Pretending To Be His...

Taking Offense!

The familiar blaring of her alarm sounded, and as usual, she reached to the direction of the sound. When she could not reach it, she raised her head and glared at it, willing for it to stop. Sitting up she reached out and turned it off. Sniffling a yawn, she groaned and laid her head on the back of the sofa. To say that she was still tired was an understatement. Standing up, she slowly raised her arms above her and stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh when she heard her joints cracking.

Looking around her apartment, she first made her way to the kitchen. She needed coffee. As the machine roared to life, she walked to her bedroom to check on her uninvited guest. Not wanting to disturb him, she gently opened the door, only to be met with an empty room. A quick glance at the bathroom door told her he was not in there either.

A frown marred her face as she made her way to the bedside, where a piece of paper was placed under her phone. She remembered putting her phone on the charger last night, on the opposite side of where it was now. Reaching out for the paper, she pulled it, only for a few hundred notes to fall on the floor.

"What the h..," she murmured as she unfolded the piece of paper.

                                                Hey, beautiful (You never told me your name)

                                       Thanks for last night. I used your phone to call for a ride.

                                                           Here is something for your trouble.

                                                                        See you around.

                                                                               Marko.

Nicole put the note on the bed, before collecting the notes that had fallen. Her eyes widened when she counted them. "Is this man serious? Who had I brought into my apartment?" In her hand, she held a thousand dollars! She looked around her bedroom, trying to see if anything was missing. Taking her phone, she went to her call log, trying to find the number that he had called, only to come up empty. He must have deleted it.

Walking in a daze back to the kitchen, Nicole placed the money on the counter and stared at it as if it had horns. All she did was to give the man a bed for three hours, she never expected to get paid for it. Was that what happened when you helped someone? Do you expect to get paid for it? Reaching for the pot of coffee she poured herself a cup. She was about to start drinking it when she remembered she had not brushed her teeth.

Taking a whiff of the coffee, she shrugged and took a sip. She will brush them after the coffee, anyways. As she sipped on the coffee her eyes were glued to the money on the counter. If only she knew who he was or where he stayed, she would have sent the money back. Just like what she had done a few hours back with the five hundred dollars, she would have done the same.

She wasn't rich and still had a bill to pay, no doubt about that but one thing she hated was being seen as a charity case. She was not raised that way, expecting to get paid for doing something good. Helping others should come without a price tag. With a sigh, she placed the now empty cup in the sink before walking to her bathroom. She had thirty minutes to get to the diner where she worked for the first half of the day.

After a quick shower, Nicole ran her hand through her dark curls, smiling as they bounced back into shape. Groaning she checked the dark circles under her eyes. Reaching for the drawer, she quickly covered them with makeup. Nicole was never big on makeup, opting for a natural look instead. But with the state of her eyes, she had no choice today.