Cameraman, Swing the Focus

Chapter 20

Nicole reached her hand up and touched a lock of Z's hair, feeling how it was tangled from all the dancing and chaos of the evening. Their eyes focused on each other's, and Nicole felt like she wasn't breathing as the corners of her mouth quirked up into a smile. Z's eyes fluttered shut, and Nicole studied each individual eyelash on her face.

Z's breathing evened out, and Nicole realized she'd fallen asleep right there on the floor. She exhaled a half laugh through her nose, feeling her heart rate return to normal. She got up from her spot on the floor, smoothing her skirt back down, and went into Brendon's bedroom to steal the blanket off his bed. She dragged it out and placed it gently over Z before going to her own room and curling up in bed with all of her makeup still on.

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The next morning, Nicole woke up to a persistent headache. The sun coming through the open curtains was not helping, and she tried to make her way towards them with her eyes closed, flailing blindly until her hand struck the wall and she was able to yank them shut.

She collapsed back into bed, pulling the sheets around her and burying her head under a pillow. She was still in her clothes from the previous night, and as she listened to Brendon moving around in the kitchen and humming to himself, it took her a few moments to even recall what had happened. She hadn't had that much to drink, it was more the disorientation of waking up.

It wasn't Brendon in the kitchen. It was Z.

Nicole threw her legs out of bed and sat there for a bit, gripping the edge of the mattress while her head pounded. She took a few deep breaths through her nose and waited for the world to return to normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be with Z doing whatever she was in the kitchen.

Nicole peeled off her clothes and threw on some leggings and a t shirt. She even took the time to put on deodorant and wipe the eyeliner away from where it had smeared below her eyes. She deemed it good enough, and opened the door, sticking her head out before the rest of her body to see if Z was trying to rob her or something.

That didn't seem to be the case, since Z was hovering near the stove as the smell of french toast wafted towards her. Nicole shuffled her bare feet across the carpet and leaned against the wall where the living room turned into the kitchen, only really signifying this change through the colour of the wallpaper. "Whatcha makin'?" Nicole singsonged.

Z glanced briefly over her shoulder to smile at her. She'd stolen one of Brendon's larger shirts to wear as a dress, probably found on the floor of the bathroom where his clothes tended to live, and something about this whole scene made Nicole's stomach tie up in knots.

"I told you if I wanted something I'd just help myself, but I figured while I was at it I could make enough for two." She flipped a piece of toast in the pan on the cook-top with an expert flick of her wrist.

Nicole laughed softly. "I don't remember the last time someone made me breakfast."

Z left the toast to finish cooking and turned around to hop up onto the counter, her legs dangling just off the floor. "You need to bring more random girls home then." She smiled wickedly, causing Nicole to snort. She covered her face and looked away in embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah. Brendon would probably agree with you on that point." She willed the blush to fade from her face as Z stared at her with a soft smile. She'd somehow removed the majority of her makeup, and seeing her without the red lipstick was different. She looked softer, less intimidating.

Nicole helped by grabbing plates and cutlery, and they ate back on that spot on the floor with the record player on again, even though the table might have been more convenient. Nicole cleared the plates as Z went to get changed back into her clothes from the previous night.

She emerged from the bathroom with her lipstick reapplied and her clothes in perfect order. No one would have been able to tell she's slept on the floor in them.

"Well, I have to get going. Thanks for letting me crash here."

Nicole smiled and walked her the few steps to the door. "No problem. I'm uh, really glad I met you."

"Me too." Z hesitate a beat before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

"Wait," Nicole called after her.

Choose your path:

To ask for her phone number, go to chapter 34.

To ask her on a date, go to chapter 22.