Sweet Dreams 67

Kat and I had been friends for many years. We met at work originally when she came to work at the same company that I did. We had become fast friends and kept it up even when after a couple of years, she moved on for a better offer at another company. Somewhere over that time it became a routine of ours to meet up after work on Friday at a local pub for drinks and dinner to catch up.

It started out as a typical Friday afternoon. Around 3:30 I received the usual text from Kat confirming our usual meet up. The text had become routine and unnecessary. If memory serves me right, we had only had to cancel twice over the last four years or so. But, at the same time it wouldn't have felt right if we didn't go through the motions. So, when her message came in asking if we were still on, I sent the obligatory reply confirming that we were still on, and it was my turn to drive. The pub we usually went to was not far from where I lived so she would usually meet me at my place and we would either go in my car, or if the weather was nice like it was tonight would enjoy about a 15-minute walk to it.

I was able to get off about 30 minutes early and head home to change clothes, so I was already set to go when she knocked on my door around 5:30. I opened the door, and she greeted me with her usual smile.

"Ready to go?" I asked returning her smile.

"You bet." she said as we headed out the door.

As we started walking down the sidewalk towards the bar, I could tell she had a bit of a rough day. She looked a bit careworn and pre-occupied.

"Bad day?" I asked.

She sighed before saying, "Oh my god yes. Rodger was in one of his moods and going into anyone within a 15-foot radius of him." Rodger wasn't her boss, but rather her boss's boss and could be a bit mercurial and was a jerk when he was in a bad mood. "I swear if he talks to me like that one more time I might just walk out." she said exasperated.

I had heard this from her more than once and was used to it. Any time Rodger would come around she would talk about quitting. I know she would probably not go through with it unless he really really got under her skin, but none the less I always comforted her when she vented her frustrations about the moody man.

"Don't let him get you down." I told her as we continued to walk towards our favorite watering hole. "If what you say about him is true, his bark is worse than his bite."

Kat sighed as she said, "Yeah you're right. As much as he blusters sometimes only one time that I know of has he actually fired anyone, and they did deserve it. I just don't understand why he has to be such an asshole."

"Could be any number of reasons." I said. "It could just be the way that he is. Could be a power trip for him. Maybe his wife fusses at him at home and he takes it out on you. Could be some sort of psychological disorder that's untreated." I paused for a second as she took in what I said and then added, "If it ever does really get bad you let me know and I'll get you back on with me."

She looked at me and smiled and said, "Thanks Bobby, you're the best."

"I'm sorry say that one more time." I said grinning.

"I said you're the best smartass." she said punching me playfully in the arm.

By this point we had arrived at the pub and as we went inside, we saw the small chalkboard just inside the door advertising the evening's drink specials. Kat's eyes lit up as she saw her favorite. "Ooh, half off margaritas and tequila shots." I sighed inwardly. While I loved Kat to death, she could get a little unruly under the influence of tequila.

We got a table and quickly ordered drinks and food. Her first margarita arrived, and she dove into it with gusto and I knew it would be a long night. She downed about a quarter of it in one go.

"You might want to take it easy on that Kat." I said.

She frowned at me and said, "Oh don't worry about me Bobby. Besides I need this after the way ass wipe talked to me today."

I knew then it would be a losing battle. Kat was a great person, but when she set her mind to something there was little chance of turning her back from it for better or worse. The best I could do at this point is minimize the damage.

It actually went better than I thought for the most part. Yes, she ended up drinking four margaritas with her dinner and did a couple of tequila shots and was quite tipsy, but so far hadn't made any sort of scene or gotten sick. On the plus side she was quite a bit more relaxed and seemingly over her bad day at the office.

That situation changed when we got up to leave though. Apparently sitting down was just containing her less than suitable condition. As she stood up, it became immediately apparent that walking unassisted would be a problem for her. She stumbled forward and if I hadn't been there to steady her, she probably would have hit the floor.

She giggled as I caught her arms and kept her from falling. "Oh, Bobby you're so strong." she said in a giggling slurring voice. I felt a little heat rise in me as other around the room saw what was happening.

