A shot of pain went through Hunter’s head, piercing in its intensity. The tylenol he took lessened the pain slightly but Hunter’s head still thumped in tune with his heartbeat. His night out had clearly been more . . . eventful than Hunter was used to. Unfortunately, he conveniently forgot his plans to come into work the following Saturday and now had to be reminded of his fun as he completed rounds.
Checking up on the animators was the easy part. If Hunter had fewer comments to make, they would just assume they were doing a good job: not that Hunter had trouble thinking when the thumping got louder than his thoughts. Trying to attend meetings was where things really fell apart.
“Sir, are you okay?” an analyst asked after Hunter winced for the fourth time.
“Sorry, I just have a bit of a headache,” he explained, rubbing at his temples to no avail. “Please continue.”
And something about being the CEO made any ailment feel like a burden on the entire company. People were so quick to try to help, to the point where it became smothering. Hunter only got relief once people started to pick up on the fact that there was a clear cause of his distress. Hunter didn’t get drunk often, so he’d hoped that his history would keep the truth at bay. But the shared looks across the room showed that they all came to the same conclusion: Hunter was hungover. Not the most professional look for a company executive but what’s done is done.
Hunter no longer got drowned in headache remedies and doctor suggestions since his employees were enjoying the riveting gossip of ‘wow, our boss had a good time last night.’
Josh was the first person to say it to Hunter’s face, though. He had been bringing in Hunter’s lunch, a sandwich from the deli down the street, with a wide smile on his face.
“You’re looking much better, Hunter,” Josh complimented him, dropping the delivery bag beside his computer. “I thought the hangover was going to make you go home today.”
“Please, I can handle some pain. Besides, how could I survive without seeing your lovely face?” Hunter asked through a smile, hoping it looked as fake as possible.
“Somehow, I feel insulted,” Josh pouted, arms crossing over his chest. “So, I am exiting the room so you can think about what you’ve done.”
The young CEO wished that was the last time he had to address it but a couple hours later, Kellie strolled into his office, Josh following close behind.
“What did you do to get a hangover? You never party.” Kellie got comfortable leaning against the wall while her boyfriend plopped into the chair in front of Hunter. She didn’t seem too concerned with Hunter’s answer judging by the way she played with the Newton’s pendulum toy on his desk
“I am not required to tell you everything about my life,” Hunter huffed, turning back to his work. The pair in front of him stayed silent, only the click of those tiny metal orbs hitting each other filling the silence. And, somehow the silence was more compelling than anything else.
“I went to see River because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with work and had one too many drinks.”
“One too many? You’re walking around this office like you passed away 1 year ago,” Josh laughed, looking at Kellie who snorted behind her hand.
“He’s not wrong.”
“That must have been blackout levels for a guy like you,” Josh added, smile widening as an idea came to mind. “Do you even remember what happened last night?”
“Of course I remember what happ-“
But as the words left his lips, Hunter realized that his last memories only included burning drunks slipping down his throat. He couldn’t remember getting home or anything about what he did while drunk.The more he tried to piece together those lost hours, the more his head pounded at the futile strain.
“Okay, so maybe I need to talk to River so I can confirm the events.”
To Hunter’s dismay, Kellie and Josh only laughed harder, right in his hungover face.
—————
It took five minutes for River to greet him the following Monday. The other bartenders knew to avoid Hunter at this point and let River take him, but the owner seemed perpetually busy despite it being early afternoon. Hunter wanted to open up his delivery and start eating but it felt weird to do so without River being there. Having the owner of the bar around him as he did something strange made Hunter feel protected, shielded from any judgments of the others. But he wouldn’t have that if River was still busy.
Thankfully, after five long minutes, River arrived, a tight smile on his face.
“Do you guys have any good virgin drinks? Something that’s worth it even without the alcohol?” Hunter asked in lieu of a greeting, working to open his delivery bag. River’s head tilted, his mouth quirking up into a confused smile.
“A virgin drink? Are you sure?”
“I’m kind of averse to alcohol right now. I had the worst hangover last Saturday,” Hunter explained, his arm raising to rub at his temple insitinctively. “Work was a nightmare.”
As Hunter spoke, River’s smile faltered, his eyes searching Hunter’s face. Hunter wished he could provide the answer but the question River was silently asking eluded him.
“I can imagine,” River replied, words hoarse and low. “Alright, I’ll make you something. Give me one minute.”
“60, 59, 58 . . . “
River chuckled, rolling his eyes at Hunter’s antics as he went. He quickly made a virgin Pina Colada, his movements graceful and fluid as always while he worked. But even in that process, Hunter could see something was off. When River brought the drink to him (which took well over a minute to make, by the way), he searched Hunter’s eyes again, the stare making Hunter uneasy.
Shaking off the unease, Hunter tried to take the conversation back to lighter topics. Last time he came, he was too busy getting drunk to ask any questions. But Hunter went two weeks without seeing River and was curious about what the older man had been up to while he was gone. River answered all of Hunter’s questions with the anxiety of a secret-keeping teenager. His shoulders were drawn so tight, they practically reached his ears and every other word sounded like a lie. Except how could River be lying when he said that sales were fine and they were going to open again tomorrow? The older man was just so tense and Hunter had no clue what brought it on.
With perfect timing, Hunter was reminded of Josh and Kellie back at the office, teasing him about blacking out and the question he needed to ask.
“Hey River, how did I get home last Friday?”
River burst out laughing. A few patrons looked their way due to the noise but River didn’t seem to mind one bit. Hunter had the urge to laugh along and join the fun despite having no idea what caused it.
“I had to drag you to one of the couches in the back to sleep until closing,” River explained, laughs becoming cackles when Hunter covered his face, mortified. “Then I drove you home. You’re a very entertaining drunk.”
Through his hands, Hunter made sure to thank River profusely for taking him home. Hunter was glad to see River relaxed again, even if it was at his expense. Within moments, when River’s laughter quieted, and that look returned. But this time, River crossed his arms, lowering himself to rest his arms against the bar. With their faces so close, River watched Hunter’s expression with careful eyes.
“You really don’t remember anything?” He asked, voice soft and curious. Hunter shook his head, trying to stay focused on the topic at hand and not melt into River’s eyes.
“After the uh, fourth drink, everything else is gone.”
River let out a deep exhale, pushing off the counter to stand again. Hunter blinked rapidly in surprise, confused beyond belief.
“Why? Did I do anything strange?”
“Nope,” River popped the P, smiling softly at his younger friend. “Not at all.”
———————————
Poor Hunter, completely clueless in this. I almost wish I could go into the book and tell him the truth.
Almost.
Anywhy,
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