It Hurts When It's True (Affaire de Coeur, #1)

Chapter 25: Back to square one

Had Maggie known that she would be having her many firsts at 25, she would have passed it off as the biggest joke of the century.

Just hours ago, she had had the time of her life dancing her life away. And it was not that she was just dancing because she was dancing with Damian – a thought that had never really occurred to her until it was occurring right that moment.

Unbelievably so, it was the first time that she had ever drank alcohol, and she knew she had plenty last night. Her mother would surely faint a thousand times over if she ever heard of her daughter succumbing to the influence of liquor the night before. Her mother, being the strict parent that she was, had never really allowed her to hang out with friends past school hours. Though it had been years since Maggie had earned her degree, she never really considered about the wonders of partying. Well, until Damian happened.

And now, Maggie was nursing her very first hangover. Her head was pounding as she had predicted – or rather, as from what she had learned from others who were more thoroughly experienced in the world of spirits.

Taking in a deep breath, she realized that there was no distinct smell in the room she was situated in. She tried to find the scent that was particular to Damian, but she got nothing to no avail. It was not that she had made it a habit to sniff at him. But he had this very natural odor that was specific only to him. From when she first met him, she had never smelled anything artificial on his being. He wore that unique scent of a man that was not anything like other men wore.

Slowly, Maggie opened her eyes and she was welcomed by a view of a simple room with neutral colors. It was neither a man's or a woman's room – more of like a guest room to receive anyone in need of a place to sleep in.

She lifted herself slightly off the bed with her elbow supporting the upper half of the body. Tilting her head from side to side, she noticed that the room was almost empty save for the dresser at the far right corner of the room, the bed she was lying on and the bedside table on its left.

But with the continuous beating in her head, she let herself rest back on the comfort of the detergent-smelling pillow. Closing her eyes, she had let herself drift back to sleep.

Later in the afternoon, Damian drove Maggie back to her apartment to find a change of clothes that she could wear to a dinner party. He had insisted that she could just wear anything that she would feel comfortable in as the gathering was just going to be a simple celebration with his circle of friends – friends from the entertainment industry, that is.

Throughout the drive, she had been mentally scouring her closet to know whether she had anything to wear at all. She had a simple Sunday dress, but it already looked worn and it had a bit of stain on the hem. She was not exactly the type of woman who liked wearing dresses. After all, she had a bit of complex about her thick thighs. Who liked looking at thick thighs, anyway?

Damian pulled off in front of Maggie's building, but the latter was still lost in her thoughts. A couple of minutes later, Maggie felt that she was being watched closely and that was the time she realized they were already at her building.

"I don't think I can come with you to the party, after all." Maggie said simply.