and it was perfect

Chapter 33

My head pounded like crazy when I got up the next morning, but it was absolutely worth it. I stretched my sore body and reminisced about the night before. Or at least all I could remember. It had turned even better than I had imagined it to be. I closed my eyes. "It could be so easy." I quietly whispered and rubbed my face before sitting up and taking a huge sip from my water bottle. I felt sick.

I slowly sat up and placed my feet on the cold wooden floor, taking a few deep breaths while looking at my red nail polish to steady myself before I got up. A first look in the mirror made me gasp. My lip was swollen, and - I moved even closer. He'd seriously given me a hickey. I stared at my neck in disbelief. Thankfully it was close to my collarbone, so I'd be able to cover it with high-neck shirts, but I still couldn't believe it. I was glad I'd seen it before just walking out of my room and my roommate's eagle eyes spying it immediately. I quickly covered myself up and went to the bathroom - thankfully, it was empty. After using way too much hot water to get rid of my messy hair and sore muscles, I made my way downstairs.

Josh must be at work; only Zack was sitting at the table drinking his coffee and texting. He looked up and grinned. "You look wasted." I rolled my eyes in agreement. "You have no idea." I went into the kitchen, and there he was, only wearing shorts and frying some eggs. "Hey." I tried not to beam at him but gave him a casual smile. He looked up and grinned. True, I looked exhausted. But he didn't look as fresh himself. "No comment." I grinned back and lightly nudged his bare chest while going to the fridge. "You ripped my shirt, by the way." he casually whispered while tossing the eggs. My eyes widened. Damn, I liked that shirt. "I'm so sorry." I whispered back and put the oat milk in the foamer.

But then I remembered my bruises. "You gave me a freaking hickey, though." I told him playfully outraged, and dragged down my shirt for him to see. His grin got even wider. "So not sorry." I grinned back and wanted to reply when Zack interrupted us. "Now, what time are you at Reed's again? Theo and I wanted to watch the game today." My smile froze. He closed his eyes for a second. Why did I feel like he hadn't been planning on telling me?

"Twenty minutes." he gave back to Zack. Then he turned his attention back to me, now in a quieter voice. My heart pounded uncomfortably fast. "It's not what you think." I swallowed. I knew I had no right to be jealous; we weren't dating, as he had kindly reminded me once again. "What is it then?" I asked without any motion. "I'm just dropping off some stuff. Don't worry about it." Could he be any more cryptic? I bit my lip so I wouldn't ask what stuff and turned to start the coffee machine. He sighed a little, tossed his eggs onto a plate, and tilted my head on his way out. "Don't." he said in a voice that didn't allow any objection. He knew me well enough to know my brain was running wild.

I swallowed and slowly nodded. The slight hint of annoyance in his eyes disappeared, and instead, his gaze fell down to my lips for a second, then he left the room without another word. I certainly wasn't hungry anymore, so I took out my phone to call Alice. I'd take any distraction I could now, and I knew she had a spare hour until she had to work. I took my coffee and walked towards the front door, ignoring the guys. She answered after the second ring. "You'll never believe what Dean did last night." she yelled into the speaker. I held it away from my ear; it felt like a knife cutting through my brain. But I also had to smirk. "Please don't let it be kinky, or I'll throw up." She laughed, and I closed the front door behind me.

Thankfully it wasn't, and the description of her night was a great distraction from my own life. I made myself comfortable on the porch bench and soaked in some sun while sipping coffee and listening to her stories. It was still a little cool in the morning and a blanket would have made this moment even better, but the stereotypical Seattleite I was, I still appreciated every ray of sunshine I could get. Twenty minutes later, the door swung open, and I looked up. It was Zack and him. They both nodded goodbye, Aiden looking at me a bit longer than necessary. The sun and Alice had calmed me a bit. Therefore, I just gave him a little smile. The corner of his mouth crinkled, and he unlocked his car. I was relieved when I saw them leaving together; it meant he wasn't staying at Reed's for long, at least.