Doing Fine

Eve knew that she was dreaming the moment that she found herself seated on a park bench with Gunther next to her. His hair blowing gently in the breeze. His eyes focused on something off in the distance, ignoring her even as she looked right at him and tried to get him to look her way. 

"I cannot keep doing this with you, Evie. You and I will never work," "You throw paint at canvas, craft stuff from every day objects, and you call it art. Which would not be so bad if focused on turning it into a multi-million dollar empire. But you are content with making peanuts. I need someone who is more focused and actually wants to do serious things in life. So this is it. It's over between us,"

"No, no, don't leave me!" Eve cried, trying to get him to stay, but she blinked and he was gone. Everybody in the park was gone, leaving her all alone. The last person in the whole wide world, with no one to care, no one to hold her hand. 

"Don't let me die single!" Eve screamed into the emptiness, and that was what woke her up. She blinked awake and was instantly assaulted by her pounding head. The pain so intense it caused her to shut her eyes again. When she yawned, she became very aware of the fact that her mouth smelled as though she'd sprayed herself with skunk musk.

"Arggh," She groaned, protesting the foul stench, as well as her pounding head. Rubbing her eyes, she opened them slightly, and then instantly shut them yet again. Why had the world gotten so bright? Didn't the sun know to be a bit dim on some days. Especially on days when Eve had spent the night before trying to drink herself into oblivion? She cursed at the sun for a few long minutes. Getting herself mentally ready to open her eyes again. When she finally did, blinking more cautiously than she had the first, and second time. She turned her head to the side and was relieved to see a bottle of water, as well as some pain killers. The life saving items were carefully placed on her bedside table. No doubt her best friend had left them there for her. Grabbing the painkillers first, she tossed them into her mouth before she opened the bottle, and drank from it. Relishing the feel of the cool liquid sliding down her throat, she hummed in relief. That done, she lay back down, and threw an arm over her eyes, trying to make it as dark as possible. "I am never drinking again," She mumbled, the lie was very obviously something that she would be turning her back on as soon as her hangover was gone. But the fib helped to get her through the few minutes it took for the painkillers to kick in. The moment that they did, her pain easing, Eve was moving. She gingerly made her way to the kitchen downstairs, and began searching, being sure to keep noise levels at a minimum. The cure for a hangover was a huge hearty meal, the more grease in it the better. But unfortunately for her, it seemed that she did not have any food in the house.

Why was she such a lazy shopper? She really had to get on that. Or maybe she would get a subscription to have food delivered to her house. But that was a problem for another day.

Her most pressing issue in that moment was getting some food in her as soon as possible. What on earth was she going to do? If she tried to go out in the state she was in she would pass out on her porch and not get up for a few more hours. Opening up her pantry, Eve found a lone bottle of olive oil.

There was literally no food in the house. What on earth was she going to eat?!

Before her lack of anything edible could turn into a full-on panic, her doorbell rang. An unending drone that meant that the button had not been released. Rubbing the side of her head in an effort to soothe the pain that the ringing caused, Eve went to answer, not even bothering to ask who it was. There was only one person who rang the doorbell like that.

That person had been there when Eve had been drinking wine like it was water. They had also been the one to leave Eve with water and painkillers. So even though she was upset over the door ringing, she could still tolerate it.

Pushing the door open, she was not at all surprised to find the dark haired woman on the other side of the door. 

"Good morning!" Stella, her best friend for over 20 years sing-songed. She had this annoying habit of always being chipper, no matter the situation. Eve remembered very clearly that the two of them had had a drinking competition the night before. One that Stella had won. Her friend should not have been able to lift her head, let alone be so full of energy. But like the freak of nature that she was. That was exactly what she was doing, jumping up and down in place, a big smile on her face. Eve would have groaned in protest at the unfairness of it all. But then Stella raised her hands, bringing Eve's attention to the bags that she was carrying. Food, finally! 