I sighed as I said, "Come on Kat, let's get you home so you can sleep this off."

The walk back to my place was nothing short of a nightmare. I practically had to carry Kat, or she would have ended up on the pavement. Passers by naturally gave us skeptical looks and I prayed the whole time a cop wouldn't show up and arrest us for being drunk in public. The walk that normally took 15-20 minutes took almost an hour and the sun was almost down by the time we got back to my place.

Once inside my apartment I steered her towards my bedroom hoping she would sleep off the effects. It wouldn't be that easy. As I steered her, and half carried her my hand slipped down to her hips and she gave me a funny look.

"Hmmm." she said in an exaggerated alluring tone. "Felling frisky Bobby?" She then attempted to lean up and try to kiss me. Now I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to Kat and hadn't fantasized about kissing her or making love to her. Hell, a guy would have to be blind not to be attracted to her. But the last thing I wanted was for anything like that to happen when she was drunk and clearly not in control of herself.

I quickly moved my hand back up and said, "Come on Kat, let's get you in bed so you can sleep this off." Just as we passed the threshold of by bedroom door she turned and gave me a sly grin as she said,

"Now you're talking baby." Then she started pawing at the front of my shirt and pants. Thankfully in her inebriated state she wasn't able to get anything undone. I'm not sure what was more awkward, the fact that my best friend was drunk and coming onto me or the fact that I was actually turned on. Either way I had to get back control of the situation quick. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, her body intervened.

She went "Ohhh." before putting a hand on her stomach. I knew what was coming and quickly steered her into the bathroom. I got her over the commode just in time as she started throwing up. I held her hair in place as she emptied the contents of her stomach. The sounds of her wrenching and puking started making my stomach uneasy, but thankfully I was able to keep it together. Eventually she was apparently finished as she slumped over the rim of the commode.

After letting her rest like this for a minute or so I put my arms around her sides and said, "Come on Kat. let's get you somewhere more comfortable." She must have been exhausted from throwing up because she didn't say anything she just slowly stood up under my steadying arms and let me guide her to my bed. I laid her on my side of the bed flat on her back, but she quickly rolled onto her side facing outward.

"Mmmm, you're so strong." she slurred as she gazed up at me with bleary eyes. Then she grimaced in pain.

"It's ok Kat, just close your eyes and rest." I told her gently. She shut her eyes and seemed to go into a restless sleep. I cut the all the lights except for the one by the armchair in my room, where I set up vigil. I had been around Kat long enough and been around drunk people enough to know there was a high probability of another round of puking before the night was over. So even though I had consumed a fair amount of alcohol myself and was ready for a good night's sleep I made myself some coffee and grabbed a book and kept vigil over my friend.

Somewhere after 2 in the morning I was still reading when I suddenly heard soft whimpering. I set my book down and moved over to the bed where Kat had rolled onto her back. She was clearly not awake and not aware of my presence as she continued to whimper softly. After a few minutes she quieted down, and I was about to go back to my chair and book when she started actually talking.

"So embarrassed." she whimpered softly. "Can't believe I...Bobby's going to kill me...He's never going to love me now..." She then went quiet, and her head rolled over sideways. After a minute or so of silence I made my way back to my chair. Instead of picking my book back up I let what she had said roll through my mind. 'He's never going to love me now.'

Naturally I was taken aback at the statement. It couldn't possibly be true I thought to myself. Kat and I were just friends and yes in my inner fantasy world I had imagined us together because she is a gorgeous girl that's all it was, fantasy. Then my mind started to wander. It suddenly occurred to me that in the five or six years we had known each other neither of us had really dated much. Neither one of us seemed to be able to get something going beyond two or maybe three dates before it was over. And over the last two years we both seemed to almost give up trying. I suddenly wondered why a young gorgeous woman would stay single and seek me out as her only male company.

I had to put this analysis on hold when I heard Kat whimpering again. In a flash I was at her side and this time she actually woke up. She was clearly in pain as she cracked her eyes open. "Mmmm." she moaned in pain as she tried to sit up. "Bobby...where am I?" she asked as she recognized me.

