The quiet stillness of the room was only interrupted by the occasional restful snuffle of a person deep in sleep. Texas lay on her back staring blankly up at the ceiling, tracing what patterns she could just about make out in the darkness. She sighed impatiently as she turned her head to the side looking at Jodie. She was sleeping peacefully, where she had collapsed laughing, after kicking off her shoes, still fully clothed.
Texas turned her attention back to the ceiling, imagining cracks dancing across it that weren't there in the daylight. Her over-active mind just would not let her exhausted body drift off into sleep. She groaned in frustration a little too loudly causing Jodie to stir and move in her sleep a little, before settling back into the mattress resuming her deep slumber. Texas could feel that her feet were throbbing from the dancing and her ears ringing slightly from being deafened by the club music. The left over effects of a good night out. She smiled into the darkness as she thought about the look on Dodger and Doug's faces after Jodie had kissed her. They had been a mixture of confusion, titillation, jealously, and surprise. Texas chuckled quietly to herself as she thought about how easy it was to play with guy's heads sometimes.
As sleep began to draw Texas under its spell her mind began to wander in her half awake half dreaming state. Thoughts, memories, and images swirled round in her uninhibited, sleep befuddled mind, each forgotten and quickly replaced by the next. Then as if a shot of electricity had been sent through her body Texas jolted back to full consciousness. She had been imagining what it would have been like if Jodie hadn't stopped the kiss in the club. What if Jodie had increased the tender warm sweet pressure? What it would have felt like if she or Jodie had just parted their lips slightly. What if after Jodie had murmured Happy New Year into her ear she had let her lips linger there nibbling at Texas' earlobe or tracing a path down her neck to her collarbone? Texas traced her lips remembering the feel of Jodie's mouth against hers.
Texas rolled over flopping back onto the bed on her front. She closed her eyes tightly trying to will the foreign emotions to disappear. Was she really fantasising about kissing, really kissing another woman? Texas pressed her face deep into the pillow to hide the blush that was seeping into her cheeks, even though it was dark and there was no one else around to see it. Jodie was just continuing to sleep on by her side. Texas decided she must still be drunker than she thought. Or crazy. She lifted her head up and turned again, watching Jodie as she slept. Texas noticed how her lips fell into a flawless full pout, how her long eyelashes caressed the smooth skin of her cheeks, how her chin tapered to a perfect point. Yes Texas decided she was definitely losing it.
Trees; deformed, gnarled, twisted menaced Texas from all directions, casting evil shadows on the ground. As usual Texas could see India standing innocent and defenceless in the clearing. But not alone. Texas strained to see through the murky light filtering through the trees. It was Jodie, standing there next to India holding her hand firmly. Jodie's other hand was outstretched towards where Texas was frantically fighting a losing battle to reach them. Texas extended her arm out as far as possible begging Jodie to take hold of it, so help save her sister.
"India," the scream rang out. The oppressiveness darkness of the pitch-black room closed in on Texas as her eyes flew open. She wiped away the tears that filled her eyes as the dream slowly faded away. As she sniffed, Texas noticed a pleasing aroma that seemed to permeate the air. It was a mixture of sweet berries combined with the freshness of new flowers in the spring. As she breathed in the fragrance Texas found the sweetness had calming effect on the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She breathed in deeply savouring the smell and the effect it had on her.
Texas couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from at first. Then she remembered, it was the smell of the perfume Jodie had been wearing that night. It was the fragrance she had smelt when Jodie had leant in and kissed her at midnight. . She rolled over in bed and noticed the other side was now empty. Texas wondered where Jodie had gone, the other side of the bed still felt warm from where Jodie had been laying. Texas buried her face down into the pillow, inhaling the scent that still lingered from where Jodie had slept. Had Jodie already left? Texas reached out flicking on the bedside light looking at her alarm clock. She groaned, it was only just six in the morning. She had only been in bed for about four hours. She propped herself up in bed, squinting as the harsh light hurt her eyes. She looked over by her wardrobe where Jodie had left her shoes. They had gone. She guessed Jodie must have already left then. Texas frowned, trying to figure out why Jodie would have left so early. She turned off the light and sank back into the bed. Texas turned back onto her front, hugging the pillow below her savouring the sweet scent that remained there, and tried to fall back to sleep.
It was no good. After tossing and turning for about half an hour Texas decided sleep was a lost cause. She got out of bed and wrapped her dressing gown tightly round her to keep the chill of the early hour out. She padded quietly downstairs to the living area where she spotted Doug lying flat out on the sofa, looking decidedly worse for wear, flicking through early morning TV programmes.
"Good night?" Texas asked him, nudging his legs as a request to let her sit down.
"Interesting," replied Doug swinging his legs off the sofa and pulling himself up into a sitting position, then looking like he wished he hadn't made such a sudden movement as his face paled.
"Suffering?" Texas teased as she collapsed onto the sofa next to him, tucking her legs beneath her to keep her feet warm.
"Maybe," Doug tried his best to look stoic, but the green pallor to his complexion gave him away.
"Not been to bed yet then?" Texas asked.
"No…. the stairs were a bit too much when I got in," Doug tried to joke, but quickly ceased chuckling when the movement caused his head to recommence pounding.
"Did you see Jodie leave then?"
"Yeah, she left about an hour ago I guess."
"Did she say anything?"
"Like what?"
"Where she was going, if she was okay, that kind of thing?"
"No, she just said she would see me later."
"Oh right."
"Lovers tiff already?" Doug teased.
"Very funny," Texas sighed, resting her head back against the back of the couch. Texas couldn't understand why Jodie would have left so early. It was New Years Day, where could she possibly need to be. Then it dawned on her. She bet Jodie had gone over to Dodger's.
"Well you two looked very cosy at one point!" The memory was obviously amusing to Doug.
Texas closed her eyes, kneading at her temples as she felt the beginning of a hangover start to take hold. What had seemed like such a laugh last night didn't seem so much this morning in the cold light of day. Texas shook herself mentally, she was being stupid, the kiss had only been a high-spirited frolic, nothing to over analyse.
Texas felt restless for the rest of the day. She sent a text message to Jodie around mid afternoon:
Did you head off to see Dodger this morning? xx
No reply came though. Texas aimlessly pottered about the flat, cleaning here tidying there. It was New Year's Day so everywhere was closed, there was nowhere for her to escape to. Finally that evening Leanne arrived back from her Christmas break back home with her family, full of stories that came as a welcome distraction to Texas. But that night as Texas lay back in her bed, the faint trace of Jodie still lingering on the covers Texas couldn't fight the images of her that kept popping into her mind as she began to drift into unconsciousness.