Problems in Paradise

Chapter Ten

As she got into bed, she chewed her lower lip, wondering what on earth was wrong with her friend. She seemed so irritable, but Morgie couldn’t think of a valid reason why. Frowning, she reached over to turn off the light, settled into bed, and wondered if she could do anything to help.

Then she remembered Oscar, and their date the next day, and muffled her unashamedly girly squeal of excitement into her pillow. She hadn’t been this excited for something in ages.

*

The next morning was as sunny as all the others had been, bright sunshine beaming down from a cloudless sky, and Morgie felt as if it reflected her own smile. As she half skipped down to get some breakfast, she resisted the urge to break out into a cheery rendition of Here Comes The Sun, instead grinning at everyone she passed, probably knocking them out with the sheer intensity of her smile.

She couldn’t remember being happier. She was just so excited, so thrilled; she felt so lucky. Of all the girls in the world, Oscar wanted to date her. Her! She rounded a corner and-

Stumbling towards her, looking more than a little worse for wear, was Ezra. His eyes were dull, his clothing rumpled and stained. Morgie’s eyes widened.

‘Oh my god, Ezra?’

Ezra looked up, wincing and squinting as he attempted to focus on her. ‘Morgie?’ he hazarded.

‘Are you just getting back from your one night stand?’ Morgie inquired, her mouth a little agape.

Ezra scrunched up his nose. ‘Maybe.’

Morgie bit her lip. ‘Wow.’

Ezra laughed harshly. ‘Do I look as bad as that?’ he asked.

‘Worse,’ Morgie admitted. ‘You clearly had a fun night.’

He shrugged. ‘Don’t remember much of it. I just woke up with a throbbing headache, and in this girl’s bed.’

‘Lovely,’ said Morgie.

‘She didn’t look so lovely in the light of day,’ Ezra said, with distaste. ‘I don’t know what I was doing.’

‘Maybe you should stop with the whole drunken sex stuff,’ Morgie commented.  At Ezra’s look, she held up her hands in a gesture of submission. ‘Alright, alright, just a suggestion!’

‘Yeah, well it was a crap one,’ Ezra said, cracking an unconvincing smile. He glanced out of the window and winced. ‘Oh god, why is the sun so bright?’ he howled. ‘My eyes!’

Morgie laughed. ‘You’d better go sort yourself out. See you.’

Hurrying away, she hoped desperately that April wouldn’t run into him. The girl had had enough to deal with, without seeing him looking like that, stumbling around. She wondered what Oscar would say to him.

Oscar. Eek. Morgie could barely contain herself. Shaking her head at her own silliness, she made her way to eat some breakfast.

*

Will’s headache was making even his eyes throb. He felt dreadful.

Drowning his sorrows in alcohol really hadn’t been his brightest idea. If anything, it had just made him feel worse, and, if his memory served him right, he’d been pouring out his heart to the bartender, who hadn’t spoken a word of English.

Brilliant. What a way to impress Laurel.

At least he hadn’t done an Ezra, and hooked up with a random girl, he thought. He’d been tempted, tempted to go and throw himself at the girls like Ezra had done; if he hadn’t been picky he could have easily done it; forgetting his feelings for Laurel by indulging in a feelings free session of purely carnal lust… but he couldn’t. The girls around him didn’t hold a candle to the bright, shining light Laurel seemed to throw whenever she arrived. He couldn’t look at anyone else while she was around.