening her back.

"Pretty well, it would seem," Maddie said with a laugh, finding a clean tank top and running her fingers through her hair before tying it in a corkscrew on top of her head. "You?"

"Deliciously," Posy said with a delighted roll of her eyes. "I swear to God, that bed alone is worth every penny." She rifled through her bag, taking out her tablet and unlocking it before turning it round to show Maddie the screen. "I was thinking we could head here for a spot of brunch."

The word alone was enough to make Maddie salivate, envisaging toast and avocado, runny yolks and ham. She wasn't much of a breakfast person, easily tiring of the cycle of cereal she kept in the cupboard, but brunch was easily one of her favourite treats, and the place Posy had found sounded perfect.

"We'd better get a wiggle on," Posy said, taking Maddie's grin as an affirmative. "It stops serving brunch at midday."

*

Twenty-three minutes later, they sat at an outdoor table at what seemed to be a rather unknown brunch place, somewhere Posy had found in the depths of Brighton's recommended eateries. The sun was hot on Maddie's face and she basked in the warmth, barely a cloud to obstruct the heat. It had taken her less than a minute to decide what to order, heading straight for the creamy eggs benedict with a side of creamed spinach. A brilliantly red glass of iced tea stood glittering in front of her, the bright light refracting off the ice cubes.

"Mads?"

She opened her eyes at Posy's voice, giving her a soft smile. "Yeah?"

"I spoke to my parents this morning," she said, leaning forward and lifting her latte to her lips.

"You did? What about?"

Posy took another sip, resting back in her seat. "Well, I mostly spoke to my dad, really," she said. "We talked about travelling."

Maddie pulled her eyebrows together, the slightest hint of confusion. "As a family?"

Posy laughed, her eyes sparkling and showing off perfect teeth. "No, you idiot," she said. "Travelling with you."

Sitting straighter, Maddie watched her friend as she spoke, focusing her attention nowhere else. "You did? What'd you say? What'd they say?"