The Bodyguard

Chapter 34 - Like Death

I wake up with the mother of all hangovers, I know it serves me right. I vaguely remember stumbling into the cab to come home and Amy asking me how I managed to get so drunk. She was busy dancing with Kate and Sophia while I propped up the bar with Jeff as he doesn’t dance, even with his girlfriend apparently. We didn’t talk much as we have a mutual dislike of one another, but he didn’t judge as I did shot after shot so it was ok.

I roll over delicately to retrieve my phone from the bedside table and it’s switched off. It’s not the battery I’m sure as that was full when I went out so I press the side button and it lights up, I must have switch it off at some point when we were out. It immediately buzzes several times and I see that I have 5 voicemails and 4 texts all from Gabriel’s number.

I can’t face the voicemails so I read the texts with half closed aching eyes.

Please tell me you’re home now. I’m worried about you. G xThe next message reads:

Kristen please answer, I’m going out of my mind. I love you. G xI feel a stab of guilt for not replying, my mission to show him I will not be told what to do suddenly doesn't seem so important any more.

I see you’ve switched your phone off now, why are you being so childish?

No kisses anymore.  Ok, now I think he deserved to be ignored, this is just unreasonable.  The final message simply says:

We need to talk, call me when you get this.

I don’t want to talk to him yet and it’s 10am on a Sunday morning. The last thing I need right now is a lecture so I switch the phone back off again, sip some water which I’m assuming Amy left out for me. I wouldn’t have been able to remember that and no one else would care about my hangover.

Once I’ve downed the water I roll over and go back to sleep.

I wake up again an hour later as I hear Amy knocking at my door. She comes in with more water and paracetamol.

“What happened last night?” She asks carefully.

“I just wanted to get really drunk,” I admit.

“Well you sure did that! How are you feeling now?”

“Like death.”

I accept the water and drugs and I take them. I feel the nausea wash over my whole body as I sit up, I need to eat and soon.

“Gabriel has text me asking if you are ok. He said you switched your phone off so he was worried. I told him you’re fine and I didn’t tell him you were so drunk, but you need to talk to him.” She advises.

“I know. I don’t know why he got so mad about me going out though. Just because we’re in a relationship, doesn’t give him the right to dictate what I do.”

“He was just worried about you, he really cares about you.”

“Does Dex give you a hard time for going to a club?”

“No, but Dex and I are different and Dex isn’t Gabriel. Gabriel is intense and you are like the air he breathes. Talk to him and explain how you feel,” she says softly, calming my anger.

“Ok, I will,” I promise.

She leaves me to it and I hit call on his number.

“Kristen!” He says far too loudly for my liking.

“Hey,” I mumble sheepishly.

“What the hell Kristen? I was so worried about you!”

“I just went out with my friends,” I reply in defence.

“I don't care, it is not acceptable to just switch your phone off and let me spend the whole night worrying about you!”

“I’m sorry.” Wait, what am I apologising for? He’s supposed to be apologising to me!

“It’s ok baby, you can make it up to me next weekend.  I don't like worrying about you while you act out, I just need to know we will have no more ignoring me or childish behaviour, ok?”

What the hell just happened? This is not how I’d imagined this conversation going but I’m far too hungover to fight with him.

“So we’re still on for the weekend then?”  It can't be that bad if he doesn't want to change our plans.  I'm not acknowledging the rest of his words, that needs to be left alone unless I want a huge row and my head couldn't cope with that.

“Of course beautiful, you’re meeting my parents. Just because I got mad at you it doesn’t mean I don’t love you or that I’ve changed my mind about anything.”

His voice has softened and we’re back to beautiful again so I decide to let it go. The good parts of our relationship far outweigh the bad and I'm in no state to argue with him today.

The rest of the conversation is pleasant and I’m fine by the time we hang up. Maybe he’s seen a lot in his job and it makes him overprotective.  I will need to explain my feelings on this at some point, but that's for another day.

I immediately go to my voicemails and delete them all without hearing the content. I don’t want to go back to feeling angry now I’ve resigned myself to dropping it.

I pull on some sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, scrape my hair back into a ponytail then head to the kitchen to make myself some food to cure the nausea I have in the pit of my stomach.

I make a promise to myself as I eat it that I’m never drinking like that again. Certainly not over a man.