The Shortened Slumber

Part V

At first, all i could see was a hazy blur. I felt peaceful. It was a brief window into what i could only imagine was an empty and clear mind with nothing but my consciousness shining through. Unfortunately though, it ended with the first sensation i regained being pain. My head was throbbing all over, primarily in my jaw and the upper right corner of my skull. As soon as the pain kicked in, i began to panic. Where was I and why the fuck couldn't i see anything but skewed colours? I violently began blinking and strangely at the same time, realized it was really loud. My vision returned and i saw i was at home, half-sitting/half-laying on the couch. There were strange people in my lounge room and what i assume was Tupac was playing obnoxiously loud on my sound system. Everyone was drunk it would seem and the atmosphere reeked of spirits and cigarettes.
I glanced up the wall to the clock. 4:25 the analogue hands indicated. Memory started rushing back of the drinking and the punch up. The sun was down i could see through the non-illuminated vertical blinds. I sheepishly calculated in the space of around thirty seconds that i started work in two hours and thirty-five minutes. I was going to feel like shit. But, at the forefront of my mind was a whirlwind of questions. I looked around the room for Joel or at least someone i recognized. He wasn't in the room.
I attempted to stand but immediately felt dizzy.
"Woah, you can't get up yet!" an empathetic and oddly familiar warm voice instructed me, struggling to contend with the music. I looked up to see her walk in from the hallway. What the fuck was she doing here and why was she telling me what to do? She came over and knelt down beside the couch.
"Sorry, i would have taken you somewhere quieter but you were adamant you wanted to sit on the couch," she said. I had spoken to her? This was obviously not the first time i had regained consciousness.
"Uhhh... It's okay," I struggled. "What happened?" That was the only question i could think of to which the answer might cover most of the lack of current knowledge i was having.
"Well," she began, placing her hand on my leg and looking up at me. "You jumped in to save your douche bag friend and Jamie, my best friends douche bag boyfriend punched you in the head," she said, smiling at me. I melted a little, trying desperately to conceal it.
"After you fell, shit got a little heated. There was yelling and screaming but the bar staff grabbed us all and removed us. You were outside with a bouncer and I saw you there and asked him what they were going to do with you. They told me you were in and out of consciousness and you needed to go home. So, considering your 'mate'" she gestured parentheses with her fingers "was no where to be seen, i took the honor. I felt i owed it to you for nearly knocking you out the first time near the toilets," she winked. I smiled weakly.
"Thank you..." I said, not sure weather to be ashamed or not yet. "How did you get me home?"
"Well, we waited for a taxi for half an hour, you didn't say much which is understandable. Every time you did though, you insisted we could walk it. I insisted I couldn't carry you. The taxi eventually came and here we are. Oh, and you gave me the address," she smiled. She still had failed to explain the ridiculous number of strangers partying at my residence.
"Wow," i said rubbing my head and gazing around the room.
"Thanks for doing that... Why are..."
"...there like 30 people dancing around your house?" she cut me off, finishing my sentence.
"Yeah, it's kind of freaking me out a bit," I responded.
"Well, i cant be certain, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with your loud-mouthed friend,"
"Shit I'm sorry. I forgot to apologize for him, he is an arrogant dick sometimes," I said, suddenly remembering i had actually let his actions go unacknowledged.
"It's alright, I don't really know what you see in him. But, then again i barely know you," she looked at me questioningly. Every ounce of my frail being was terrified of this person. I always felt people could see my soul through my eyes like i was exposed, but she was worse. I felt her numbering my flaws and arranging them in her head, it was unsettling. But i couldn't help but stare back. There was a very soothing calm in hers. It was a feeling of open and complete seperatelessness, yet at the same time her essence alluded me. A puzzle i wanted to solve.
"I'm not like that so much. His sober characteristics really do outweigh his shitty drunkeness." I lied. I couldn't tell her the truth about our co-dependency. It would show how weak i really was.
"Hmmm... You will have to convince me of that," she smiled. My heart fluttered as i caught the slight impression she intended to give me that chance.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name?" I repeated, somewhat stunned she even wanted to know. "My name is Jason..." She extended her hand with intention to shake mine.
"Well hello there Jason, my name is April. If i told you my last name would you promise not to laugh?" she asked, shaking my hand.
