𝐼 𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐴𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 [𝑬𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈]

chapter twenty-five

I felt my breath get stuck in my throat as I blink to actually see if it's him, Alejandro. I would say I'd recognize those eyes anywhere but I'm pretty much drunk, my vision getting blurrier by the second.

"Alejandro?" I felt myself finally find my voice as I spoke, taking a step back in case it was him. We had barely been on our break for a day and he's already following me...

"What are you doing here Anna?" He spoke, his voice low, more of a rumble.

"I'm partying!" I giggled out of control and coughed to cover it up as his eyes are watching my every single move, making me feel nauseous...or maybe that was the alcohol..I couldn't tell. My head begins to spin rapidly and my stomach churns as I find myself blinking to stay awake, my body slowly getting weak by the second.

"Anna?"..his voice slowed to a stop until I collapsed onto the cold floor, my eyes shutting completely.

The minute I woke up there's a pounding headache waiting for me the second my eyes open, throbbing roughly over and over. My body feels tingly all over as my eyes open to find I'm not at home, not at my dad's house, I'm..somewhere new. The room is unfamiliar, neater. Thick curtains were splayed open as the bright sun flashed into my eyes and I turn to look away to find a picture by the nightstand, of an older guy standng next to a younger kid who looks exactly like...

"Hey" I snap my head up to see Austin in the door frame, holding a dark green liquid in a glass cup in his hand.

"Where am I?" I spoke and my throat feels scratchy, raspy.

"My house. I didn't know where you lived and i figured it would be best..." He rambled on and my stomach seems to feel bubbly, chunks rising.

"Where's -"

He sets the cup down on the stand and grabs a trashcan that had been set by the bed, and hands it to me just In time for me to throw up everything I had last night. He sits next to me on the bed and i wipe my lips, the aroma of the throw up grossing me out. I set the trash down and take a deep breath, my headache hurting worse than before.

"Here" he hands me a bottle of asprin and I take it without hesitation, popping a couple of them into my mouth. I don't even ask what the drink is seeing how I needed something to wash these pills down. I close my eyes and chug the entire drink, swallowing the pills.

"That is a hangover drink, it helps with.. stomach problems and should help everything come up" he tells me and I nod, laying back down on the bed. My mind was racing and I couldn't think of anything but how comfortable this bed was....soft and unbelievably warm...

"Listen Anna" he spoke and I open my eyes slowly, sitting back up. His eyes meet mine as he scratches his head, unsure of how to speak.

"Well?".

"I'm really sorry about last night. It feels unprofessional for me to bring you here with me without you asking so Im sorry. I panicked and didn't know what to do".

"It's okay I understand. I'm..glad I'm here rather somewhere I shouldn't be" I tell him and he nods, relief washing over his face.

"Are you hungry?" He spoke and I shook my head, just wanting to head back to sleep.

"Tired..." I rest my head back against the pillow and close my eyes as I feel myself melt into the mattress.

Austin was my friend, a really good friend. I would never consider him more than that because his ego was so gigantic he was more in love with himself than anyone else, which is important I'm sure, self love is important. But some part of me couldn't help but wonder if being here wasn't a mistake, if waking up in someone elses bed was fate, like something was meant to happen. I hadn't known if it was or maybe the alcohol had infected my brain to the point where Im taking crazy. I didn't know. But deep down I missed Alejandro more than anything, I craved him like I craved life, I couldn't live without him. Even two days away from him and I can't even stop thinking about him....

I only wondered if he was thinking of me too...

I woke up and I felt so much better, my head wasn't pounding, my stomach felt clear and yet I was more hungry than anything. Sitting up I take a second to study my surroundings, the whole room cozy and comfortable. I felt honored Austin let me stay here at least just to sleep, the bed was extremely comfortable.

Climbing off the bed I stand up and stretch my arms, wiping my eyes. I begin to head out the bedroom and walk down the hallway and into the living room. The kitchen was empty and I couldn't hear a single thing. I wonder if Austin was gone...why would he just leave? It felt odd but I didn't mind. He was more than allowed to do whatever he pleased.

I found myself calling a Lyft to my house, my own house. The house I had bought with Alejandro, the house I didn't feel comfortable or safe in, the house I didn't want to be in at the time and yet I was standing in front of it, counting the seconds, minutes until I had the courage to step inside and finally see him, see the person I've been aching to see these days. The doors were never locked which wasn't safe I'm sure but we didn't have anything to worry about...

Unlocking the door the familiar scent of our home hits my nose and I take a deep breath, letting the comforting aroma of the house smell overwhelm me. I can see nothing had Been moved, changed. Nothing had been added, no new decorations. Nothing. I couldn't tell if this was good or bad...was he even staying here? Where was he?

"Anna".