An Inconvenient Flame

Chapter 6 - Remember Me

Jade could feel the sun in her eyes and groaned lowly. Her head felt like it was being split open by a dull axe and she was ready to curse Jenna out six ways to Sunday for this stupid trip. She tried to move her hand and realized there was a weight on it. Jade opened one eye and immediately closed it as she internally freaked out.

There laying underneath her was a total and complete stranger. She opened her eye again and then the other and took him in. He was handsome but she didn't know him. Jade prided herself on never having a one-night stand. She didn't have any stands. Jade McCoy was a proud virgin.

She was saving herself until marriage. It was important to her to give herself to the man she wholeheartedly loved and chose for forever, but as she realized both she and the stranger were stark naked it seemed her promise may have been broken thanks to a drunken mistake.

Jade felt the tears pooling in her eyes and tried to blink them away to no avail. She couldn't believe herself. She would've never gotten so drunk as to do something so ridiculous. It was like she threw her inhibitions out her car window and then ran over them for good measure.

It didn't make sense. Her being in this situation was nothing like her. Quinn, maybe. Jenna, absolutely. But not her. Jade was beyond disappointed in herself, but mostly frustrated that she couldn't remember what all transpired the day before. The last thing she really remembered was grabbing her drink at the bar.

She slowly moved her hand from under his and almost screamed at what she saw. A wedding band. He was married. She had given her virginity to a stranger that was married. Her whole world tilted on its axis as she pulled away feeling both dirty and ashamed.

She heard him stirring behind her as she searched for her clothes but she didn't care. She had to get out of there. "W-Who are you?" She heard a deep voice say. Jade grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be his dress shirt and put it on before turning around.

"I don't think that's important." He quirked an eyebrow at her before noticing her tear filled eyes. "How could you do this?!" She hissed at him frightening him. "How could you just sleep with a stranger knowing that you're married?!"

He looked at her like she was crazy before chuckling. "I'm not married!" Jade pointed at his left hand. She would've laughed at his expression if the moment weren't so serious.

"I'm not married. I swear. I don't know how this got here." Jade didn't believe a word he said as she crossed her arms causing his eyes to narrow. "Look at the pot calling the kettle black!" He snarled. "You're fucking married!"

Jade looked down and saw the biggest diamond she'd ever seen. "What?" She stared at it confused before looking at him. "Do you remember anything from last night?" He shook his head no as he moved to pull on some boxers under the blanket.

"This doesn't make any sense." Jade cried and it tugged at him. "Hey, it's okay. Maybe they're fake." She looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "This diamond can cut glass. It's real. Your ring doesn't look cheap either. This is all just so fucked."

He didn't know why but he found himself getting up and moving closer to her. When he enveloped her in an embrace, he half expected her to shove him off or slap him. When she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him it made him smile.

Jade breathed in his scent and it was like a window opened in her mind. She found herself sitting in a room with a stage in front of her and this stranger beside her. They were laughing and she genuinely felt happy.

Jade pulled back as she looked at him. "I remember you." He stared down at her. "Not everything. We were at a play. Laughing. When I smelt you I remembered."