When we finish eating, I dump the plates in the sink and rinse them off. I grab my clothes and something out of my bedroom and return to the bathroom. The dog watches me as I come and go. His head tilts to the side, but he doesn’t bother following me. “Stay,” I order before wandering into the bathroom.
Jumping in the shower I am in there all of five minutes when I hear a low whining coming from outside the bathroom door. Reaching out the shower, I open the bathroom door before turning back to rinse the shampoo that is now burning my eyes. Opening my stinging eyes, the dog is watching me through the shower door.
“You know it is rude to stare,” I tell him. He cocks his big head to the side, not fazed by my comment. Feeling his eyes on me, I rush to get out. I don’t know why but sometimes his gaze makes me feel a little uneasy, it’s almost human-like. Wrapping the towel around me, I get out and dig through the drawers finding an old shirt and a pair of panties. Slipping them on, I walk back out and find the bottle of tequila I was drinking the night before.
I don’t have a problem, I need it to help me sleep lately, that’s all. The nightmares are terrible, reliving the night my mother passed over and over again. Alcohol helps make sleep easier. I reach for the bottle to pour it in a glass and pause. I only have a quarter left, why not just drink straight from the bottle? One less dish to worry about.
I tip the bottle to my lips, the stray walks over, his fur brushing against my side. He sits on my feet staring up at me. I take a swig from the bottle, coughing from the intense burn it leaves in my throat. The cough will go away after another mouthful. A few more and it will be like drinking water. Come to think of it, I need to find another way to sleep. If I keep doing this, I may just become an alcoholic like my mother. The dog whines when I take another big mouthful.
I enjoy the sting in my throat for a moment before pulling the bottle away and addressing him. “What? Don’t look at me with those judging eyes. You really do remind me of Tobias when you glare at me like that. You don’t know my life, you aren’t allowed to judge me.” Great, only a couple of swallows in and I’m arguing with the dog like he understands me.
The dog pulls the bottom of my shirt with his mouth, tugging me out of the kitchen. Grabbing the bottle and wrapping my arms around it, I follow and grab a blanket out of the linen cupboard. I open the doors leading outside in case the dog needs to pee during the night. Curling up on the couch, the dog jumps up beside me.
I don’t even remember what I choose to watch on TV, and it doesn’t matter. I just need my brain to die. I take another deep swig and smile, my eyelids are heavy. Sleep is blissfully close, but I can’t sleep in the bed, I’m used to my cramped car so I know I won’t be comfortable in such a huge bed.
Instead, I stay on the couch, cuddling with my furry hot water bottle. His head rests on my hip, and eventually I fall into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I wake up, and the dog is gone. I look in every room but can’t find him. He must have left to go outside. I hope he’ll show up while I’m getting ready for work, but I don’t see any sign of him. My head pounds, and my eyesight is blurry. A migraine builds up, the pressure against my cheeks makes me wince. If I don’t take something soon I’ll regret it later. I look for some Tylenol when Tobias walks in, followed by Theo. What is this? I don’t even get a knock anymore? Sure, come on in, make my morning even better.
“Good morning, Imogen. I hope you’re decent,” Theo’s voice rings out in a sing-song. I’m glad I’ve suffered to make sure I got dressed before searching for medicines. I’ll have to put my clothes out the night before to make sure they never catch me unprepared.
Digging through my oversized purse, I try to find a bottle of Tylenol, or anything else at this point, to get rid of this damn headache. After a few minutes, Tobias must have got tired of waiting because he burst through my bedroom door. I yelp and resist the urge to throw my bag at his head.
“How much longer?” He asks, tone cold. Another morning, another pissed off Tobias. Maybe he just isn’t a morning person?
“Just a sec, I need to find some medicine. I stayed up too late reading.” I resume my search.
Tobias walks past me to the dresser and pulls a bottle of pills from the top drawer. “If you weren’t so fucking hung over you’d know where you put your damn things,” he snarls. I wince, how did he find out about my hangover? I thought I was covering it up well.
“Come on, Imogen, next time hide the bottle. You left it on your couch, leaking all over it, mind you. Do you know how expensive that thing is?” He shakes his head and turns away from me, slamming the door behind him.
I scramble to get ready in record time, throwing my hair in a bun. Once ready for work, I join them and Theo gives me a weak smile before handing me my apartment keys and a bottle of water. Great, he probably heard our conversation too. I take the bottle and down the pills that Tobias found for me.