Disclaimer: It's just fiction, folks. I lay no claim to the characters.
A/N – Chapter 1 written for Tobias Charity's Thursday 100 'Drunken Revelry' challenge on LiveJournal.
Ed watched her sleep and thought about how they'd ended up there.
A chance meeting. A festive occasion. Enough champagne to launch the entire naval fleet… and give them courage…
Of course there was the undeniable attraction. It was always present; in sidelong glances and 'accidental' touches that lingered. But there was something else, too. The shadow cast by different cultural experiences. It could be exceptionally long. Even in 2004.
As they stumbled drunk up the stairs to his apartment, laughing intimately, they passed one of his neighbors. He knew the attractive, easy going black woman well and nodded. The potency of his buzz didn't deflect the coolness of her tone when she bade him, "Good evening. Brother."
He felt his new lover stirring next to him. "Hey you." Abbie drawled huskily, smiling through eyes heavy with sleep before resting her head on his chest. "Happy new year."
Ed ran his hand over her bare back and kissed the top of her head. "Happy new year."