Last Friday Night (ManxMan)

Chapter 10

A shot of pain went through Hunter's head, piercing in its intensity. The tylenol he took lessened the pain slightly but Hunter's head still thumped in tune with his heartbeat. His night out had clearly been more . . . eventful than Hunter was used to. Unfortunately, he conveniently forgot his plans to come into work the following Saturday and now had to be reminded of his fun as he completed rounds.

Checking up on the animators was the easy part. If Hunter had fewer comments to make, they would just assume they were doing a good job: not that Hunter had trouble thinking when the thumping got louder than his thoughts. Trying to attend meetings was where things really fell apart.

"Sir, are you okay?" an analyst asked after Hunter winced for the fourth time.

"Sorry, I just have a bit of a headache," he explained, rubbing at his temples to no avail. "Please continue."

And something about being the CEO made any ailment feel like a burden on the entire company. People were so quick to try to help, to the point where it became smothering. Hunter only got relief once people started to pick up on the fact that there was a clear cause of his distress. Hunter didn't get drunk often, so he'd hoped that his history would keep the truth at bay. But the shared looks across the room showed that they all came to the same conclusion: Hunter was hungover. Not the most professional look for a company executive but what's done is done.

Hunter no longer got drowned in headache remedies and doctor suggestions since his employees were enjoying the riveting gossip of 'wow, our boss had a good time last night.'

Josh was the first person to say it to Hunter's face, though. He had been bringing in Hunter's lunch, a sandwich from the deli down the street, with a wide smile on his face.

"You're looking much better, Hunter," Josh complimented him, dropping the delivery bag beside his computer. "I thought the hangover was going to make you go home today."

"Please, I can handle some pain. Besides, how could I survive without seeing your lovely face?" Hunter asked through a smile, hoping it looked as fake as possible.

"Somehow, I feel insulted," Josh pouted, arms crossing over his chest. "So, I am exiting the room so you can think about what you've done."

The young CEO wished that was the last time he had to address it but a couple hours later, Kellie strolled into his office, Josh following close behind.

"What did you do to get a hangover? You never party." Kellie got comfortable leaning against the wall while her boyfriend plopped into the chair in front of Hunter. She didn't seem too concerned with Hunter's answer judging by the way she played with the Newton's pendulum toy on his desk

"I am not required to tell you everything about my life," Hunter huffed, turning back to his work. The pair in front of him stayed silent, only the click of those tiny metal orbs hitting each other filling the silence. And, somehow the silence was more compelling than anything else.

"I went to see River because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with work and had one too many drinks."

"One too many? You're walking around this office like you passed away 1 year ago," Josh laughed, looking at Kellie who snorted behind her hand.

"He's not wrong."

"That must have been blackout levels for a guy like you," Josh added, smile widening as an idea came to mind. "Do you even remember what happened last night?"

"Of course I remember what happ-"

But as the words left his lips, Hunter realized that his last memories only included burning drunks slipping down his throat. He couldn't remember getting home or anything about what he did while drunk.The more he tried to piece together those lost hours, the more his head pounded at the futile strain.