I've Found You

Chapter 6

Stretching my arms above my head as far as they would go, I sat up in bed and yawned like there was no tomorrow. I glanced at the clock to see that it was only ten in the morning. I was still slightly jetlagged so I laid down again, fully intending to go back to sleep, when I remembered my plans with Jai today. He would be showing up here in just two hours, and there was no way was I letting him see me with bed head. Sighing, I rolled off of my bed and trudged to the bathroom, just narrowly avoiding tripping over my own feet. Man, I really was tired. I cringed as I looked in the mirror, because apparently I not only felt tired but I looked it too.

I whipped out my concealer from its place in my makeup drawer. The bags under my eyes would be the first to go. The rest of my makeup took only a matter of minutes to complete, seeing as I hardly ever wore any. Fixing my hair in the mornings was always my biggest problem. You know how everyone is always complaining about how their headphones tangle up in their purse or bag? Well, that’s what my hair likes to do when I sleep. I took a brush to it, cautiously at first. I generally tried to avoid ripping out huge chunks of my hair but there were times when it was just inevitable if I wanted to make any progress. Today was apparently one of those times.

A good thirty minutes later and my hair was looking semi-tame. I flat ironed it a bit before giving up and just accepting the fact that it wasn’t going to look anywhere close to good today. Hopefully it would fix itself up a little bit before Skip’s party tonight. I sauntered out of the bathroom, still in my pajamas, and downstairs into the kitchen hoping to whip up some breakfast. However, it hit me that I had forgotten to stock the fridge yesterday. Well shit. It looked like I’d have to head out and find somewhere to eat. Or maybe I could just do without breakfast for a day? Just as the thought crossed my mind my stomach decided to rumble at the volume of a high school marching band. Skipping breakfast was definitely not an option.

I ran back upstairs and threw on a pair of grey yoga pants and my Hard Rock Café hoodie. It probably wasn’t the most flattering outfit choice I’d ever seen but it would do. I was just heading out for breakfast, it’s not like I’d be seeing anyone I knew, right? With this comforting thought in my head I ran out the apartment door and into the elevator. It was quarter past eleven now, I’d have to hurry.

Upon exiting the elevator, I had begun to make my way towards the front doors where the doorman (who I was becoming slightly acquainted with) was waiting as patiently as ever, when a figure sitting on the benches in the corner caught my eye. It was Jai. He was scrolling through something on his iPhone and hadn’t noticed my presence yet. I supposed he wasn’t expecting me for at least another forty five minutes, but then again it wasn’t like I was expecting him for just as long either. Driven by curiosity, I made my way over him. I wanted to know why he was here so early.

“Hey, surprising to see you here so early?”

My words must have startled him because he dropped his phone and practically jumped right up off the bench.

“Shit, Valerie you scared me!” he began as he picked his phone up off the ground. “This was the only time I could get my brother to drive me, he had to go to work early and I didn’t feel like taking the bus. Why’re you down here so early?”

“Being the idiot that I am, I forgot to go grocery shopping yesterday. So I was going to go out for breakfast quick, you know, since I wasn’t expecting you for a little while!” I said with a laugh.

“I can wait for you here if you want?”

“No, why would I want you to do that? You should come with me, I have no idea where to go. And please don’t take me to McDonalds, I rarely ever eat there. Yesterday was an exception!”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go by yourself or not. But nah, I don’t eat at Macca’s a lot either. I’m on a diet, actually. My faggot brothers were the ones who wanted to go there yesterday.”

“Where else would you recommend going, then?”

“I know this sick sixties style diner we could go to?”

“Sounds good to me, I’m absolutely starved!”

One hour later…

“So yeah, Beau ended getting us all kicked out of Macca’s because he decided to do press ups on some old guy’s table. He’s such a fucking idiot sometimes.”

“Oh my god, please no more I can’t even breathe,” I managed to get out between bursts of laughter. Jai had been telling me stories about his family and friends all throughout breakfast, and even now as we walked back to my apartment. One of them had been so funny I’d snorted apple juice out of my nose. As it was I was happy I wasn’t drinking anything at the moment, his last story would have made me spew it out one of my facial orifices, guaranteed. I calmed myself down from my fit of laughter enough to start talking again.

“Do you mind coming up to my apartment with me for a second? I just need to get changed and grab my purse quickly.”

“Yeah, no problem!”

Jai and I smiled at the doorman as he let us in and headed for the elevator. The ride up was a silent one, but not at all awkward. I was finding out that Jai was actually an extremely easy person to talk to, as well as a total sweetheart. He had been holding doors open for me all morning, and he’d offered to pay for my breakfast. I couldn’t allow him to do that, though. It would have made me feel bad.

We got to my apartment door, which I unlocked and pushed open.

“I would tell you to make yourself at home and grab a drink or something from the fridge, but seeing as I forgot to go shopping that really isn’t possible. I’ll be down in five, though. Think you’ll be okay for that long?”

He laughed. “Yeah, I should survive until then.”

I made a beeline up the stairs and into my room. I pulled a random sundress out of my closet and threw it over my head, shoved a pair of white ballet flats on my feet, and grabbed my little brown satchel. There, that would have to do. I ran back down the stairs to find Jai leafing through a photo album I had left on the TV stand. Looking over his shoulder, I discovered he was admiring a collection of baby photos consisting of me covered in my own vomit. Oh dear sweet lord.

“Weren’t you just a little cutie, eh Val?”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you just saw those photos of me. They’re so embarrassing, I’ll never understand why my mum kept them.”

“Oh come on, I think they’re pretty cute. You should see my baby photos, Beau’s riding me like a horse in most of them.”

“I can only imagine,” I responded, laughing. “Does he still do that?” I asked teasingly.

“Be quiet, you! Come on, don’t you have some shopping to do? We should get going…unless you want to stay here and look at some more pukey baby photos?”

“You’re such a little shit, Jai. Come on, let’s go.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up off the couch, and the two of us set out into Melbourne.