Weirdness the next morning

When James woke the next morning he was sweat-soaked and slightly hungover. He had dreamt, that much was certain, but other than vague images he couldn’t recall much. He stretched a little once he got out of bed and moved like a zombie to the bathroom for a shower. The warm water helped relax and slowly ease him into the waking world and by the time he was finished he was alert.

Panic struck him like a horrible bolt of lightning, made his stomach churn as the events of last night returned to him. He had fucked Mrs Sanders. He had received a drunken blowjob from his own mother.

His heart thumped wildly in his chest. What the hell awaited him downstairs at the breakfast table?

For several minutes he simply stared into the mirror, trying to gain some measure of composure. Eventually it came, he dressed and then began the slow march down the stairs.

Immediately he was struck by the smell of bacon and eggs, and the soft humming of his mother’s voice. She didn’t seem upset or traumatised and he desperately hoped that her level of intoxication the previous night had distorted her memory of their encounter.

She lifted her eyes into a tired smile as he entered the kitchen. “Morning Sweetie,” her words were pleasant, but her voice held a slight croak. Her hair was a mess, her robe half-heartedly done up and her movements were sluggish to the ****. James wasn’t sure he had seen her looking quite so hungover before.

He returned the greeting and a large serving of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon was slid his way as soon as he sat down.

“Wow Mom, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” James replied, “wouldn’t you rather stay in bed for a few more hours?”

She waved the notion away. “It’s the least I could do sweetie, thank you for coming to get us last night,” she winced, “were we bad?”

James opened his mouth to respond but then reconsidered for a moment. Finally he asked, “you don’t remember?”

Another flash of shame. “It’s a complete blur. I don’t even really remember getting home.” she sighed, “I might be getting too old for those kinds of parties…”

It was James turn to feel discomforted. After everything he saw and partook in last night, he wasn’t keen to discuss his parents swinging. Instead he busied himself with his bacon and eggs.

“There was one thing…” her eyes grew distant, and she began to lick her lips unconsciously. “Taste in my mouth…”

James didn’t like the way her expression shifted. She still seemed confused, but there was almost an expression of longing before she shook the thoughts away.

“Anyway,” she smiled, looking at him again, “thanks again. Once your father stops throwing up I’m sure he’ll be thankful too.”

James nodded but remained silent. Breakfast was finished and he returned to his room, keen to play on his computer for a few hours and let his mind wander. His musings were broken after a while when his phone buzzed to life, vibrating loudly on his desk.

He glanced at the screen, sighed, then answered. “Hey, Cassie.”

“Baby Bro!” His sister’s voice cut through like a foghorn. “I’m glad you picked up, I called Mom and Dad like five times they’ve been giving me nothing!”

“That’s because they’re probably sleeping off a hangover,” he chuckled, “they had a pretty big one at Sanders place last night.”

Cassie made a gagging sound on the other end of the line. “I can’t believe they still go to those things at their age. So gross….”she went quiet and James could practically hear the gears of her brain work. “So, um, I’m probably gonna be home this weekend…. any chance you can help convince Mom and Dad to let me host a pool party?”

James groaned in annoyance, leaning back in his chair. “I think they’ve had their fill of parties for a while.”

“It’s not going to be a big deal!” Cassie objected. “It’ll be like, six or seven people tops. We just need a break after cramming so hard at college. C’mon Baby Bro, you can always get Mom and Dad to soften up, so help me out here.”

James looked about his room, mind wandering. He sighed. “What do I get out of this?”

“I’ll owe you one.”

“Pft, that’s too vague,” he snickered a little. “How about you set me up with one of your friends?”

There was a pause followed by a huff of disdainful laughter. “Puh-lease, none of my friends would give a loser like you the time of day.”

It was a long shot, but James was in a playful mood. He turned in his computer chair, allowing a faint smile to tug at his lips. “Oh, I’m sure that isn’t true. That one chick….Nia? She’s definitely into me, secretly wants to marry me and all that fairy tale shit.”

A cackle escaped Cassie’s lips. “Nia? You wi-“

Her words were cut off, or rather James’ perception of her words shifted. A strong feeling of vertigo rippled across him, things shifted as reality was reshuffled like a deck of cards. He blinked, trying to process. Had he just had a stroke or something?

“Nia…” Cassie suddenly sounded uncomfortable, “yeah, I guess she’s not exactly been subtle about how she feels. Honestly I’m kind of….well, it gets weird, you know? She talks about you a lot.”

James blinked. What? He had been joking before about Nia. As far as he knew she was mostly indifferent to his existence, only sparing him the occasional pleasant greeting and nothing more. Had he actually been onto something?

There was a muffled sound coming through the other end of the line and Cassie muttered a curse. “Shit, sorry I gotta go. But seriously, talk to Mom and Dad for me! Love ya, bye!”

James couldn’t get a word in before the line went dead. With a sigh he rubbed at his temples and wondered about the rest of his day. He was pretty damned tired, but it wouldn’t do to be cooped up in his room all day. He ultimately decided on a walk around the neighbourhood to clear his thoughts.

The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. James felt pretty energised by the experience and allowed his thoughts to drift. It had been a crazy 24 hours, but things seemed to have settled somewhat into the normal rhythm of life.

“James!”

The voice that called out cut through his musings and brought him back to the present. His eyes widened as he saw who was approaching him.

Nia Jefferson, his sister’s friend and topic of their phone call, came jogging up to him with a huge grin on her face. Wearing only a yellow sports bra and a pair of shorts that did little to conceal her perky ass, the lithe, athletic body was on full display as she approached, a thin sheen of sweat coating her ebony skin in a hypnotic fashion.

“N-nia?” He swallowed stupidly, at a loss for words. “Uh…hi.”

Her grin only broadened and she closed the distance between them. “ I’m so glad I caught you, did Cassie tell you about the party she had planned? It’s gonna be so fun!”

There was an intense look in her eye as she stared at James. He couldn’t quite place the expression on her face, but it both aroused and unsettled him.

“Yeah….uh, yeah, we spoke,” he sputtered, trying to regain his composure, “we just need to run it by Mom and Dad first.”

Nia’s eyes went huge. “Do you want me to come with you?” She asked suddenly, taking his hands into her own. They were warm from the running. “I’m sure if we go in and make the case together it’ll be fine.” She looped her arm through his own and began to lead him back in the direction of his house, all the while pressing herself against him.

“Maybe you can show me your room while we’re there,” she smiled, bumping his hip with her own playfully. “I haven’t seen it from the inside before.”

James blinked. What did she mean by that?

A car drove by, one of his dad’s friends, who gave a friendly honk and stuck his hand out the window to wave at him. James waved back on instinct.

“Oh god, I wonder people think,” Nia laughed at his side, “walking together arm in arm like a married couple. It’s a cute visual, right?”

James was starting to get a little concerned. In all the years he had known Nia, she had never really been all that affectionate with him. She was nice, sure, but never more than polite. Had she really been sitting on feelings as strong as this? It was almost stalkerish. How the hell had he missed this side of her?

“James?” She cut into his thoughts, “what do you think?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled thoughtlessly, “uh, yeah, we’re married.”

As soon as the words escaped his mouth there was a silent explosion of his brain. A wave of vertigo hit him, an explosion of colours crashed around him and for a brief moment it seemed the world stuttered and restarted around him. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes he felt that things had irrevocably changed around him.