Smiles Echo In My Memory

The next morning was terrible. I had awoken at around 12:00PM, with the biggest hang-over I had ever gotten. It felt like someone was hitting my head with a jack-hammer over and over again after I’ve been run over by a train or something. To put it bluntly, it was utterly painful. I groaned, rubbing the back of my head. I was still in the same position I had fell asleep in – tucked against Frank’s warm, bare chest. I could hear the steady beating of his heart, slow and rhythmic, so I could tell he was still sleeping. I looked up to his face – he looked like an angel when he slept. I had barely ever seen him sleep; he had always awoken before me and fell asleep after me.
I moved Frank’s arm carefully away from my waist, moving off the bed and laying his arm back down on the bed. Scratching my head, I hunted around for my wash-bag and a set of clean clothes, finding a navy blue t-shirt, white skinnies and a clean pair of socks. Grabbing some underwear from my suitcase, and a pair of navy legwarmers, I walked out of the room silently, shutting the door quietly behind me, making my way to the bathroom to take a shower and some Tylenol.

When I walked back into the bedroom half an hour later, Frank was still sleeping. It had just turned 1 ‘o’ clock, and I was quite surprised, actually. He usually woke up around 11-ish. I walked over to the bed, sitting next to him and shaking his shoulder gently.
“Frankie?” I whispered, brushing hair out of his eyes. He grunted, shifting slightly before keeping still again.
“Frank, wake up, babe,” I tried again, shaking his shoulder with slightly more force. This time, he rubbed his eyes, groaning loudly and sitting up, leaning on an elbow. His eyes cracked open, and he groaned again.
“Fuck, my head…” I chuckled at his complaint, and he sat up properly, grumbling again.
“Mom’s gonna kill me,”
“Yeah, pretty much.”

--

“Sydney?” I asked through the phone, looking up at the window on my right-hand side.
“Sazzy? Oh my god, it feels like I haven’t spoken to you in forever!” Sydney gushed excitedly. I laughed.
“It’s only been about three days!”
“Four. I saw you the day before you went,” she said, and I could tell she was pouting. I rolled my eyes, smiling.
“I love you, you retard,”
“I love you too, spazzy Sazzy. Anyways, how are you?”
“I’m great. I have a little hang-over, though,” I answered, fiddling with the telephone wire.
“Been drinking already?! Jeez.”
“I know. What about you?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I saw your sister the other day. She told me to tell you to ring home if you get the chance… I think your Mum misses you,” Sydney confessed. I could hear the murmurs of voices behind her.
“Okay. Where are you?” I asked, curious.
“I’m at Charley’s. We’re all hanging here…”
“Really?! What time is it there?”
“Eight-ish… What about there?”
“Three. So I’m five hours behind you,” I stated, looking out the window absentmindedly.
“Okay. Hey, Katie wants to talk. I’ll speak to you later, Sazzy. Have fun!”
“Bye, SydFace!” I said, and I heard shuffling, and a few mumbles.
“Hello?” I heard a soft, cheerful voice sound, immediately recognizing it as Katie’s.
“Hey, Katie!” I said happily.
“Hey, auntie!” I rolled my eyes. Katie had a habit of calling me auntie – my sister had adopted her, and because of that, I was technically her auntie, even though we were the same age. I found it ridiculous. She found it funny.
“I’m gonna kill you,” I said darkly. She chuckled.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. How are you?”
“Great, thanks. What about you guys?”
“We’re all good. Missing you both, though! When are you coming back again?”
“The twenty-fourth… So about… Twelve days?” I worked out in my head, using a little help from the kitchen’s calendar that was pinned up on the wall I was facing.
“Yay! Not too long, then,” she added, a smile evident in her voice. I smiled too, even though she couldn’t see it.
“Charley says hi, by the way… But it’s best if you don’t talk to him, I think he’s a little drunk or something,” Katie whispered the last part, so Charley couldn’t hear, making me laugh.
“Anyways, I think I’ll hang up now. Frank says hi to all you guys!”
“Okay. And everyone says hi to him, too!”
“Bye!” I said, unraveling my fingers from the telephone wire.
“Bye, Sazzy.”
I heard the click of the phone, and the soft beeping sound of a vacant line.
On cue, Frank walked out from the living room door, disgruntled. He sat down opposite me, propping his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his hands.
“So, you’re still alive, then.”
“Just about. We’re not allowed to get drunk anymore… Or we get no car,” Frank moaned, closing his eyes.
“I suppose it’s alright. I wouldn’t want to get drunk after this shitting headache.”
I chuckled, reaching out and rubbing his forearm.
“Coke?” I asked, getting up and walking to the huge silver fridge.
“Yeah, thanks,” he answered, rubbing the back of his head. I handed him the cold red can, passing him a glass with ice. It was quite hot today. I sat back down in my seat with my own can of Coke and a glass, cracking open the ring and pouring the contents of the can into the glass.
“So, I was thinking… While Mom was screaming at me and giving me an even worse headache… do you wanna go to New York?” Frank asked his hazel eyes locked on mine. His eyes, flawless and as beautiful as they were, held a certain depth today - like he was somehow feeling more emotions than he usually did during the day. Whether they were happier emotions or distressing ones, I didn’t know. I could just tell he was feeling something.
“Yeah, okay. The guys said hi, by the way,” I said, sipping on my drink. He nodded, rubbing his unfathomable hazel orbs. He placed his hands carefully around his glass, looking into it.
“Frank… Are you okay?” I asked, taking a hold of one of his hands gently.
“Yeah… I suppose.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tracing circles into the back of his hand.
“I dunno… I feel all weird… It kinda struck me when Mom was shouting and all, how much danger I put you in last night. I was drunk and drove you home all the way from Lodi, Sazzy,” he explained, looking at our hands.
“You could’ve died. And it would’ve been my fault.”
I was quite shocked. He wouldn’t of killed me, us. I knew he was able, drunk or not.
“Frank… That wouldn’t have happened. You know it,” I whispered, both my hands clasped around his.
“I can’t take that chance again, Sazzy. I care about you too much,” he mumbled, looking up at me. He placed a hand on my cheek.
“Way too much.”