Found in Darkness

Chapter 18

ELENORA

A constant buzzing is making my head throb. I wince trying to raise my head, but it's practically glued to my pillow. When I open my eyes I'm staring at the sleeping face of Rico. We're facing each other holding hands...in my bed.

How did we end up here? The last thing I remember was crying on the couch as he held me.

I cast my eyes down and breathe a sigh of relief when I see we are both fully clothed; he still even has his shoes on.

His hair is laying across his forehead. His short beard appears thicker today and his mouth is parted. There's a youthful look to his face when he sleeps, without that permanent scowl he likes to wear every day.

The buzzing goes off again and he starts to move and I shut my eyes. The bed dips as he shifts next to me and the buzzing stops. I'm surprised he doesn't let go of my hand, then I focus on the rustling sounds of clothing before his fingers run through my hair pushing some of my stray pieces back away from my face. My eye twitches, when he trails his fingertips down over my right temple. He caresses my cheek and skims his thumb over my lips.

"Ti ammiro." His whisper is gruff from just waking up. "Nessuna è come te, Elenora Borelli." (I admire you, no one is like you)

He curses when the buzzing goes off again and I open my eyes again. He shifts his eyes to me after turning off the alarm on his phone, a lazy smile spreads on his face. "Morning, how are you feeling?"

"Other than wanting to rip my own head off, not too bad."

I glance down at our hands that are still intertwined and then back up at his face, but he doesn't show any indication that he wants to let go.

"Are you going to be able to work today?"

My eyes widen, remembering I have a photoshoot. What time is it? I shoot up, but then instantly regret doing so.

"Argh!" I hold my head.

"Whoa, easy. I set the alarm early, well a few of them," he tells me and I move my eyes to look at him. "I sometimes have a hard time waking up—if I do sleep, that is, so I set a few alarms to ease me out of sleep." He rubs the back of his neck, and his hair moves loosely onto his face.

"I do that, too."

His head snaps back to me. We keep staring at each other in silence before I look away. I clear my throat and attempt to get up but my head is throbbing too much.

"Wait, let me grab you some water." He rushes out of the room. I lean over and pick up my phone from the nightstand. I'm relieved when I see I still have a few hours before the shoot. I also have some missed calls from my mom and Jackie and a couple of texts from Clara, too.

"Here you go." Rico walks back in and hands me the water and holds Aspirin in his other hand.

I peer up at him as he stands over me. "I'm sorry you had to come babysit me." I take the medicine and then chug the water.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He sighs as he sits down next to me. "But this was a first, well, second time now, with you."

"What?" I start to take a drink of the cool, refreshing water.

"I have never slept in the same bed with a woman before." I inhale in surprise but start choking on the water. He starts patting me hard on the back.

"Like ever?" I gasp in between my coughing.

"Never. Until you."

I don't believe him as the leggy, well endowed woman draped over him at the club comes to my mind.