Everything But Love

Chapter 5- The Morning After

Chapter 5- The Morning After

The next morning I miraculously woke up in my own bed. My skull vibrated with the festivities of the previous night, and my mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. The ceiling was spinning and I couldn't blink away my foggy vision. I looked down at my exposed thighs and torso with a certain humiliation. My shirt and pants had been removed, but my socks remained plastered to my feet. My soiled garments were tossed onto a nearby chair in a great heap. I don't remember doing this. I looked around my room suspiciously, half expecting someone to apparate through thin air and reveal themselves.

"Hello?" The sound of my raspy voice surprised me, my throat was parched. My question was echoed by silence.

I tried again. "Is anyone there?"

My heart jumped with anticipation at the muffled sound of my neighbor slamming his front door. I collected my breaths and decided to further investigate my apartment for clues. I threw on a t-shirt and shorts as I made my way out of my bedroom. My living room and kitchen looked relatively normal, and my apartment had been locked from the outside. I noticed that someone had forgotten to close my refrigerator all the way shut, and an empty glass cup sat on my kitchen table. Whoever brought you home must've felt really comfortable.

I reached for the glass and my eyes widened at a maroon lipstick print on the edge of the cup. My heart instantly began pounding and I was overcome by a sudden wave of nausea. In a sudden cold sweat, I dropped the glass onto my table, letting it teeter precariously on the edge. I shoved open the door to my bathroom and felt night's mistakes expel into my toilet bowl. When my stomach ceased to convulse, I slowly stood up and splashed my face in cold water.

Had Janna taken me home last night? My mind began racing as I considered that dreadful possibility. No. No, that would be impossible. She wouldn't be able to do that by herself. She doesn't even know where I live...but, Emilio does. Emilio. I started pacing the room anxiously. How could I have forgotten about Emilio? He must've accompanied her.

My eyes snapped back towards that lovely maroon staining my glass. Was that left by Janna, a crude reminder that she had finally invaded every aspect of my life? Even my apartment?

Then, another thought hit me. What if the mysterious lip-stick glass did not belong to Janna, but Celeste? What if she had felt guilty about spilling her drink, and accompanied Emilio instead? For some reason, this possibility was more comforting than the former. Only one way to find out. I reached for my phone to call Emilio. As soon as the dial started ringing, there came a knock at my door. I ended the call immediately. I rarely had any visitors, so I was almost certain that whoever was at the door had something to do with my dilemma. I approached the door cautiously and opened it. I could not believe my eyes.

"Good morning, Dante." There it was. The sound of her honeydew voice was all I needed to hear.

"Janna," was all I could manage. "How did you-?"

"How did I know where you live? Easy. I came the same way I did last night."

Well, that answered my question. She stepped into my doorway with the swiftness of a lingering ghost.

"I came to return your keys," she started with a smirk. "I let myself out last night, I hope you don't mind."

Of course, I didn't mind.

She walked over to my dining table alluringly and dropped my keys carelessly on the worn, wooden surface. Today, she looked breathtaking. Even more than usual. She was wearing a black long sleeved button-up dress with her legs exposed. She had on these heeled, black boots that creased a bit when she walked.