I woke to a repetitive buzzing against my breast. Thinking I was in some weird state between dreaming and reality, I slapped at my chest until my fingers locked around my phone. Within seconds of holding the solid object in my hand my eyes shot open, and my cry of pain followed soon after.

The light bleeding in from the blinds to my left momentarily blinded me and sent a drill into my temples as I forced myself upright. It was as I sat up that my eyes drifted down to the blue comforter that lay across my lap-definitely not my lavender throw back home. My eyes flickered to my right, and though he wasn't there, the faint scent of his cologne lingering on the blanket beside me was a sure sign he had been. Pressing a hand into the side of my head, I answered the call before the buzzing in my hand could cause more damage.

"Hello." I grumbled.

There was shuffling, then a very enthusiastic chirp of, "Good morning, beautiful."

"Too early, Ash." I groaned, leaning back into the headboard, "Now I remember why I don't drink."

"Babe, you scared the shit out of me last night." Ash snapped, hearing I was coherent enough to listen. "One second you were at the bar and the next you were gone. You wouldn't answer your phone. I was scared."

I frowned, momentarily touching my fingers to the oversized jersey hanging off me. "I'm sorry, Ash. I was wasted."

"I know." she made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Pretty boy bartender texted Jess and she passed it on to Lids who obviously told me you were safe."

"I really am sorry, Ash. I—"

She didn't give me a chance to apologize again. "I know."

"Do you think you can pick me up?"

"I can't, Har." she sounded genuinely apologetic. "Henry called me in last minute cover for Devin. Maybe ask your hot new friend for help?"

I muttered incoherently under my breath, "How are you not hungover?"

"I am." she said with a laugh, the sound of her unlocking her car sounding through the receiver for a minute before she added, "I've just learned what my limit is and I don't have the option to sit and wallow in the pain."

"Mm, I'm going to go raid this kitchen and bathroom for Advil."

"Alright, babe. I love you. Please call me when you're back at the apartment, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, love you too." I made a gesture with my hand despite her not being able to see me and hung up. The moment I stood I had to grasp the bed post and nausea had my stomach churning. I dropped my phone on to the bed and rushed out the open door for the bathroom.

Fortunately, I made it to the toilet before drenching the carpet in the hall in puke, but in doing this, I was oblivious to the shower running until I felt the warmth of the steam coming from the other side of the curtain. There was a quiet sigh, followed by a, "Go ahead and flush, I'm ready."

I obliged and did so before shutting the lid and resting my head against the cold of the porcelain.

"I mean, at least you didn't vomit on my jersey." James commented, shutting the water off. He moved the curtain aside, and though I was twenty-three-year-old women who'd spent four years in a relationship and had been in a few prior, I quickly averted my gaze to the towel he was extending his arm out for. Once he had it in hand, he secured it around his waist and climbed out of the tub, stepping right past me with a smirk playing on the outer corners of his mouth. "You're definitely not looking too good, though."

I thought about flipping him off, but honestly didn't even have the energy for that, and just watched as he fell into a crouch, the towel shifting slightly so that it was open. I avoided looking in the direction until something touched my elbow. He was handing over a packaged toothbrush and a travel size toothpaste in my direction. I took them with a thankful, though very curious look. "Thank you."

"'Course." he smiled weakly. "You can shower too. Just be warned that there's some very manly smelling body wash in there. I'm sure you're used to smelling like dandelions on a nice spring morning."

"Do dandelions even have a scent?" was all I took from his words.

He chuckled and shrugged as he rose again, quickly readjusting the towel around his waist. "I've never spent long enough around one to know. You just seem like a dandelion girl."

"Poppies are actually my favorite flower." I offered a response, rising to my feet shakily, but ultimately falling on to the toilet when my legs decided to give out. "And I use cucumber or Shae butter body wash, thanks."

He reached for the knob with a laugh, "Okay, beautiful. I'll grab a shirt and some boxers from the last load I threw in the dryer this morning. You're testing my anxiety in that jersey."

"Thanks." I dropped my gaze, "I promise I won't throw up on it."

He nodded, then slipped out of the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a clean towel and a t-shirt, a pair of boxers on top of both.

"James." I caught his wrist before he could walk out, keeping my distance because of my fear of embarrassment over my current state, "Did we. . . last night, I can't remember."

