Last Night

Part 1.5

I readjusted my bangs so they weren't falling directly in my eyes. I needed to be on guard in case, well, I guess it wouldn't matter anyway. I'd probably be dead before I could do anything. My hands shook on the arms of my Recliner of Refuge as if I were in an earthquake. It provided no refuge right now. Will would only help me through so much. I just needed to keep tabs on my sanity. That, I was pretty sure, was going quickly as well.

Ian had stopped glaring at me and removed his hand from my face so that was a relief. His glare was pretty intense, especially with those bright blues burrowing into you.

"Are you feeling better?"

I blinked at him. Was he going to ignore what had just happened? What I'd seen? "Um, a bit, I think."

"Well, you definitely hit your head hard back there. You might have knocked a few screws loose. You need to be careful." He chuckled and flashed me a brilliant smile.

I balked at him. Was he just trying to scare me now? I'd already seen them once. I didn't need to be reminded that he had them. But curiosity beat out fear and I glanced down at his teeth. I needed to focus more on the biggest problem in the room, the pink elephant or rather, the white and blue collared, mythical monster.

I blinked again. His teeth were perfect, well, not exactly perfect. They crowded a bit in the front on the bottom, but his canines were normal. Everything looked normal. Had I imagined it? I stared at my hands as I tried to replay everything in my mind. I was almost positive that they had been oversized.

"Did you just get back from a night out?"

My eyes darted to his face. Had he smelled the wine? Oh shit, he smelled the wine. I forced my lips into a smile. "Yeah, I'd just gotten dinner with my family. It was a nice evening."

"You should drink some water. I'll get you a glass." His beam faded, then he stood up and walked into the kitchen behind me. There was rattling in my cabinets and the faucet started running. It stopped, and moments later a glass was offered to me. It hovered there while I contemplated taking anything from him. Would he expect anything in return? That I should offer him a drink? But he seemed so ordinary now. Had I completely sobered up yet or had it been a trick of the light?

"Oh, um, thank you." Maybe I was going crazy. I unwrapped an arm so I could take the glass from him. Glancing down at myself, I was mostly covered. Thank goodness. This was awkward enough.

He returned to the couch and observed me. The way he sat there though, being hunched over on his knees with his hands clasped together, could he really not be human? He looked tense, but that could just be what its like wandering into a stranger's place and finding them naked. "I'm surprised you have a blanket out here in this weather. Isn't it warm?"

"It's normally much cooler. I sleep better with the weight of a few blankets on me, but since my A/C went out last Thursday and the landlord hasn't sent anybody over to fix it yet, I'm stuck in this sauna."

"So that's why it's hot in here. At least you're not wearing anything." He tugged at the neck of his collared shirt.

"Don't remind me." I said, looking down at my blanket and gathering up more of it to grip in my hand. Modesty might cover up the remnants of my dinner, which were still attached to my chest.

"Right. My bad," he said and stood up suddenly. "You should drink some more water. Do you have a first aid kit anywhere?"

I took another drink of the water. Right, I should be hydrating after the wine and vomiting and bleeding. "I think there's something under the sink in the kitchen. Why?"