"Can't be any worse than Springstein..." I replied. My last name bothered me, I wasn't sure why as most people didn't really seem to mind it. She laughed.
"Well, it is kinda actually..." she said rolling her eyes slightly. "Winters," she finished.
"Are you for real?" I asked, somewhat excitedly. I felt myself growing more comfortable around her which is something that was very unnerving for me. I was going to have to shut down soon, this was getting to... I stopped my self-sabotage monologue and finished with "Your name is 'April Winters?'"
"Did i stutter?" she replied in mock anger. I laughed at her.
"Fair enough then, it's kinda cool I suppose," i said, not having much else in me to say as i was dazed and confused. There was a short silence, then i said "I guess i better solve the mystery of this rave."
"Lead the way," she said, smiling. I got up slowly from the couch, April helping me up with her elegant yet short fingers. She had short fingernails, clearly a nail-biter, as was I. We wondered about the house, around the random drunks. I checked the spare bedroom, which i could see Joel was passed out in with some strange woman sleeping at the foot of the bed like a dog; arm over the edge half holding a bottle of vodka as gravity slowly pried it to the floor. Surprisingly  she was completely clothed in some full body pink dress. Joel often used this room for his pick-ups, it disgusted me but due to my current friend crisis, i let him get away with bloody murder. This time was an exception, however. I was fucking angry at him as i was 99% sure this was his fault. I ripped the blankets from over top of him, got the vodka bottle from the girls hand and poured the mouthful or two of the liquid on his face.
"Fuck! What?!" he blurted, slapping his face violently in confusion.
"What the fuck is going on in my fucking house you sociopathic fucking mongoloid!?" i yelled, waking his female company. He looked at me and could see i was pissed. He backed down.
"Uhh... I don't know. You disappeared and i ran into these people who were looking for somewhere to party and yeah, this happened..."
"Well, i have to work in like 2 hours so i'm going to bed! Get these cunts out of my house or I won't be letting you in it anymore," I lowered my yelling a little. April was behind me and i didn't want her thinking i was a complete nut.
"Yeah, alright. Sorry man," he said, slowly getting out of bed. I returned to the lounge room and turned the music off as Joel went about pushing the inebriated occupants to the door.
"I've gotta sleep. Thank you again for everything you did, that was really... special," I said, turning to April. She smiled back at me, melting me as it always did. What was wrong with me?
"It's okay, it was a pleasure. Let me take you to bed," she said, grabbing my hand and leading me to what i could only guess was her assumption of where my room was. This caught me a little off guard. She certainly wasn't shy.
We arrived unscathed into my messy bedroom, complete with empty beer bottles strewn everywhere all over the dirty washing. It smelt like stale cigarettes, the bed was unmade and the scungy lamp i had was still on laying on the floor. I really needed to clean up, this was embarrassing.
"Is this your room?" she asked, shocked expression on her face.
"Well... Yeah. I didn't leave it like this," my second lie for the night. I was already lying to her. The sad truth was I was so completely ashamed of who i was, there was no way i was ready to share this damage with her. At least not yet. Thankfully, no doubt due to the current circumstances, she bought it.
"Bastards," she said, spreading my blankets out and gesturing me to enter my bed.
"Don't get any ideas, you're gonna have to buy me dinner first," she said, using some kind of cheeky smile i had never seen anyone use before. This was hard for me but i found a relatively smooth response in "Of course not, i'm a perfect gentleman," I smiled at her. I got into the bed and oddly enough, she laid down next to me.
"So Jason, how is the head?"
"Hmmm... Still spinning relentlessly... Tomorrow is gonna suck!"
"You better get what sleep you can then..." she replied soothingly, running her hand down my face, closing my eyes. Maybe I was still unconscious and this was a dream, but it felt so real. I wasn't really sure what to do so i just did what she said. She finger massaged my head for a bit, telling me my brain needed comforting. It didn't make a lot of sense, but i went with it. She could have told me she was shielding my mind from alien probes and i would have done as she asked.
"Good night," I whispered.
"Good night," She whispered back. Simple yet elegant somehow. It fit, here in this dark room of filth. I was elevated away for a few moments before i fell asleep. Taken to somewhere that wasn't quite as foreboding as the reality i had single-handedly built myself, brick by brick. Here with her in this one particular moment in frozen time, I actually felt home. I drifted off...