"It's ok Kat." I reassured her. "You're in my bed."

"What happ..." she started to say as a wave of nausea swept over her. I wasted no time in picking her up and carrying her into the bathroom for round two of throwing up. In a repeat of earlier I held her hair as she emptied the toxins from her system. When it was over this time though instead of just slumping over the commode she started sobbing. I moved her off of the commode and pulled her close to me as she cried.

"Bobby I'm so sorry!" she wailed as she continued to cry into my shoulder.

I held her close and stroked her back as I said. "Shhh, it's ok."

"Oh Bobby I'm so embarrassed. You must hate me now." she said still sobbing.

"I don't hate you Kat, far from it." I said as I continued to try to comfort her. By this point my knees were starting to hurt from kneeling on the hard bathroom floor. As her sobbing started to die down, I said, "Come on love, let's get you back in bed." She nodded gently as she let me help her up. She was able to move better on her own than she had been earlier, but I still kept an arm around her just in case.

"I feel like I've been run over by a truck." she said as I got her back to the bed.

"I'm not surprised." I told her. "Unfortunately, you just have to let it run its course." Then as she sat on the side of the bed inspiration hit me. "Wait here." I told her. "Be right back."

I went to my refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and carried it back into the bedroom. I found Kat slumped back onto the mattress trying to massage the pain out of her head. "I think this will help more." I said. I helped her sit back up and uncapped the bottle for her as she took a few swallows.

"Mmm." she said clearly relishing the cool drink flooding into her system. After downing about half of the bottle she put it up against the side of her head basking in the cooling sensation it provided.

"Bobby, you're a lifesaver." Kat said after she took a few more swallows of the Gatorade.

"Hangovers are caused by dehydration." I explained. "So the best cure besides rest is rehydration." I could tell by that point she was getting tired again, so I said, "Why don't you lay back down."

She nodded before looking at me and saying, "Do you have something I could sleep in? These jeans aren't exactly comfy sleepwear."

I moved to my dresser and pulled out a white t-shirt and handed it to her. She then got up slowly and went into the bathroom to change. She reappeared with the bundle of her clothes in her arm wearing my t-shirt. Three things caught my eye as she came back into the room. One, I could see a white bra strap poking out from the bundle of clothes. Two, naturally this focused my attention on her chest where I could see her nipples poking through the cotton t-shirt. And three her smooth tan legs poking out from the bottom of the shirt from about mid-thigh down. Bottom line she looked sexy, and I had to force myself not to stare.

She set her clothes on the chest/seat at the end of my bed as I pulled the covers back to let her crawl in. As I pulled the covers back over her she gave me a weak smile as she said, "You're the best Bobby. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Get some rest love." I said. "I'll be here if you need me." She was soon fast asleep again. By this point it was after 3 in the morning and I was starting to lose my own battle with fatigue. I grabbed my book and a blanket and stretched out on the opposite side of my bed next to Kat. I read for a bit longer periodic glances at Kat to make sure she was sleeping soundly. At some point I laid my book down on my chest and dozed off.

I woke up to daylight streaming through the blinds of my bedroom. As I looked around and took in my surroundings, I noticed that the blanket I had been using was pulled up to my neck and that my book was on the nightstand beside me. I then glanced right and saw that Kat wasn't in bed next to me. As I sat up, I saw that her clothes were still where she had set them on the bench at the end of the bed, so I knew she was still around somewhere.

I got up and glanced at my watch and was shocked to see that it was after 10. It has been years since I had slept past 8 and I was usually up by 6:30 or 7 even on my day off. After taking a leak I made my way out into the living room and found Kat sitting on the sofa with the TV on low volume sipping another bottle of Gatorade. When she saw me appear she gave me a big smile.

"Oh, good you're awake." she said.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Much better thanks to you." she said. "I don't know what I would do without you." she said as she stood and put her arms around me. My nose was assaulted by the scents of my shampoo and bodywash and it was clear that while I slept Kat had taken a shower. My hormones were quickly awoken as I embraced my barely dressed friend.

We held each other for a few minutes until I heard her stomach growl at her. I pulled back, but not fully away looking down at her as I said, "I see someone is hungry."

