Mission: Undercover

Chapter 19

"Damn it, my head," Vanessa muttered to herself after waking up the following morning. "It hurts so much."

She rubbed her eyes a couple of times and suddenly opened them widely after a flashback from last night struck her like a thunderbolt. "Cole?"

She looked around, but Cole was not in the bed, nor could be seen anywhere in the room.

Damn it! What did happen? Did he spend the whole night here? Vanessa thought while carrying her hand over the empty spot. Nah, he probably didn't.

She stood up and looked around again, remembering that she was the one asking him to stay there. And she didn't know if the fact that he wasn't there at that moment was pleasing her or upsetting her.

Vanessa shook her head, trying to get rid of these thoughts, and headed for the bathroom, hoping that a cold shower would clear her mind.

The water flowing over her body felt good, but more memories from the night before kept coming.

She was drunk. And that was about to end tragically if it wasn't for Cole.

Cole.

His burning touch.

She remembered.

His gentle embrace.

The feeling of his body.

Uninvited memories.

"I will never ever drink again!" She punched the wall angrily. "Never!"

Vanessa stopped the water, wrapped a towel over her body, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Cole?" She was startled after seeing him standing in the room. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"I knocked. But you didn't answer. I thought you had fainted."

"I was drunk, I am not sick."

"Do your head hurts?"

Vanessa took a second, smaller towel with which she started to dry her wet hair and answered him simultaneously, "Very much."

"I'll give you a headache pill. You will feel better."

"I am fine, thank you. Now, will you go out so I can get dressed?"

That was what Cole did without answering anything. He turned around and walked out.

Vanessa got dressed quickly, got her phone, and went downstairs to make some coffee, expecting to see him there again, but instead, she heard an engine and saw through the window his car leaving.

"Goodbye to you, too," she muttered ironically and went into the kitchen.

While she was making coffee, her phone rang.

"Hi, Jacks."

"Nessa, hi. How are you?"

"Better than I deserve. Aren't you mad at me?"

"For what?"

"Yesterday, I left without telling you anything."

"Cole told me you weren't feeling well, and he was going to take you home. Don't worry."

"Yes, in short. Where are you? You didn't come home last night, did you?"

Jackson's giggles came over the phone. "No. I'll be home tomorrow morning, probably."

"Another party?"

"We are going to a cottage outside of town with Nathan and the others. Do you want to come with us?"