Problems Anonymous(complete)

Chapter 11

My eyes shot open, and I sat up, short of breath. It wasn't that I had a nightmare, or even my glucose level was irregular. My body knew I wasn't home, and I guess it interpreted it as something bad. It was one of those weird moments where you can't remember anything for a few seconds, but then everything comes flooding back in. I remembered going to the rave, then it rained, but I hadn't gone home. I think I went with Austin instead. Other than that, everything was mostly fuzzy. I had no idea what I had said or done last night, or what others had either. I checked my surroundings, and I was definitely not in my own apartment. I peeled the comforter from my body, and rubbed my eyes. I was definitely not in my own clothes. I looked to the clock on the wall, and saw that it was 5:45 am. Even the faintest tick from the clock made my head throb, and my whole body ached. I leaned back, rubbing my temples and groaning.

"Get up", I grumbled to myself after a few minutes, even though it really had felt like just a few short seconds.

I got up to quick, and dizziness knocked me back down.

"Crap", I tried a second time and succeeded. I rounded the corner to the only other room. It wasn't nearly as decorative as the living room, actually it wasn't much at all.The walls were naked and white, and only a small bed and nightstand occupied the space. There, in the bed, was a shirtless Austin, only in his underwear. Blankets tangled around him, but he was mostly bare and exposed. He was fast asleep.I tiptoed back out to the living room, not knowing what to do. What if he didn't really expect me to stay the whole night? Was I supposed to leave at some point?  Was I supposed to stay?

Confused, I grabbed a random sweatshirt lying around and slipped into his oversized slides, and decided to get out for some air. The stuffiness of the apartment was only adding to my headache, anyway.

The cold air instantly stung my face, and I zipped up the sweater, pulled on the hood, and stuffed my hands in the pockets. The inner linen was warm, and I nuzzled into it because it smelled just like Austin. I liked his scent.

The street lights were starting to fade, and the sun was beginning its debut. I walked about half a block, until I came to an empty, grassy lot. It was more of a hill, and I decided to climb to the top. The view up there was breathtaking. The sky was going from its dark nighttime shade, to that same orangey sunset color from the park the other day. The houses were illuminated,  and you could see all of San Francisco from up here. Even the morning fog could be seen around the bridges and tall buildings. I sat down in the grass, wanting to take it all in. I didn't care that the morning dew was soaking my butt, or the crickets chirped around me. It was peaceful.

"Some party, huh?", I heard a voice from behind me after a few minutes. I turned around, comforted by a cozy looking Austin heading my way.

"How'd you know I was up here?"

"Didn't. Just saw that you weren't there when I woke up, so I figured you went on a walk or something.", he shrugged, bending down to sit next to me. He shivered once his sweats soaked in the dew.

"Aren't you freezing?", he pulled on his hood, like me. I cringed at how loud he was talking.

"Are you ok?"

"Ya", I played it off, "I'm fine."

"I mean health wise.", I knew he was talking about my diabetes. Which, I was pretty sure I was fine, I had taken 2 pills last night, and all the dancing made up for all the carbs I took in.

"Ya, I'm good. Well I kinda have a major headache, but."

"Hmm. Believe it or not, alcohol helps. With hangovers and stuff."

"Are you crazy?"

"Ha, well at least for me it does. I don't know, there's Tylenol too. I left it at home though."