She shyly grinned back at me and said, "Yeah, I've been waiting for you to get up."

"You could have eaten without me." I said.

"I know, but I wanted to wait for you." she said.

I let go of her and headed towards the kitchen as I said, "Well let's see what we can scrounge together then." I opened my refrigerator and did a quick survey of what I had on hand. I pulled out some eggs, bacon, and bread to make toast. I turned back to see Kat pulling out a couple of frying pans.

She grabbed a bowl and started cracking eggs as she told me, "You rest, I'll do this."

"Kat, I know how to cook." I argued.

"I know you do, but I want to do this." she said in earnest. "Please Bobby, it's the least I can do after what happened last night."

"Ok." I said feeling my heartstrings tug. "But I am going to make some coffee though."

"Ooh that will be good." she said eagerly. "You make the best coffee. One thing I miss about not working in the same office as you anymore."

"I've told you many times you're welcome to come over each morning to and get some." I said as I filled the coffee pot with water.

"I know." she said as she whipped the eggs in the bowl. "As you know I'm too lazy to get up a few minutes earlier."

I watched her cook as the coffee brewed and couldn't help but be a bit mesmerized by her intense concentration. It was almost like she didn't know anyone else was there. The look on her face was endearing as she sort of bit her bottom lip as she concentrated. I tried to keep my gaze on her face and not her sexy legs poking out from my shirt that she was still wearing.

"You want to pour me some of that coffee Bobby." she said pulling me from my revelry. Clearly, she knew I was still there, and I hoped she hadn't seen me staring at her. I grabbed another coffee mug and made a cup of coffee the way she liked it handing it to her.

"Thanks." she said giving me a quick smile before turning back to the stove and attending the eggs. She took a few swallows of the coffee almost seeming to get some sort of pleasure out of it. "Mmmm." she said as she set the cup down. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was teasing me.

Before I could think much more on that she turned back to me and said, "You mind getting the toast going."

"I thought you wanted to handle everything." I said playfully.

"Don't be cute." she said barely throwing a glance in my direction as she put the bacon on to fry.

"Boy you're bossy today." I said chuckling as I opened up the bread and fed slices into the toaster.

"Yeah and you love it." she threw back at me. I loved the banter with Kat that we had developed over the years. We knew just how to needle each other in good fun and knew when to and when not to mess with each other.

As I got the toast finished I grabbed some plates out of the cabinet and Kat loaded them up with food. I topped up our coffees and we sat down to eat. At first we ate in silence just enjoying each other and the food. Kat was great too in that she wasn't one who had to fill every moment with talk. She knew when to talk and when it was best to just enjoy the silence. After a few minutes though I did have to break the silence.

"This is really good Kat. Thank you." I said.

She gave me a shy look before saying, "Like I said it's the least I could do after last night." before looking away awkwardly. Little more was said as we ate, and I could tell something was bothering her. I had a pretty good idea as to what that was too, but figured it was better to dive into that after we ate.

We finished eating and worked together to clean up the dishes. After drying the last plate and putting it back in the cabinet I turned to see Kat standing there with a pensive look on her face.

"What's bothering you Kat?" I asked. "Talk to me."

"Bobby, I...I'm sorry about last night." she said softly almost choking up as a tear escaped one of her eyes. I couldn't have been mad at her even if I wanted to at that point. I moved forward and pulled her into my arms. She buried her face in my shoulder and started crying.

In an almost repeat of the night before she cried into my shoulder. "Oh, Bobby I'm so sorry you had to deal with me like that. I'm such a fool." she said as she sobbed.

Just like before I held her and stroked her back and tried to comfort her. "Shhh, it's ok. You're not a fool." Over the next few minutes, she calmed down to where I was eventually holding her in silence.

"I know I've said this a ton already." Kat said, "But I don't know what I'd do without you. And I really don't want to know what I would have done without you last night."

"Hey that's what friends are for." I said looking down at the top of her head where she still was leaning into my shoulder. We slowly let go of each other and went and sat down on the sofa. After another gap of silence Kat asked me.