John sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his head like he could massage the night back into his memory.
Brandy was leaned against his dresser now, arms crossed, watching him struggle like he had all figured out.
"You really don't remember nothing?" she asked, cocking her head.
"I remember the club. I remember somebody buying a round of Hennessy shots. After that it's fuzzy, man."
Brandy laughed, walking over to sit next to him.
"Well let me help fill in the blanks then. You were out there two-stepping in the name of love like R. Kelly in the 90’s.
You had the whole VIP section hyped."
John groaned and fell backward onto the mattress. "Yeah someone told me I was doing the running man."
"Boy, you did the running man, the cabbage patch, and the tootsie roll dance to a Jeezy song."
"Lord." He threw an arm over his face. "Okay. Okay so we danced. Then what?"
Brandy nudged his shoulder. "Oh, there’s more. Then you told me I had the prettiest smile in the whole club, and I told you that you were full of shit and corny, and you said corny works. And it did."
John peeked out from under his arm. "It worked, huh?"
"Boy, whatever that’s what you on early this morning. You know good and well it worked.
We been knowing each other since high school, John. Ain't like you told me something that I didn’t already know."
He sat up slow, looking at her for a second like he was seeing her clear for the first time that day not through liquor, not through fog, just Brandy, same as she'd always been since they used to split candy on the bus.
"So we good?" he asked.
"We more than good." She stood up, stretching, grabbing her jacket off his chair. "But you owe me breakfast. Preferably somewhere with real syrup, not that fake stuff you keep in the pantry."
John managed a tired laugh, finally pulling himself off the bed. "I got you. Least I can do since apparently I served you a whole Too Short verse and a dance routine last night."
"Mm-hmm. And John?"
"Yeah?"
"Brush your teeth again before we leave.
“For what?” John replied.
Because that Hennessy breath is not invited to breakfast with us morning."
He shook his head as she walked out to let him get dressed.
Meanwhile the whole apartment was still smelling like last night's cologne and cigarettes mixed in with spilled cognac and regrets, but for once and seeing how the night ended John didn't mind not remembering everything.
Some mornings the details didn't matter near as much as who was still standing there when the sun came up.