It was great reluctance that Alice slowly pried her eyes apart. The room still seemed curiously shady, signifying that the weather had not cleared outside. She arched her back, forcing stiff muscles to move against their will. The satisfying popping noise of her vertebrae sent ripples of joy through her frame before realisation flooded her system. Jess would be arriving at some point soon. Alice collapsed heavily against the bedcovers, deflated. She craned her neck to the side to check the time, but the clock face was angled awkwardly away from her.

“Fuck-a-duck,” she muttered under her breath before pulling herself wearily upright. The clock read that it was a little past eleven in the morning; not as late as Alice had been expecting. Her bladder screamed for attention, so she rolled her shoulders as she quickly headed through to the bathroom.

After seeking relief, Alice made her way downstairs to seek out food. She was thankful for the cereal she had eaten earlier. Without it, no doubt her hangover would still be raging unabated.

Comfort foods… Alice thought as she grimly observed the refrigerator contents, regretting the healthy yet dissatisfying choices that stared back at her.

Is it too early to order pizza? She pondered before unenthusiastically deciding against the idea and opting to grab some yoghurt and leftover fruit salad instead. The belated remembrance of Jess’ promise of ice cream later soothed her misgivings a little too.

In the back of her mind, the worrying thought that Jess may uncover her secret niggled unpleasantly. Too late now, Jess thought. The words could be applied to both her promise to see Jess today, as well as the occurrence of the night before, she thought wryly. She considered texting to find out when Jess would arrive but chided herself for the idea. The last thing she needed was for Jess to sense something was wrong because she foolishly gave the impression that she was feeling needy or desperate for her to come over sooner. After stewing uncomfortably, unsure of what to do next, Alice decided to make herself busy. She was hardly a lady of leisure, able to languish on some silken chaise-longue whilst being serenaded by songbirds or whatever other bullshit noble ladies of by-gone eras entertained themselves with.

It took less effort than she had expected to find chores and cleaning projects to help fill her day. So little effort that, when she heard the front door open, Alice was genuinely surprised. Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall, and she registered that over three hours had already passed since she woke. She also realised, with a twinge of guilt, that she hadn’t even bothered to dress in fresh clothes yet.

“Special delivery!” hollered Jess in a sing-song voice. Alice heard her close the door behind her and move through to the kitchen. Plastic rustling indicated that she had probably brought a little more than just a tub of ice cream.

Alice padded through the house to catch up and saw her friend unloading an arsenal of goodies from two large carrier bags. Jess accidentally knocked a small cylinder on the floor and rainbow sprinkles exploded everywhere. She stooped quickly, hands extended, but the damage was already done.

“I didn’t realise you were redecorating too?” joked Alice as she stood watching at the door.

Jess glanced up and grinned through her long, dark hair. “You’re not the only one to make an effort, Sleeping Beauty”. Alice had always been slightly jealous of her friend’s glossy, straight locks. It was sleek and shiny like in shampoo commercials and seemed to Alice as though it would be far easier to maintain than her tangle-attracting curls.

Alice feigned insult with an exaggerated shocked face and Jess laughed as she straightened up. “You got a brush or something for these?” she asked off-hand as she wrinkled her nose at the mess.

“Only if you tell me why you brought them in the first place,” said Alice, tiptoeing around the colourful chaos towards the cupboard where the dustpan and brushes were stored.

Plastic rustlings recommenced as Jess returned to emptying the bags onto the countertop. “Strike-out sundaes!” she informed Alice with childlike excitement.

“…and those are?”

“The clue’s in the name, Aurora,” replied Jess with a smirk. She started opening and closing cupboard doors, clearly in search of something.

“Look at you with your references… What’re you looking for?” asked Alice curiously, before gingerly starting to sweep around her friend’s feet. It was ridiculous how thick the coating of sprinkles was from one small container. She debated whether grabbing her Henry Hoover might be an easier option than chasing down the multitudes of sugar strands.

“Watched the new Maleficent last night. Where’s your pint glasses?”

“Cupboard by the sink,” Alice answered, pointing to the cupboard in question before adding in a confused tone, “I didn’t know there was a new one?”

Two empty pint glasses were retrieved and placed triumphantly beside the pile of brownie chunks, marshmallows, squirty cream tubes and other assorted treats.

“Yeah, not new. But the newest. It was alright,” Jess said, giving a small shrug. She quickly wiped her hands on the grey gym leggings that she was wearing before starting to tear open plastic wrappers. She had never been bothered by how others might judge her appearance, which was yet another thing that Alice was envious of. In truth, Alice knew that Jess had only highlighted her current clothing as it amused her to see Alice take things that she considered inconsequential so seriously. She had done the same when Alice had first started moving home and apologised profusely about the mess. Jess’ sarcastic response of, “God, imagine leaving the place looking like a shit-tip when you’ve had a full two hours to unpack your whole life. Shameful” still echoed in her mind when she recognised that she was worrying over ‘the small stuff’ as Jess would say.

Jess stole an inquisitive look over her shoulder, eyeing Alice carefully. “Something’s bothering you,” she said accusingly.

“She says while making strikeout sundaes,” replied Alice, hoping that a little humour might distract her from the topic even if for only a short time.

This time her friend fixed her with a longer stare, as though silently challenging the statement. When Alice offered no further explanation, Jess returned to sundae prepping. Her tightened jaw and hint of a concerned frown gave away her thoughts as clearly as shouting them would have. Alice’s mood drooped considerably, and guilt gnawed at her insides once more. She hated hiding things from her friend.

The clock ticking on the wall punctuated the oppressive silence between them until Jess grudgingly relented. “Since you’re not going to tell me what the deal is with this guy… I suppose I might be willing to drop the subject on one condition.”

“Oh?” said Alice hopefully.

An ice cream covered spoon was pointed threateningly in Alice’s direction. “We’re going to go out this week after work,” Jess demanded. Alice grimaced and she began to sputter her excuses, but she was cut off brusquely by her friend who smugly added, “and I get to be your wingman.”

With a sigh, Alice protested the request. “Can’t it wait until the weekend? You know I hate drinking if I have to work.”

“No can do. Them’s the demands, Missy. Take it or leave it.”

Alice huffed unhappily in response, but Jess’ next statement quickly shocked her into agreement.

“If you don’t want to come out, we can always girl-talk about your latest failed conquest.”

“Alright, alright,” Alice agreed begrudgingly, “We’ll go out.”

Jess grinned brightly, extending her offering of the sundae to Alice. She had to admit, it looked impressive despite the lacklustre glassware it was in.