Never The Same

“Where am I?” Jessica questioned, her eyes snapping shut as soon as they opened due to the rays of sunlight burning into her pupils intensifying her headache.

“Room Suite 2 of the Fancy Smancy Max Hotel,” Jessica eyes widen at the strange man staring at her. “Oh, yeah, you probably don’t remember, you drank very, very hard last night. I’m Max, and to answer a question that will eventually pop into the question, no we did not fuck. You said I needed to buy a meal before you would sex me up,” Max raised his eyebrows, and then chuckled. “Oh, and here’s some aspirin, and there’s a glass of water on the night stand. Come down stairs when you’re done getting all pretty, or whatever the fuck girls do, for breakfast,” Max smiled, getting up and leaving.

Jessica groaned, rubbing her palm to her forehead, struggling to get out of the bed to go see the damage, she was trying to convince herself drinking herself stupid was for a good cause, but that little voice in the back of her head was calling her a dumbass, which just made the headache ten times worse.

· · ·

Jessica walked down the stairs in a pair of sweat pants and a ratty old t-shirt that was left on her bed after she got out of the shower. “What’s that smell?”

“Chocolate chip pancakes. When I used to drink fairly heavily, it was the best hangover food. I’ll take you home when you’re done, you’re probably really freaked out,” Max mumbled, flipping the last pancake.

“That sounds good,” Jessica answered short and to the point.

“Are you feeling better?” Max asked, after he set down both his and Jessica’s plate and placed syrup and powered sugar on the table.

“Yeah, powered sugar?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Obviously you’ve never had powered sugar on your pancakes! It’s pretty much the best thing ever. I used to do it when I was a kid, all the time…guess I never grew out of it,” Max mumbled, spooning out some powdered sugar, dusting it lightly over his pancakes.

“Oh,” a quiet response came from Jessica.

“You’re not very talkative right now…” Max trailed off, stuffing a piece of pancake in his mouth.

“Yeah, I’m kinda really shy…alcohol makes me a bit rebellious, I guess you could say,” Jessica replied, cutting her pancake up.

“Ah, so why did you feel the need to get off your ass drunk last night?”

“I just moved here all by myself, and alcohol seemed like it’d make a good friend, I guess?” Jessica questioned.

“Understand. Well, Jessica, how about I be your friend? And I can introduce you to a ton of amazing people?” Max asked, making Jessica hide a smile that began to creep on her face. “You know, I have a smile detector, and I totally know you just smiled!”

“That sounds good!” Jessica finally let her smile be shown.

“Good, now how about I ask you questions, so I can get to know you?” Jessica stuck her tongue out in a silent thought, before grinning and nodding her head. “I know you’re name, so how old are you?”

“21.”

“Ahh, I just turned 24. So, where did you live before you moved here?”

“The lovely, calm on Wednesday’s, more times than not cool state of Illinois,” Jessica smiled a toothy grin, taking her plate to the sink.

“On Wednesday’s? Only on Wednesday’s?” Jessica nodded, making Max laugh.

“Was that one of the questions?”

“Nope! Okay, so, uhm, favorite type of pie?”

“Pie? Why pie?” Jessica asked, laughing.

“Because, pie is pie, uh duh, my dear!” Max explained slowly, smirking at the end.

“You’re a dork, did you know that?”

“Of course I did! Now come on, I’m taking you home,” Max grinned, grabbing his car keys.