He gently took my hand in his own before dropping it so it fell limply to my side. "No, we didn't."

Then he turned with a half-smile and stepped back out in the hall, shutting the door behind him. Just as I turned my back to the door and reached down to pull my shirt over my head, my eyes caught a pill bottle beside the stack of clothes. As soon as I'd discarded the jersey, I took a few of the Advil, downed them with water, and headed for the shower without a clear, coherent thought in my aching head.

*

I'd never considered just how hard it'd be to freshen up in a house full of men. The entire bathroom reeked of masculinity; cologne, Old Spice body wash, combs, three separate toothbrush holders, and a hamper in the small space between the toilet and the sink full to the brim of dirty clothes. As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom I all but ran into Chris. He eyed me in his roommates' clothes with a knowing smirk, then nudged my shoulder on his way in, "Took you long enough. This is why we don't like women here. Y'all take hours in here."

I smiled, "I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to cover your living room in puke."

"Wow, so considerate." he winked, slowly shutting the door. "Your man's waiting for you in the kitchen."

I didn't bother to correct him and headed back down the hallway, surprised by how comfortable these oversized clothes were. I spent so much time in body conforming clothes for work that it'd been a long time since I'd worn anything this big-and the first I'd ever worn boxer shorts.

"Aye, you guys were quiet last night." Scott commented as I walked into the kitchen. "Didn't even know you two did anything."

"We didn't." James responded before I could, setting a plate of pancakes, eggs, and sausage on the table beside Scott. "Sit. Eat."

I looked from him to the food, then back to him, "You can cook?"

"Like a fucking chef." Scott said through a mouth full of sausage. "He's amazing at it, he's going to try and downplay it though. If I were gay, I'd have put a ring on this man years ago."

James smacked the back of his friend's head and walked back into the kitchen and out of view. My stomach, despite having thrown up less than an hour ago, was growling and I found myself in the seat beside Scott before I could fully comprehend my actions. I took a bite and gasped, nearly choking on my food.

"Amazing, huh?" Scott said with a grin.

I looked up as James sat down at the other end of the table. "James, this is incredible! I've never tasted eggs this flavorful in my life."

"Thanks." he answered with a shrug.

Scott pointed his fork at his friend across the table, "He's not used to praise. We're always trying to hype our man up, but he threatens to kick our ass if we don't shut up."

"You talk too much." James retorted, smiling at his friend. "Like, do you have an off switch, bro?"

I looked back to Scott to find he was craning his neck to look down the hall. "I mean, I might. I just have a lot of nervous energy, especially with her here."

"I enjoy him talking." I piped in, making a gesture toward Scott at my side. "Makes me feel a little more at ease, honestly."

Scott looked a bit taken back, but James joked with an, "Oh, you can take him back home with you then. Think of it as a gift from me to you."

All three of us laughed at the comment and ate in silence until Chris joined us at the table.

"Jess is outside." he said, looking at his roommate over my head. "She and her girlfriend have been trying to call you for like the last half hour is what she said."

James cursed quietly and disappeared out the front door before anything else could be said. I felt my cheeks flush at the thought of my friend seeing me in James' clothes and Chris must have caught it in his peripheral from his perch in front of the fridge, because he said, "Don't worry, Harley. As far as everyone is concerned, you're his girl anyway. Chill. Nobody's going to say anything."

I'd finished eating and washed my dish by the time James was back in the apartment with Lindsey and his sister. Their eyes immediately left him and fell to me in his clothes. Jess crossed her arms and ran a hand down her face, "James, I told you she was off limits."

Lindsey walked over and hugged me. I relaxed against her and rather than listen to her girlfriend scold her younger brother, she whispered, "We seriously need to talk."

I nodded in agreement as Jess crossed the room to hug me quickly, but she eyed her brother's clothes hanging loosely off me and asked, "Couldn't you have at least dug some of my old clothes outta the closet for her?"

"These are actually really comfortable." I interjected, "Plus I'm heading home in a few anyway."

Jess laughed, draping her arm of my shoulder, "Oh, no you're not. You're spending the day with us, that was decided on the drive here."

"What?"

Lindsey, of everyone looking to me in the kitchen, was the one to respond. "I've learned to just go with it. Never, ever question anything when it comes to Jess."