Drown | Ruby da Cherry

3. Daylighting

May 2, 2015

I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine and clothes I didn't recognize. My head and body felt like I just fell out of a skyscraper and the sunlight pouring through the window didn't help even though my eyes were still closed. The bed was comfortable and the blanket, soft and plush. Eventually, my eyes fluttered open, and soon adjusted to the bright light washing over the bed.

After a few minutes, I found the strength to roll over and figure out my surroundings. The first thing of mine I found was my glasses, which were lying on the table next to me. One of the arms was broken off at some point and was being held on with a little bit of tape and a lot of faith. A fuzzy memory of holding my broken glasses in the bathroom flashed in my mind.

Only when I started getting up did I realize you were in the bed next to me.

"Fuck," I sighed to no one as you were still sleeping. I could see my phone under your back. You woke up as I tried to gently wiggle it out from underneath you. "Sorry..."

You looked just as confused as I did as you glanced around the room and tried to orient yourself to your whereabouts.

"Did we...?" I asked, unsure of my feelings toward either answer. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed and planted my feet on the floor, feeling the rough rug underneath.

"I wish, shorty," you said, only beaming up at me.

My phone was nearly dead. It was already almost eight in the morning. Angelina had texted me just before I woke up and asked if I knew what time I was going to be back since she had to work at nine and I'm usually home by now. Although I rarely go out, on the occasion that I do wander outside my comfort zone every few months, I usually come home in the middle of the night so Angelina can leave whenever she needed to.

You helped me piece together the rest of my belongings. My shoes were nowhere to be found in the little room, so I wandered around the house until I found one by the pool and the other in the bathroom. My dress was on the floor next to us. I made myself at least somewhat presentable before heading out.

On the porch sat the man who accidentally hit me last night. I couldn't remember his name, besides wanting me to call him "Slick Sloth". He apologized once more for hitting me before you offered me a ride home. I'm not sure how, but you knew that my friends had abandoned me sometime in the night. At first, I protested, telling you I could just grab an Uber, but you insisted.

"It's the least we could do since he completely fucked up your face last night," you said as we made our way to the car. "I'm sorry, again, by the way. If it helps, it's only a little bruise! And I'd sleep better knowing you got home safe."

You drove. Scott got in the front seat while I sat in the back, but only until Scott got out. We dropped him off first since he didn't live far, and I lived out of the way. Scott even offered to buy me new glasses since he broke mine, but I declined, not wanting to make a stranger pay for me.

We talked about some of our interests on the drive to my house. I found out that you make music with Scott, but you didn't want me to preview anything. You even blushed a little when I asked and said that you'll show me another time. You even helped me recount most of what happened the previous night, even if it was a bit fuzzy for you too, which was mostly getting too drunk, crying a little bit, and then falling asleep in the spare room. The night stayed tame; we just fell asleep in the same bed while we talked.

We made it back to my house in due time. Angelina rushed out of the front door and put Omar in my arms through the window before I had even gotten out of the car, apologizing for having to run out so quickly.

"You have a kid?" you asked, but I clarified that Omar is my brother. "Ah. Do you live with your parents?"

"No. My parents are...uh...gone," I replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," you said. You put your hand on my shoulder, probably to comfort me but it didn't do anything.

"They're not dead; they're just not...here," I replied. I didn't want to trauma dump within the first 12 hours of meeting you, so I just left it at that.

You didn't look at me but instead looked at the steering wheel and didn't press me on the issue anymore. You quickly changed the subject by asking for my number. "I know you said you don't really remember a lot of last night, but I enjoyed myself. I'd like to get to know you more, sober. Plus, I'll need to hit you up to get my clothes back."

Looking down, I realized that I was in a t-shirt and shorts that didn't fit me quite right. I suddenly became very conscious that I wasn't wearing a bra as you looked me up and down.

I put my hand out for your phone and input my number, trying to hide the nervous shaking in my hands. You made a comment about thinking my name is pretty before I got out of the car. Omar and I waved goodbye from the porch as you pulled out of the driveway and down the block.

"Oh good, you're up!" Isabel said, setting down a piece of paper on the dining room table before I even had a chance to shut the front door. I put Omar on the couch before turning my attention to Isabel. She needed help with her homework, but Angelina didn't know how to do it. Math isn't everybody's forte, I suppose.

"Can I help you after I take a nap? I'm really tired, mija," I asked.

"Mami would always help me on Saturday mornings," she whined, which effectively guilted me into complying with her demands.

Despite sleeping for (probably) most of the night, I could barely keep my eyes open and the pounding in my skull hadn't subsided on the ride home. I begged Isabel to let me help her later, but she insisted on getting a head start. So, instead of going back to bed like my body was begging me to, I stayed up for another hour to help Isabel. In exchange, she agreed to watch Omar while I napped.

It was nearly 10 when Isabel had completed her homework. My eyes burned and I could barely focus by the time I was able to drag myself to bed. I was awoken when the cat decided to crawl out from underneath my bed and lay on top of me and again when Omar threw a fit right outside my door. The last straw was my phone vibrating and illuminating my otherwise dark bedroom. The sudden notification scared the cat, who scratched my stomach as she used my body as a launch pad. I checked the phone, only to see a text from an unknown number, which I ignored in favor of a few more minutes of sleep. But when I did see the text after I woke up, I was paralyzed with a range of emotions.

504-555-3094: Hey its Aris from last night. Are you feeling any better?