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Chapter Twenty One

Oh my head! I think we all did the fatal no-no, and mixed our drinks. I can certainly attest to the fact that vodka, gin, peach schnapps and Jack Daniels do not go well together. I don't actually remember much of the last bar we were in. I do, however, vaguely remember us all singing (very badly) along to Tiffany's, I Think We're Alone Now, in some crowded 80's bar that we had drifted into. Kim is already in the shower and that is exactly what I need right now. If I'm to look at all human today, I really do need to have a shower. "Hey, you're alive!" Jo jokes as she breezes into the bedroom, looking positively refreshed and de-hangovered.

"Just about." I grumble quietly, scraping my bed hair from off my face.

"I'm making bacon butties, do you want one?" She asks brightly.

"If you throw in a cup of tea, I will absolutely love you forever and I'll not breathe a word about our sensational singing in that bar last night."

She chuckles, looking at me with scornful brown eyes. "Not a single word to no one, right?"

With an angelic little smile, I nod. "Never." I playfully promise.

"The other bathroom is free, if you're wanting a shower." Jo smiles, about to leave the room.

Kicking off the duvet, I groggily stand. "Great." I say, looking for my overnight bag somewhere on the messy floor. Spotting it beneath a load of discarded clothes, I pull it free. "I'll be down as soon as I've finished." I tell Jo, trying to keep my eyes wide open and not squinting like a demented ferret.

Again, she chuckles. "Okay." Then she's gone, perkily humming her way down the hallway.

Kim now emerges from the en suite with a big brown towel wrapped around her dewy clean body. "Hey, you okay?"

Nodding, I'm now really keen to get cleaned up. "I will be after a nice hot shower." I wearily smile, still squinting like a demented ferret.

"I certainly did." Kim grins, pat drying her long blonde squeaky clean hair with a small hand towel. "I can smell that Jo has a yummy breakfast well and truly on the go." She eagerly adds, probably feeling just as hungry as I am.

Smelling the tempting aroma, I tell Kim what we both have to look forward to after our showers. "Bacon butties."

Kim's eyes greedily light up. "Yes!" She cheers, clapping her hands together, applauding the bacon that's deliciously being cooked in her kitchen by our dear Jo.

Smiling, I leave the messy bedroom to go and enjoy my much-needed shower. "See you in a bit."

It's only when I am beneath the hot water that's raining down hard on my very hungover body, do my hazy thoughts start turning to Rhys. After sending him my text before going out last night, I made myself turn off my mobile. It had to be for the cinema, anyway. But I decided not to turn it back on because I would have just kept looking at my phone, waiting for a reply from him. Which absolutely defeated my selfish night out, the one where I wasn't to think about Rhys and how much it hurts not being with him. So my phone remained in my clutch bag all night, only there for emergencies.

As soon as I have finished my very divine shower, I will go and grab my phone before having breakfast with the girls. As rough as I now feel, last night has indeed done me a world of good. It has helped me to put things into perspective. This past week, I have been doing it all wrong. I have been stupidly just living for the moments that Rhys would call me, but forgetting how to normally live. I have managed to survive a whole night without speaking to him and the world is still turning and my heart hasn't broken into smithereens. I can't put my life on hold for Rhys. As much as I care about him. As much as I love hearing from him. I have to carry on with my life when we are apart. Not be carried along by his. If we have any real future together, I have to do things right from the get go. And starting from today, I will.