You woke with a dull headache behind your eyes, the kind that throbbed with each movement. The light that was filtering into the room was sharper than it should have been, and you momentarily kept your eyes closed, trying to remember what went down last night.

Drinks that just kept coming. Laughter that got louder. That final toast you probably shouldn't have accepted.

Then you shifted, and became suddenly, acutely aware of warmth beside you.

You opened your eyes slowly.

Maddie was there too, laid out beside you, her hair spilling out from under the pillow, her features relaxed by sleep in a way you so rarely got to see. The sheet was pulled up low somewhere during the night, and you realized suddenly that you were in a shared bed, with bare skin, with the palpable proximity of it all.

Naked. Both of you.

It pounded even harder as the memory came home... not clearly defined or tinged with regret, just cloudy. Sex.

You swallowed and carefully tried to move, easing yourself toward the edge of the bed. Maybe you could get some water. Maybe you could pretend you needed air.

You didn’t get far.

Maddie stirred, her arm sliding around your waist in a sleepy but rather alarmingly precise movement, tugging you back against her before you even had the time to protest. Her touch was firm but soft, and she seemed to know the moment you would make your escape.

“Hey”.

She whispered, her tone husky, her eyes still closed.

“Don’t rush”.

Her forehead rested, featherlike, against your shoulder, the sigh of her breath warm against your skin. One hand stayed at your side, steady, grounding, the other only moved enough to keep you near.

“You okay?”.

she asked softly, finally opening her eyes.