Sophie snuggled further into the duvet. Next to her Emma was cradling a mug of hot chocolate as if it was a newborn child. They could hear Paul snoring upstairs. This wasn't quite the raucous recreation of a childhood sleepover they'd planned.
Sophie had suggested it the week before. A chance to have a giggle and pretend to be young again. Wear their old nighties, gossip about the people they fancied, watch bad movies. It meant Emma's partner being booted out of the way of course but that wasn't the end of the world.
Emma had finished work and come home quite excited. She'd sent Paul upstairs, promising him a reward if he left them to it for the night, like a well trained dog he did as he was told. She'd opened a bottle of wine, filled a bowl with the sweets from their childhood, sherbet, dolly mixture, cola bottles, that kind of thing. Finally she dug out the nightie she'd last worn a fair few years before. It was shimmery, with some kind of sewn in sparkly glitter of the type she'd thought so cool as a teenager. She'd grown taller since then though as when she put it on it barely skimmed her bottom. When she thought about it she wasn't sure it had covered much more when she last wore it.
Emma had agreed after their last sleepover before college that they'd keep their nighties locked away until the next sleepover. Neither of them knew it would be such a long time, nearly ten years later. But better late than never she supposed.
Emma decided against wearing underwear, maybe she'd flash Sophie, just for a laugh. A spark inside her of a distant memory almost came to the surface but it disappeared when the doorbell rang.
"Hi!"
They exchanged hugs and Sophie came inside, wearing a long dressing gown. "I got a few looks driving over here," she laughed as they made their way through to the living room.
The sofa bed had been pulled out and piled high with cushions and blankets. Emma popped the wine cork and they settled in to watch the first of several incredibly cheesy films. As the second bottle dropped empty onto the carpet Sophie sighed happily. She was enjoying herself. This was exactly like the old days.
"Let's play the game we used to play," Emma suggested.
"Which one?"
"See which of us can go the longest without going to the bathroom."
"That's not fair. You always won that, and anyway I need to go now."
"Me too, that should make it more even. I'm going to make a hot chocolate. To keep it fair I think you should have one too."
She stood up and Sophie was able to take a long look at her friend's legs. She raised her eyebrows when she realised Emma was wearing nothing under her nightie. She was all for recreating their youth but didn't she have any shame? Although she couldn't talk really, under her dressing gown she was naked, still nervous about revealing this in case Emma didn't feel the same as she did about the two of them, the years in between yearning for her friend, never knowing if she remembered the drunken things they did together as teenagers.
Sophie sipped her hot chocolate, feeling the aching in her tummy grow stronger. She wouldn't last much longer before she'd have to go pee. Emma sat beside her staring at the TV, wriggling in her seat.
By the time the credits rolled Sophie felt enormous, her tummy bloated and her legs clamped together, she knew she had to go.
