Summer Loving
The Morning After
Being the morning person that she was, she woke too early for anyone else to be up, so she showered and tried to ignore the pounding headache she had had since she woke up. She started brewing a pot of coffee and taking out ingredients for pancakes when she heard the shuffling of footsteps in the kitchen.
“Hey,” she whispered to a shirtless and sleepy Brian.
“Hey,” he croaked, “Do you… um. Do you remember anything about last night?” he asked nervously.
“Not much,” Ally admitted.
“Do you remember…. y’know…” Brian trailed off awkwardly.
“The sex?” she giggled, “Yes. I do,” she smiled looking down at her coffee that she was now stirring.
“Look, I’m sorry that we… I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was wrong, you were drunk, and I’m sorry,” he rambled.
“Don’t be,” she interrupted “It was nice,” she smiled at him.
Brian exhaled, “Look Ally… there’s something I have to tell you-“
“Fucking yes. Fucking coffee,” Zack sighed, barging into the kitchen in a black hoodie and sunglasses.
“Did someone say coffee?” chimed her brother, “And pancakes?! This hangover is turning out to not be so bad after all.”
Silenced, Brian returned to Allison’s room, while Ally started on making pancakes.
Once all the others were served, Allison noticed that Brian had still not come out of her room. Curious, she slipped out of the kitchen, unnoticed and walked towards her room, intending on asking Brian if he was planning on eating breakfast. The door was slightly ajar, and Ally silently slid into the doorway and knocked on the frame of the door. Had she known that she would be interrupting Brian’s phone call, she would not have knocked.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call babe. I just lost track of time here with Allison coming home and everything,” Brian explained to someone on the other end.
Allison? Brian hardly ever called her by her first name, Ally thought.
“No of course we didn’t have a party. Just a couple of beers and Chinese takeout and a movie,” he lied through his teeth. “Alright babe, I can’t wait to see you. Bye,” he finished, hanging up.
Brian looked up to notice Ally in the doorway.
“How long have you been standing there…?” Brian asked shakily.
“You have a girlfriend?” Allison asked quietly, as if she were asking herself.
“Al-“
“Don’t,” she said sharply.
He stood, as if to approach her, and she reciprocated, taking a step backwards.
“Ally… last night-“
“Just don’t Brian,” she said before turning on her heel and walking the other way.
He didn’t chase after her, but he called “Are you mad?”
“Yep!” she called back.
She didn’t know where she was going, but she couldn’t stay here, not after sharing the best night of her life with a man who had a girlfriend the whole time, not after realizing that she had become ‘the other woman’.
“Bomb-ass pancakes Ally,” Jimmy called from the couch, but Allison kept on straight for the door.
“I’ll be back,” she muttered to no one in particular before taking her jacket and keys off the hook and walking out the door.
After walking for no one knows how long, she found herself at a gas station, buying a diet coke and a bag of Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles.
“Hey, do I know you from somewhere?” the guy behind her in line asked.
She smiled and sighed, “I doubt it. I just moved back here last night.”
“Were you by any chance at that party on Maple Drive?”
“Yeah actually,” she replied, actually interested, because she simply could not recognize this guy’s face.
“Down to party some more? There’s weed,” he smirked.
She nodded. Anything to distract me.
“What’s your name again?” he asked her in his car on the drive over to the party.
“Allison. Cypher. You?” she answered between loud bursts of music.
“Ross. Daniels.”
“Hey,” she whispered to a shirtless and sleepy Brian.
“Hey,” he croaked, “Do you… um. Do you remember anything about last night?” he asked nervously.
“Not much,” Ally admitted.
“Do you remember…. y’know…” Brian trailed off awkwardly.
“The sex?” she giggled, “Yes. I do,” she smiled looking down at her coffee that she was now stirring.
“Look, I’m sorry that we… I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was wrong, you were drunk, and I’m sorry,” he rambled.
“Don’t be,” she interrupted “It was nice,” she smiled at him.
Brian exhaled, “Look Ally… there’s something I have to tell you-“
“Fucking yes. Fucking coffee,” Zack sighed, barging into the kitchen in a black hoodie and sunglasses.
“Did someone say coffee?” chimed her brother, “And pancakes?! This hangover is turning out to not be so bad after all.”
Silenced, Brian returned to Allison’s room, while Ally started on making pancakes.
Once all the others were served, Allison noticed that Brian had still not come out of her room. Curious, she slipped out of the kitchen, unnoticed and walked towards her room, intending on asking Brian if he was planning on eating breakfast. The door was slightly ajar, and Ally silently slid into the doorway and knocked on the frame of the door. Had she known that she would be interrupting Brian’s phone call, she would not have knocked.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call babe. I just lost track of time here with Allison coming home and everything,” Brian explained to someone on the other end.
Allison? Brian hardly ever called her by her first name, Ally thought.
“No of course we didn’t have a party. Just a couple of beers and Chinese takeout and a movie,” he lied through his teeth. “Alright babe, I can’t wait to see you. Bye,” he finished, hanging up.
Brian looked up to notice Ally in the doorway.
“How long have you been standing there…?” Brian asked shakily.
“You have a girlfriend?” Allison asked quietly, as if she were asking herself.
“Al-“
“Don’t,” she said sharply.
He stood, as if to approach her, and she reciprocated, taking a step backwards.
“Ally… last night-“
“Just don’t Brian,” she said before turning on her heel and walking the other way.
He didn’t chase after her, but he called “Are you mad?”
“Yep!” she called back.
She didn’t know where she was going, but she couldn’t stay here, not after sharing the best night of her life with a man who had a girlfriend the whole time, not after realizing that she had become ‘the other woman’.
“Bomb-ass pancakes Ally,” Jimmy called from the couch, but Allison kept on straight for the door.
“I’ll be back,” she muttered to no one in particular before taking her jacket and keys off the hook and walking out the door.
After walking for no one knows how long, she found herself at a gas station, buying a diet coke and a bag of Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles.
“Hey, do I know you from somewhere?” the guy behind her in line asked.
She smiled and sighed, “I doubt it. I just moved back here last night.”
“Were you by any chance at that party on Maple Drive?”
“Yeah actually,” she replied, actually interested, because she simply could not recognize this guy’s face.
“Down to party some more? There’s weed,” he smirked.
She nodded. Anything to distract me.
“What’s your name again?” he asked her in his car on the drive over to the party.
“Allison. Cypher. You?” she answered between loud bursts of music.
“Ross. Daniels.”