Sweet Caroline

#31 Hangover

I was right to assume Shaughna wouldn't make it back to her own apartment that night. When I wake up around noon, sunlight streaming in since I never closed the curtains, Nathan and I are still the only people in the apartment. I find him snoring loudly on the couch, oblivious to the world around him. He's got a lot of alcohol to get out of his system, so I don't wake him up. I shower and make myself some breakfast.

He doesn't even wake up when I turn on the TV and log into Shaughna's Netflix account to watch Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. I lift his legs so I can sit on the couch and put his feet in my lap. Still, he stays fast asleep. I'm already on my third cup of coffee when Nathan finally shifts beside me. He grunts when he opens his eyes and sits up slowly, looking around like he doesn't quite know where he is. For the first time since I met him, he truly looks his age.

"Hi there, sleeping beauty," I tease, squeezing his leg.

He grunts in response and rubs his head. "Fucking hell," he breathes. "My head..."

"That, my dear Nathan, is called a hangover." I grin at his grumpy face. "That's what you get for partying with people half your age."

He lies back down with a sigh, throwing an arm over his eyes to shield himself from the bright light. "I'm never drinking again."

"Sure, that's what everyone with a hangover always says." I'm so amused by this I can't even muster up enough empathy to stop laughing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to see him like this. He's such a mature, well put together guy that I didn't think he'd have it in him to party and get drunk. It's hilarious to me that he's the one with the hangover while I feel perfectly fine.

"Why are you so..." He pauses and lifts his arm to glare at me. "...awake?"

"It's called self-control," I tease him. "Maybe you'll learn that when you're older."

"Funny," he grunts. "Very funny."

It takes him a while to get up and make his way to the bathroom to shower. I put on some music while he's gone and rummage through Shaughna's cabinets until I find all the ingredients for pancakes. When he walks back in, only wearing his jeans, he smiles at the scene before him. I'm shaking my ass to the beat while I flip a pancake.

"To be 24 again," he says wistfully. He looks better, but he's obviously still battling a headache, since he keeps rubbing his temples.

"Hey, it's not all age," I counter with a raised eyebrow. "You had a lot more to drink than I did. And you're probably out of practice."

He grunts and sits down at the table. I already put out a glass of water and a couple of aspirins for him, which he downs immediately. The pancakes are done, so I hand him a plate and a cup of coffee. He hesitates for a moment – perhaps because he doesn't know if he'll keep it down – but when he starts eating, he grunts in approval and finishes every last bit of it.

"You're a gift from God," he tells me with a grateful smile. "I hope you enjoyed last night, because I need at least ten years to recover from this."

I don't reply and just study him as he leans back in his chair, enjoying his coffee. I love seeing him shirtless. Who wouldn't? He's got great abs and those tattoos... I don't know why I never liked tattoos before him. I never once thought I would find ink on someone's body sexy, but I do. I find every single thing about him sexy.

"Don't look at me like that," Nathan grunts. When I look up and meet his stare, I can see the lust in his eyes. "I'm too hungover right now. Save that thought for when I feel a little more alive."

"I will," I promise, smiling in what I hope is a seductive way.

"Stop it," Nathan warns me, his voice low.