'I knew there was a reason I still hung out with you,' Eve tried to say, but it came out as, "Mmm, guh, mmpf, mm, grrah," Her words swallowed up by her taking a bite into the chicken wrap that Stella had brought. It had just the right amount of everything. Crunch, heat, salt, and oil. In other words, it was pure heaven. The fries that it came with elevating it to a whole new level. The meal was no doubt all types of bad for her. But at that very moment, it was all that she needed in life. Moaning around a huge bite, Eve smiled at her friend, not caring that she most likely resembled a chipmunk.

She was being incredibly rude. But all the other woman did was laugh, letting herself in. Making her way to the kitchen, and depositing all of the remaining bags on the island. That done, she took out her own takeaway and the two of them made their way to the living room. Eve went straight her favourite chair, the one that had the hand-made quilt thrown over one end and settled down.

For a while there was only silence. Which would have been great, if Eve had not kept feeling her friend's eyes on her. But every time she looked up, Stella's focus was entirely on her meal.

Clearly she had something on her mind, but she was not just coming out and saying it, which meant that it was something important.

An important conversation that Stella was hesitant to bring up...it could not be anything good. Rather asking her friend to just come out with it, Eve chose to ignore the topic as well. The two of them finished off their meals in silence. The atmosphere now strained, despite the fact that they had not argued. But even with that Eve was grateful to feel her hangover slowly begin to disappear. Meal done. She was ready to just kick back and relax. To not have to worry too much about anything. But Stella finally seemed to have her thoughts in order.

"Eve, we need to talk..."

Oh, oh. Nothing good ever followed such words. Eve got the feeling that whatever it was that was weighing heavy on her friend's mind, she was not going to like it. 

Part of her wanted to just laze around like a cat. But she knew that, that would only be prolonging her own discomfort 

"About what?" She finally asked, sitting up straighter and pushing lightly at her now empty takeaway plate.

When it came to Stella, it was best to just get straight to the point. The woman could stretch twenty questions for infinity, if she was not directly questioned. Poking at some lettuce on her own wrap, Stella gave Eve a wide eyed look, and her heart sank.

Oh, no. Stella was using her pleading eyes... that could not mean anything good. She was going to ask Eve for something and Eve was not going to like it. 

"You remember the promise you made last night, right?" Eve tried to search her mind, but all that came back was a jumbled mess of bright lights, and colorful drinks that should have come with warning labels. Shaking her head slowly, she looked at her friend unease trickling down her spine.

"Whatever it was that I said, you cannot hold the words of a drunk woman against her," Eve said, suddenly feeling the need to defend herself. Rather than backing off, Stella smiled like a shark, and Eve's unease grew worse. As a hairstylist, Stella loved experimenting. Had Eve promised to be a guinea pig in a style that her friend wanted to try...The last time she had agreed to that, she had ended up with bright pink hair.

"What if you said that the two of us should be best friends forever and ever? Does that mean you take it back?" The question was asked with pouty lips, and Eve just knew that she was in trouble.

Oh no. 

So early in the morning and Stella was already guilt-tripping. Whatever it was that Eve had done the previous night, it was very bad.

"Don't you remember? We talked about your none existent love life, and..." The rest of Stella's words were cut off by her phone ringing. She answered and was instantly on her feet. Her food forgotten. For a moment Eve thought there was an emergency at her friend's salon, but the call turned out to be personal.

"Put a lid on it! Do not try to put the fire out with water that will make it worse. Switch off the stove, I'm on my way..."Ahh, Stella's boyfriend, Ryan, was trying to cook again.

 Ending the call, Stella gave Eve an apologetic look. Not noticing that Eve was glad for the call.

" Ryan tried to flambè some steak, and nearly burned the house down. We will continue our conversation later. I have to save my house from burning down," With that, Stella left, off to rescue her boyfriend. Leaving Eve to sigh in relief at not having to talk about her love life.

She was fine the way that she was, she did not need to date.