Perfectly Dysfunctional

“Awh,” The bed dipped on my left side and I squeezed my eyes tighter as I tried to cling desperately to my dream. I felt myself falling further away from my dream but gripping onto a t-shirt, quickly remembering that I was in Nathan’s bed, and he must not have left. I opened my eyes but didn’t unwrap myself from him. Someone started stroking my hair, “She looks a lot better than earlier,” Emma half-whispered.

“Duh, I’m with her,” Nathan joked and she laughed.

“Don’t flatter your self,” I mumbled.

“Eh, you’re the one who’s clinging to me, love,” he said then stretched out as I rolled over to see Emma.

“How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, I think, although I’ve not stood up yet,” I laughed and she laughed along with me. “How long have I actually been asleep for?” I asked as I watched Nathan stand up and continue his stretching.

“Uh, I don’t know, but it’s like, six-ish?” he replied, then winked at me as he saw me looking at him – again.

I gave him the middle finger as I turned back to face Emma, “Jeez! And that’s you just back?”

“Well... yeah...” Emma shifted and Nathan laughed.

"She got lost.”

“I knew you would.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Emma,” I said sitting up, “You couldn’t walk a straight line up from the train station to McDonalds...”

“I knew you were gonna say that!” she whined and hit my arm, “It’s not my fault!”

“Sure, so how did you get back in the end?”

“Aw, this guy gave me directions like, right back here! If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was a fan.”

Nathan frowned – mid-stretch which made both Emma and I ‘awh’ aloud and then giggle, “What, did you just say ‘do you know where Nathan Sykes lives?’”

“Oh, ha-ha,” she said in a sarcastic tone, “No, I got the right bus back which took forever-”

“You’re so daft; why didn’t you call one of us? Or get a taxi?”

She pulled a face, “Because Jenny’s ill, I don’t actually have your numbers, and I didn’t know where to get a taxi from; I did look,” Nathan laughed and she continued, “So yeah, after like, the hour on the bus I got off at the right stop and everything, but then I was like ‘shit’, cos I didn’t know which way to go, but the guy who got off at the same stop as me asked if I was okay, and he ended up giving me directions back and he walked me a little cos he was headed this way too.”

“Aw, well, that was nice of him. What did you get up to, then?” I asked.

“Well I just went shopping and stuff...” she smiled. Nathan had sat back down on his bed cross-legged and he rolled his eyes at us and lay back, hanging his head off the end of the bed. I taught him that move.

“Females,” He said from the back of the bed.

“I’m going to ignore that,” Emma said then continued. "Yeah, so I went round some music places, and then I got something to eat,” she laughed.

“Wait; was it a little store with gig listings in the window? Proper old-school looks to it?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah-”

“Was there a guy around our age working there?” She started to nod her head, “Tell me what he looks like,” I said with urgency in my voice.

She frowned and Nathan sat up again at the sound of my voice, “Uh, he had blonde hair, kinda swooped over that-a-way,” she pointed with her fingers, “Nice dress sense...” she frowned at the look on my face, “What?”

“That’s the shop that Dave’s dad owns,” I said and glanced at Nathan.

“I was just thinking that, actually, but-”

“You mean Dave, Dave?!” Emma asked, partly shocked, and partly scared.

“Yeah,” Nathan continued then he pulled a face, “But I guess as long as you didn’t talk to him or anything-”

“Uh...” Emma interrupted.