Present
The tea is well-stewed by the time Julie stirs from her reverie, and she only does so because she hears a groan from the sitting room.
"Just coming!" she calls, picking up the mugs in one hand and a box of paracetamol in the other.
Gill receives the tea gratefully and swills the first gulp round in her mouth. "Urgh. Why do I do it?"
"Do what? Retire? Get drunk? Vomit?" The words are out before Julie considers that they might seem like too pertinent a jibe, but Gill seems to take them in the spirit they were spoken.
She grimaces. "All of the above. Thanks for the brew, Slap." Gill pats the sofa beside her. "Make yourself at home, shouldn't have to invite you."
Julie eases herself onto the soft cushion, kicking at her shoes till they come off. Then she fidgets a bit, finally bringing her legs up underneath her.
"Comfy now?"
She nods, and Gill snuggles down on to her shoulder. Silence reigns awhile, save for the swish of tea. Slowly, Julie recalls the many times they have ended a night out in a similar way during the past decade - exhausted and comfortably numb, although without Gill's overt suggestions of tonight. In the years since Gill's marriage, since Julie insisted they leave behind the shagging pals aspect of their relationship, they have gradually become content to be in close physical contact at times like this. She likes it. The soft touch of Gill's skin, the relaxed way she treats Julie as an extension of her own body. She can't help but admit that it would be nice to have that outside of a drinking session.
"See what I mean?" Gill murmurs. "We work well together."
Julie had thought Gill was falling asleep over her half-finished tea, but no.
"I mean, we fit together, you and me. Always have done." She turns her face up towards Julie's, so that her nose is rubbing against her chin, and awkwardly, tries to plant a kiss, which half misses its mark.
"Yeah." Quietly, pensively. "Yeah, we always have." Julie lifts her head to kiss a drowsy Gill on the forehead once more.
"I'm done with this cuppa. Aren't you going to take me to bed?"
"Put you to bed, more like. Where's your subtlety got to?"
"Buggered off along with my reputation. Since when did you care about subtlety, you daft twat?"
"If we're going to do this, Gill..." Julie pauses. "No, listen to me. If we're going to do this, then I am categorically not starting "us" by taking you to bed when we're both half-cut. It's just not happening, so get that into your thick skull now."
"Doesn't have to be sex," Gill mumbles. "I've plans for keeling over, myself. But I could use a hot water bottle."
"Oh, so that's what this is all about! Cupboard love! Come on, let's get you upstairs. I'll tuck you in, but that's all."
"Meanie," she pouts, ridiculously attractive for someone who is drunk and exhausted.
Julie pulls herself off the sofa and holds out two hands to Gill. "Come on, ups you get."
Gill allows herself to be coerced upright, only to stagger into Julie's arms, barely holding herself up. "Think I'll stay right here."
"Nope, some of us have work in...good grief, four hours. Come on." She guides the protesting Gill towards the stairs.
"Pull a sickie."
"And what would that say about your reputation, given you were all for keeping it intact only a few hours ago?" Julie laughs as she pulls Gill onto the first step.
"S'not my reputation you need to worry about!" Gill retorts.
"Indeed. If I call in sick the morning after your retirement 'do', there will be hell to pay. You may not have invited Karen Zalinski, but she knows damn well that you invited me."
"Ridiculous!"
"Oh, here we go." She rolls her eyes and looks down at Gill, who leans heavily against her as they make it up the last few steps. "Come on. In here." She pushes open the bedroom door, sits Gill on the side of the bed and rummages under her pillow for her nightie. It is one of those soft jersey ones, and she puts her arm through it so as to be ready to pull it over Gill's head. When she turns back, it would appear that, drunk though she may be, Gill's fingers have lost none of their speed - she's sitting topless, pink blouse and lacy bra on the floor, looking thoroughly pleased with herself, with a grin to make the Cheshire Cat jealous.
"For heaven's sake!" Julie mutters as she crosses the room. "Put that on before you catch cold. I can see why you want a hot water bottle, but can I suggest you put the heating on instead?"
"Nope! Want you." Gill's voice is a little hazy, spoken through the soft folds of the nightie over her head.
"Bollocks, you want a good night's sleep." She bends down and catches Gill's ankles, working the stockings off her feet, then swings Gill's legs up onto the bed. "Come on, jeans off."
"You can undress me anytime, Slap."
"I know that, had far too much experience of it. And it's that experience that tells me you're fit to get your own jeans off."
Gill is pouting again, as Julie moves to the bottom of the bed to pull at the hems of the jeans. She can't resist lightly tickling the fine-boned foot in front of her, taking in the pink toenails that match Gill's hands just before her heel kicks out. Jeans in one hand, Julie moves away, her other hand in the air, a peace offering. She picks up the discarded top and bra and moves over to the laundry basket. A pair of lacy cerise knickers lands on her shoulder.
"Bloody hell!"
"You going to tuck me in, then, or what?"
"Patience, woman! Not that you ever had much of that." Julie moves back towards the bed, where Gill has done nothing to help herself under the covers, and is simply lying there, grinning. "Come on!" Julie heaves the covers out from under Gill, reaches behind to lift Gill's torso up and reposition the pillow underneath her, then replaces the covers, patting round the edges. "There."
She allows herself a moment of enjoyment at how deftly good she has got at doing this, even when fairly drunk herself.
"Aren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?"
"Child!" But Julie leans down, aiming once more for Gill's forehead. Of course, that is her undoing; as Gill shifts her head upwards to catch the kiss on her lips instead, she also reaches out, and although smaller than Julie, she has her at an awkward angle and overbalances her onto the bed. Onto herself, as a matter of fact.
"Oooph!" Julie gasps, winded by the fall. She can feel Gill's bony hips under her tummy, and the slight heave of her ribcage as Gill struggles for breath.
"Oooph yourself, you fat cow. Gerroff!" Gill mumbles underneath her.
"Well, that's nice! You pull me down here and then tell me to go!"
"Not go. Just...over there." Gill's pushing at her, without much effect. Now that Julie is horizontal, she's not sure when she'll be able to get vertical again - certainly not in the next couple of hours. She groans as she rolls over to the other side of the bed and attempts to get her own trousers off. Gill doesn't help matters by snuggling in to her, head on her arm, hands around her waist. Finally, Julie gets the trousers off and flings them in a black heap to the floor. Her bra she manages to pull off without taking off the green top - it's comfy enough, she can sleep in it.
"There's a t-shirt under your pillow." Gill mutters, almost incoherently.
"Hmm?" She pulls it out; it's one of her own, left here for convenience, for nights not unlike this, only those times she has ended up in the spare bed. Slowly, the evidence drops into place.
"You had this planned all along, didn't you, Slap?"
"Didn't get to where I am without a bit of forethought." Gill is barely audible by now, and by the time Julie has swapped her going out top for the t-shirt, gentle snores are emanating from the head by her side. She leans over, turns the light off, and falls back on to her own pillow, one arm trailing loosely around Gill's curled up form, hand lightly on her back.
As her body relaxes and warms to the bed, Julie starts to giggle quietly at the dichotomy of Gill's planning and lack of follow through. Still, there'll be time enough, if this is for real. Part of her would love to lie awake and savour the novel experience, but the logic that morning is coming all too soon overcomes that urge. Julie closes her eyes.
