Chester x Parker - Dangerous Tendencies (Life Of Luxury)

2 - Penance

The morning after, Parker was alone.

His head hurt. He was coated in an uncomfortable sheen of sweat - half from the feeling of raging sunlight against his skin, and half from laying all night on the couch. There was a distinct, rhythmic pounding within his mind; a headache he couldn't shake away in fear of it worsening.

When Parker opened his eyes, he shut them again. It was bright. Too bright - like he'd forgotten to brace himself for the sunlight's impact. If he weren't so out of it, he would've made a joke about being a Vampire.

But to who?

Tendrils of light shone through the blinds - they were open now, but he didn't know why. He hadn't opened them; he liked things dark. After all, he was a bit of a nocturnal being... the eye-bags hanging black beneath his eyelids proved such. It was hard for him to get to bed in a productive hour.

He sat up - that made his head churn, and his stomach swirl. He'd never been a fan of an early breakfast, but now—

He stopped.

Parker brought a hand to his forehead. In-between the way his head span, he felt himself lose his sense of time. It was a common happenstance due to his totally screwed sleep schedule, but today - out of all days - he felt worse. He knew the taste of beer rolling out of his mouth and intoxicating his breath. He was used to it. He recognised it.

He rubbed his eyes.

There was a buzz from the coffee table. He didn't remember putting his phone there.

Despite feeling so sick, Parker turned and reached his hand towards his phone; he leaned forward just enough to see the time and not double over with the urge to vomit.

3:03 PM.

Parker's eyes widened at the sight of four missed calls and six messages all from the same person. Burns, his coworker. Why would she be messaging him this much?

He felt worse than before - a queasy uneasiness set out within him, spreading like roots. He read from the bottom.

9:37 AM : 'Hey' , followed by a 9:40 AM : 'U there?'

"No, Burns." He thought it more to himself than anybody in the room - it was deep, croaky, and sleepy. He'd be crazy to wake up that early.

10:05 AM : 'Are we shooting the video today?'

Parker furrowed his eyebrows. Confusion set in.

10:31 AM : 'Hello ? You replied to my email last night. Where are you??'

Email?

He tried to think, looking to his laptop. Email, email, email. He got lots of emails.

His laptop wasn't on the kitchen table - instead, it was on a chair, right by the fireplace to his left. He didn't remember putting it there.

12:00 PM : 'Come to set. Almost 1.'

12:27 PM : 'Chester isn't here. Where are you?'

He thought of the name. Chester, his best friend. Chester.

Fuck.

He dropped his phone against the drawer. His headache somehow moved its way upwards; giving his brain a heavy feeling. His stomach did the opposite. It lurched in denial. Dismissing everything, telling him 'No, No, No'.

What happened the night before loomed over his mind in the form of a simple sentence.

What have I done?