Night Out After Poker (NOIR) Part 5

"You know, I think I might just stay." You grin. She laughs.

You're a little afraid that maybe her laughing and her throwing up again might be linked. You're correct. She darts to the bathroom with a truly priceless embarrassed look on her face.

It's getting light out. The little blue LED display on the alarm rock reads 7:03. Five hours till her friends return. Two more till you have to meet your friends after that. No sleep again.

Sleep is a distant memory. Yeah, it's cliché. But true. Provigil has all but replaced it in your daily grind. And while it truly rids you of most the side effects of sleep deprivation, the desire to get a real night's rest doesn't ever go away. No bags below your eyes. No microsleeping only to wake up with your adrenaline racing at work, on the highway, or walking home. No headaches. No hangovers. But even though you're taking three times the dosage every day now, you fantasize about sleeping more than fucking. By far. It's been almost six months since you've slept more than twelves hours in a week.

You're lying in her still damp and recently vomit-soaked bed. Whatever, she's fucking hot. She's been gone a while. You flick the switch to illuminate the canopy lighting above her bed and drunkenly get up to turn down the lamps about the room.

She emerges from the bathroom shyly as you're hitting the last of the lights. Awkward moment. She's frozen in the hall. Your hand is stuck to the lamp. Oh, the implications.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Come, sit, talk." She smiles. Still, sobering up a bit has killed her aggressive confidence.

She sits on the bed Indian style, legs crossed, back up against the pillows and the soft headboard. Very childlike. You mirror her so your knees are touching. It's silly.

You hold out your palms to play the slap game. What the fuck are you doing?

She rests her hands on yours. You gently curl the middle finger on your right hand hoping to fake her out. No reaction at all. She looks very serious. Still, she wears concentration well.

You tickle her palm with your right middle finger again as you drop your left and quickly sandwich her left hand between your two hands before she can retreat. Too easy.

You let go and give her your best douchebag head nod. "I don't know if you're ready for this."

"Oh yeah?" She smiles incredulously. "Let's see."

Round two has your hands on top. You're watching her eyes. Not the hands. Easy to get faked by the hands -- the face is more reliable. Not that keeping your eyes glued to her face is easy when she's dressed how she is. Still, it's a cute face.

She's making no moves, no fakes, nothing. Just staring. Maybe she is high on something.

"So I was talking to your friend." She says it quite insidiously.

"Yeah, I saw. As we were leaving. I was quite jealous."

"Of me or him?"

"You tell me." You grin. She chuckles.

"Let's keep it just jealous of him."

"Kay. So what were you talking about?"

"Who actually. You."

You're still focused, watching her face, ready to react. She notices and flinches both hands a bit. Still, just fake-outs.

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"He said that your whole stoic tough-guy thing was bullshit. Just an act." She smiles. Still no move for the hands.

She gently moves both her index fingers along the bottom of your hands. "Look at how tense you are, scared?"

"You can trash talk me when you actually hit my hand, girl."

"He also told me you had a ten inch cock." She drops her left hand and cross-slaps your left hand with ease. So much for watching her face.

"Cheater!"

"What?! I thought I wasn't 'ready for this.'"

"I see how it is."

Instead of letting your hand go, she intertwines her fingers with yours. You're vibing pretty hard for this girl. So what that when she says because, she makes it rhyme with claws.

"I think you misheard him though."

"Yeah?"

"Two and ten are hard to distinguish in a loud club." She shoves you lightly. "I have to have some words with him. Talking up your friend that way is borderline inappropriate. Sorta gay too. What else did he say?"

"Said you were off to buy some blow." Guess she wants some after all.