Danielle found Kristine asleep in the same position she'd left her the previous night. She rolled her eyes and smiled at the woman who snored lightly on the couch. She was halfway through her second cup of coffee when she heard the groans of a hungover woman waking up.
"Good morning sunshine." Danielle called out cheerfully.
"Oh I feel terrible. Why did you let me drink so much?" Kristine groaned as she sat up on the couch.
"The point was to get drunk. And now you get to experience your first hangover, congrats!" Danielle laughed
"You're not hungover." Kristine whined.
"Because I can handle my liquor sweetheart." Danielle teased. "Come have some coffee, I'll make breakfast, you'll feel better after you eat."
"I think I might throw up."
"Well don't do it on my couch."
"You've been a great help this morning." Kristine said dryly. "Do you have any ibuprofen? My head is killing me."
"Medicine cabinet in the bathroom." Danielle chuckled and went about making breakfast. Kristine disappeared into the bathroom and eventually staggered her way to the kitchen. Danielle set a cup of coffee in front of her and Kristine took it with a grunt of thanks.
"Now that I've crossed that off my list, I don't think I'll be drinking again. Ever." She mused lifting her coffee mug to her lips.
"Everyone says that. They hardly ever mean it...Pancakes?"
"I don't think I can eat right now." Kristine looked at the plate distastefully.
"You should eat, it will help soak up all the alcohol." Danielle said and began to dig in.
Kristine took a tentative bite and willed it to stay down. She ate slowly and found that it did indeed help her rolling stomach. The women had a lazy morning, giving Kristine plenty of time to recuperate. As late afternoon came, Danielle found Kristine dozing on the couch. She nudged the woman awake gently. "Hey, we need to return that car. The rental place closes at five."
"Hmm? What time is it?" Kristine groaned blinking the sleep from her eyes.
"It's almost four." Danielle responded.
"Danielle! Why didn't you wake me sooner? I haven't even showered today." Kristine said shooting up from the couch and instantly regretting it. One hand flew to her head and the other her stomach. Still, she didn't feel as terrible as this morning, but she definitely still needed to take it slow.
"Sorry, I thought I should let you rest. You can shower when we get home." She shrugged.
There wasn't time to debate or argue so Kristine quickly brushed her teeth and slipped on her shoes. "Alright, let's get this over with."
They got into their separate cars and Kristine followed Danielle to town. Danielle couldn't help but peek in the rear view mirror continuously. She sincerely hoped Kristine was a better driver when she was feeling good.
Kristine was relieved to return the car and get into the passenger seat of Danielle's. They made a few stops and she waited in the car while Danielle ran into various stores. Once they were back home, Danielle went to the basement to work and Kristine returned to the couch, finding something to watch and eventually fall asleep to.
Kristine awoke when she felt the couch dip beside her. "Damn, I fell asleep again. And I still haven't showered."
Danielle smiled and pat her knee. "I won't tell." After a dramatic eye roll, Kristine got up and announced she was going to shower. "Don't drown!" Danielle called out after her with a laugh.
Kristine felt a lot more lively after her shower. It was fairly late in the evening, but this was the best and most energetic she'd felt all day. "I think I can officially say my hangover is gone." She said proudly.
"Well that's good. Just in time for bed." Danielle laughed receiving a scowl in response. Kristine plopped down next to her, tucking her feet under her body.
"It's hardly time for bed." She said after some time.
"Not really, I was just teasing. What would you like to do?" Danielle smiled innocently.
"Hmm dinner and a movie?" Kristine replied.
"Sounds like a date" Danielle winked and walked to the kitchen. Kristine blushed at the comment and turned to watch Danielle.
"Why did you say that?" Kristine wondered.
"Say what?" Danielle asked, confused. She opened the fridge, surveying their options.
"That it sounds like a date?" Kristine implored.
"It's just a figure of speech, Kristine."
"Oh." Kristine blushed again. Why did the idea of a date with Danielle sound so...appealing.
They ate at the couch while watching a movie. Danielle could feel Kristine's eyes on her every so often and it started to make her self conscious.
"Do I have food on my face or something?" Danielle asked, wiping a napkin across her mouth.
"What? No." Kristine said quickly looking away.
"I can feel you watching at me" She said looking at the woman who looked everywhere but Danielle's eyes. Danielle shrugged and went back to her food. "Alright then. Keep your secrets."
Kristine quietly ate staring intently at her food. She wasn't sure why her gaze kept flicking to the woman beside her. She wasn't sure what she was feeling when she looked at Danielle.
"Well now you're super quiet. Is something wrong?" Danielle asked softly.
"No nothing."
"You're blushing?" Danielle pointed out.
"Am I?" Kristine replied feigning ignorance. "That's weird."
"No, you're being weird. What's up?"
"Nothing, I swear." Kristine said hoping Danielle would drop it and thankfully she did. They finished up dinner then went back to watching the movie quietly. Danielle had seen the film before and took the dishes to the sink, curiously watching Kristine from a distance. She wondered what the woman was thinking, but didn't want to press the issue.
The end credits started to roll as Danielle returned to the living room. Without the distraction of the movie, things felt awkward. "Um should we watch something else?" Danielle asked.
"No, I think I'm done watching t.v. for the night. It turns your brain to mush after a while." Kristine chuckled.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Danielle replied, rubbing the back of her head. The silence had never seemed so loud before, but at the moment it felt deafening. Danielle almost sighed in relief when Kristine broke it.
"Can I ask you something..kind of personal?" Kristine said.
"Yeah sure, ask away." Danielle said.
"Do you ever get..urges?" Kristine asked searching for the right word.
"Urges?" Danielle repeated. She didn't expect that to be the woman's question. Was she asking if she ever got horny?
"Yeah. You know, like physically?" Kristine said, blushing in indication that she was indeed asking what Danielle thought.
Danielle laughed softly. "Are you asking if I get horny? Because if so, then yes of course. I'm only human." Kristine was so embarrassed by her own question. She wished she hadn't said anything, she knew her face was probably beet red. Danielle's blunt answer only added to the embarrassment.
"Sorry." Kristine mumbled and moved to stand. She wanted to run away, hide.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Danielle said reaching for the woman's hand to keep her from leaving. Things were getting interesting and she wondered where Kristine's train of thought was going. "And you can talk to me about anything. No judgements."
Kristine gently pulled her hand away, but sat back down with a sigh. "It's all just so confusing." She said after a while.
"What's confusing?"
"Everything! Up until now I've lived an incredibly sheltered life. Things that are normal and instinctive to literally everyone, make no sense to me. I feel like a fish out of water." Kristine vented.
"You've made a really big change. It will take some time getting used to." Danielle replied with a reassuring smile. Kristine sighed and leaned back against the couch, letting her head fall back. Danielle wasn't sure how to respond. She put a hand on Kristine's thigh and rubbed gently.
"That confuses me." Kristine mumbled, the sound muffled by her hands over her face.
Danielle's hand stopped moving and rested on Kristine's knee. She pulled away as the woman looked at her from between her fingers. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what you need right now."
Kristine dropped her hands to her knees and blew a raspberry into the air. "I don't know either. I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Ok, good night" Danielle replied automatically. Now she was confused too. She was terrible at reading people. "Oh hey, tomorrow you start work." She said with a soft laugh, trying to ease the tension she was suddenly feeling.
Kristine looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "Sounds good. Good night."