Finding You

Chapter 2 laugh out loud

I woke up in Aku-no's bed, held close to him and kept warm next to his skin. I didn't know the layout of his room, and last night it was too dark to look before anything happened. I didn't want to get up to look for a clock and accidentally wake him up, so I resorted to laying back down and cuddling close to him. It was cold outside of the covers. I rested my eyes and relaxed, knowing that the time really didn't matter. I didn't have a shift that day. Two days off was heaven on Earth.
     My hair was tangled and a mess, but I let it be. We would stay like this for ten more minutes. I'd give myself ten more minutes. He was pretty cute, I came to realize when I opened my eyes again. He was really cute. I scored. I reached a hand up to move hair out of his face. It was just as soft as I imagined, even with whatever gel remained in it. I just might not want to let this one go.

I jolted myself awake again, noticing I'd fallen asleep. Aku-no was gone. I beat myself up for going back to sleep, swinging my feet off the side of the bed and searching for my clothes. The floor was clean. The entire ginormous master bedroom was clean. I cursed under my breath, wrapping a throw blanket around my shoulders and scavenging around the house for any clothes I could wear home. I'd return them somehow.
Our jackets were both still hung up by the door where we'd left them last night, but I couldn't tell if Aku-no had taken a different one when he left. The house was silent except for the low drone of the heating at work. He didn't leave me alone here, did he? I scanned the living room, but everything looked as if it had never even been touched the night prior. I decided to check my phone just in case I was called in for a surprise shift like I had been before, but was only met with Grayson's name in my notification bar. A pit formed in my stomach and I felt sick.
I had twelve unread messages and eight missed calls, all ranging from midnight to an hour ago. He called once an hour, but for what? What was he up for so early? My phone was three percent away from completely shutting off, so I let it drain. I turned my brightness all the way up and let it sit on the floor of the entryway and watched as it died. I stood up once it shut off, then put it back in my coat pocket. I'd tell him that my phone died because, really, it wasn't that far off from the truth.
It was nine o'clock when I decided to just make myself breakfast instead of waiting around on the floor for Aku-no to return. Hell, he may not even come back. He could be at work doing cool CEO things. He didn't even bother to leave a note or his number, so what was I meant to do? I found myself getting progressively angrier and more on edge thinking about Grayson. He wasn't nice to me in the slightest the last time I forgot to contact him, and that was only one missed call. I was going to get absolutely annihilated.
Aku-no's cupboards were relatively dry and empty. He was stocked up on protein powder and energy drinks, almost as if those were the only things he consumed. He had a few things in his fridge, but it was mostly assorted vegetables, fruits, and meats. I didn't want to take anything he was going to need to make meals for himself. I settled on toast, mostly since he had two loaves of bread and probably wouldn't mind if I took a few slices. When the toast popped, I spread on butter, then shook on cinnamon and sugar. Nothing was good in my mind without something sweet. I sat on the same couch cushion I did last night, the sun's light just barely getting through the curtains. I opened Netflix, scrolling through his watched list and clicking on a movie that looked interesting. I didn't really pay attention, my mind wandering and overthinking. I was too worried about what Grayson would do to me when I met him next to hear the front door open.
"You're up?" Aku said, closing the door behind him. I jumped, glaring at him as I gripped my chest,
"You scared the shit out of me," I groaned, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. He laughed, apologizing and hanging up his coat. It was a different one from last night, so I didn't recognize it's absence on the coat rack. "I woke up before you, but then I fell asleep again. You didn't leave a note. I thought you'd just be a one night stand." I smiled at him, "Where's my clothes though, Moneybags?" He walked into the kitchen and made himself a protein drink.
"I went to the gym," he said, leaning on the island, reminding me of last night. "I thought you'd still be asleep when I came back, so I didn't feel the need to leave a note or anything. I threw our clothes in the wash so you could go home in fresh clothes. They might be done now, actually." I got up, fixing the blanket over my shoulders and walking my plate to the sink. Aku-no pulled the blanket up to cover my neck and brushed my hair gently. "What's your schedule like today?" he asked, piquing my interest. I turned around, trapped in his arms.
"I'm free," I smiled, gripping my blanket tight so it didn't fall. "Are you asking me out on a date?" He shrugged, twisting the ends of my hair.
"You can shower if you want. I'm going to use the one in my room. The other shower is right down that hall, alright? I'll be back in twenty." He let my hair fall out of his touch and turned away from me. I watched him disappear into the bedroom, then when I was sure he was gone, I silently screamed to myself. He was so nice and considerate! Aku-no didn't immediately try to fuck me when he realized I was naked! He washed my clothes for me! Chivalry wasn't dead yet!
His bathroom was the nicest looking one I'd ever had the fortune of stepping foot into. The walls were painted a cool gray and accented with hanging plants in the corners, as well as paintings on the wall and small succulents on the marble countertop. It matched the kitchen. There was a full wall mirror which the white cabinets were attached to, and the floor was covered in a faux fur rug. Aku-no clearly didn't use that bathroom much, but he still needed it to look nice. There were towels on a rack by the huge shower, and they were just about as soft as the rug. I dropped the blanket by the glass door of the shower and stepped inside, prepared for the nicest shower of my life.
I left the bathroom in the same outfit I wore last night. Aku-no had dropped off the clothes outside of the door for me as I was showering, proving to me that he was the kindest man I'd slept with.
"Aku-no?" I said, drying my hair and walking out to the living room. He stood by the couch, texting on his phone until I caught his attention.
"I gotta say, you look so much cuter in the light," he said, grinning and checking me out. I rolled my eyes and flushed, ignoring his comment. "Your skirt is really cute," Aku-no muttered, feeling the fabric and admiring the plaid.
"Thanks. I got it on clearance." I giggled, punching his chest playfully. "So where are you taking me for our date, Rich Guy?" He snickered, putting his hands in his coat pockets,
"I was thinking smoothies first. We'll take it from there." I followed him to the door, grabbing my coat on the way. I felt my phone.
"Shit- Hey do you have a charger I could use? I really need to charge my phone."
"Yeah!" Aku led me to the TV stand, "That outlet should have one in it. Is it okay to leave it here to charge?" I hesitated before answering,
"It's fine. As long as we come back to get it, of course." I laughed nervously, watching my phone light up and turn on. "Well, let's go!"