A soft orange glow covered the spacious room as Brandy began to wake and take in her surroundings. Her head was a throbbing mess. Brandy couldn't help but view the repetitive pulses of pain as a reminder to never touch a bottle of liquor again.
She couldn't fully remember what caused her to drink so much in the first place, although something much more potent was crossing her mind at the moment. The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was Monica holding her.. very affectionately might she add. Brandy didn't know what to think.
All she knew was that it didn't make any sense. Monica holding her that close didn't make any sense. The Scotch had long left their systems so Monica couldn't blame her copious amounts of alcohol for her unprovoked snuggling. Neither could Brandy. She wasn't sure she had any explanation for the fluttering in her stomach at the feeling of Monica's skin beneath her fingertips. And she certainty didn't know how to explain the hum of content Brandy let out at the feeling of Monica's breath on her neck.
Monica held her with a warmth Brandy didn't even know she was capable of. The reminiscent blissful feeling was soon replaced with irritation as Brandy contemplated more and more. How could this happen? How was it possible for Brandy to have her entire perspective of a person change in a less than eight hours?
The thought made her tense.
This was all too much for her. What was she going to say to Monica when they saw each other again? Brandy felt as though she could already feel the stale awkwardness of the conversation.
She considered ignoring Monica before concluding that it was an idiotic idea. They were on tour. Monica was one of the four people Brandy had to see every day for the next five weeks. The problem would be addressed whether she liked it or not. Especially with Monica's confrontational personality. There was truly no way for Brandy to wiggle her way out of this one.
Shit.
Brandy was beginning to feel the stirring rush of nausea set in. She couldn't pinpoint if the nausea was a product of her hangover or the stressful situation at hand. She didn't really care.
Her first instinct was to rush to the bathroom and hope that she would make it in time. That was until she noticed the dim lighting coming from beneath the closed bathroom door and the shower water running.
It seemed as if the possibility of Monica coming out of the bathroom at any given moment intensified Brandy's nausea. She was nowhere near prepared for their conversation to happen right now. She had just forced herself to stop replaying and swooning at the sound of Monica's rhythmic heartbeat.
Brandy wanted - no, needed to leave. Asap.
She kicked the sheets from her legs, trying her hardest to ignore Monica's perfume wafting from them as she did so. Brandy then carefully searched for her brown suede pumps which were each thrown carelessly across the room. She'd remembered placing her phone and clutch on the nightstand a few hours before. She grabbed the items, but not without noticing the two infamous empty bottles of Scotch.
Brandy's mixture of lip gloss and lipstick was found clear as day on the rim of both. She was too focused on leaving the hotel room to notice the other shades of lipstick on the rim as well. Her crouched frame almost made it to the door when she heard a click. Brandy nearly jumped out of her skin.
She froze dead in her guilty tracks as the bathroom door swung open.
Monica stood facing the mirror with a contemplative look on her face, clearly too out of it to even notice Brandy standing before her like a deer caught in headlights. The bathroom was misty and dimly lit, bathing Monica in a soft glow. Brandy always thought Monica was a stunning woman but something about seeing her so fresh-faced made her appreciate Monica's features even more.
Brandy then clears her throat causing Monica to look up at her with an unreadable expression. She waits with intentful eyes and slightly parted lips for Monica to say something before realizing that Monica had no plans to speak first.
"I'm uh.. I'm leaving." she squeaks out in a low register.
Monica nods a single time and silence pursues once more.
"Will I be seeing you at rehearsal later on?" Brandy asks, not because she cares but because she simply doesn't know what else to say.
"You will," Monica answers. Nothing more, nothing less. Brandy stands there for a moment, silently hoping that Monica will show any sign of being stressed or uncomfortable. Anything that shows Brandy that she's just as confused about this strange situation as she is.
But she doesn't. She doesn't say or do anything else.
"Alright well I'll see you then," Brandy gives Monica one last tired gaze before slinking out of the room, mumbling to herself about how two-faced Monica was during her entire shameful walk back to her suite.
-
Brandy let a deep sigh settle from between her lips as she stared at her reflection. Her hair was frizzed up due to her neglecting to wear her bonnet (also due to Monica's wandering yet soothing fingers running through her braids) and her under-eye bags seemed as though they had gotten deeper.
She looked and felt like shit.
A part of Brandy feels stupid for thinking Monica would care enough to talk about something so insignificant. The other part of Brandy feels furious that Monica would even act like their cuddling had never happened. Seriously, who does she think she is?
It was unfathomable to Brandy that Monica could hold her that carefully.. that closely, just to turn around and treat her like she was a stranger not even four hours later. Though if she were being honest she was more upset with herself than anything.
All they did was cuddle!
Sure Brandy's leg may have been wrapped tightly around Monica's hip and Monica was definitely stroking Brandy's hair away from her face as she slept, but it was just platonic cuddling.
...Right?
It was around nine-thirty now. Her phone was undoubtedly being blown up by her management but she couldn't bring herself to care. Not until she had her shower and coffee.
It was at that moment that Brandy decided not to worry herself about her drunken cuddling with her least favorite frenemy. She was on tour doing what she loved most. It didn't matter who she was performing with or how they felt about her, this was about the fans and the music. Nothing else.
Those were her intentions and that's the way she planned on keeping things. Although as Brandy undressed for her shower she couldn't help but wonder what the hell was in that bottle of Scotch..
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next chapter coming very soon <33
