Maybe in a Dream

Chapter 6 (Eve)

I was awoken by the excruciating and dull ache pounding in my head. It seemed as if the room wouldn't stop spinning, like I was in some kind of haze. Damn it, I must have gotten drunk again. Reluctantly, I forced myself to crawl out of bed, grabbing onto anything I could to ease the throbbing pain in my skull. To add the real cherry on top, I was pretty sure I had a hangover too. Great, just great.

I pushed the door open weakly to see that Simon was seated at the kitchen table, blinking my eyes a few times to make sure that he wasn't some kind of hallucination from my drunken daze. "What time is it?" I mumbled drowsily with one hand clutched onto my forehead.

"9:36," Simon replied starkly.

I hadn't even realized that he had turned his head in my direction, looking at me with such a puzzling expression exhibiting disappointment, relief, anger? It was hard to tell when he normally wore that nonchalant smile on his face, or really just no expression at all.

He stood up from his chair and headed towards the pantry before I was able to decipher his face any further. I shuffled over to the kitchen high top table, taking a seat in the chair closest to me as I watched him grab a few things and set them on the countertop.

"Rest well?" He quipped, beginning to cook what appeared to be pancakes. Although he was wearing an apron, it was completely unfitting considering his tone of voice. I couldn't help but laugh a bit under my breath.

"What?" he pouted. I seemed to have struck a nerve with him, but I couldn't help it. "The apron," I said through my chuckles.

He shook his head in annoyance and continued flipping the pancakes. "Shit," I grabbed my head once again in a futile attempt to ease the pain, but still, it felt as if someone had shot an arrow through my head, like one of those silly headbands.

"Are you okay over there?" Simon asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Just a little hung over, maybe..."

He then turned off the stove and placed the pancakes on a plate, bringing me mine as well as some pain relievers.

"Here, take this, you should feel better in a bit."

He handed me a glass of water and watched as I took the medicine. "What?" I asked. "Nothing."

For the rest of the day, I was practically bedridden. Only dragging myself out of bed to go to the bathroom, and possibly throw up over and over again. My room was almost pitch black since every source of light only made the knives in my head stab harder. I lay there in the dark, not sleeping, just laying there. The medicine Simon gave me helped a little but it soon wore off and I was back to the aching pain of my head.

I hadn't been on my phone pretty much that entire day since the light was too harsh for me to bear, and so I ignored every buzz of every message. When my door opened slowly, "are you feeling any better?" Simon asked peeking his head in through the doorway. "You act like I have the plague; I'm just hungover, I'm not contagious." I partially joked, though I felt nauseous enough to have some kind of sickness. "Geez how much did you drink?" Simon stepped into the room leaving the door open behind him. "Too much, and even if I didn't drink that much I would still be like this." I sat up. "Can't handle your liquor?" I could feel his judgment through his words; I know he wanted to make a jab at me for it. "Nope," I groaned, Simon approaching me. I couldn't exactly see what he was doing in the dark, just that he was coming closer and closer to me. What is he doing?? Why is he getting so close to me?! I sat there frozen when the lamp suddenly glared into my eyes. Simon looked over at me, "what are you so stiff for?" I couldn't tell him what I thought he was doing approaching me; in all honesty, I didn't even know what I was thinking he would do. To be even more honest, I kind of wanted to see where it would go had he been approaching me for that reason. "How are you feeling?" he asked sitting at the foot of the bed, "uhm better I guess, the medicine you gave me wore off a little bit ago." "I have to say this has to be one of the most brutal hangovers I have seen, but to be fair I hold my alcohol fairly well so I wouldn't know how bad a hangover can truly be." He didn't even look up at me while he was speaking; it was a little unusual since he makes eye contact so much it can be uncomfortable. "Is there something you need to tell me?" I asked "no it's nothing you need to worry about" his words said everything was alright, but the look in his eyes was saying something entirely different. I let the matter go for the time being, but even so, I was still curious what exactly he was hiding.

The next morning when I came out of my room Simon had already left for work, which he had to attend even on Sundays due to the large company. There were simply too many projects for too many days off. I headed to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee when my phone buzzed on the counter, who could be calling me at eight o'clock in the morning? I picked up the phone to hear the familiar voice of Jace, the man I went on a date with the other night. Odd, now that I think about it I don't really remember how I got back home from the bar that night. "Hello?" I held the phone up to my ear to hear yelling; immediately I pulled the phone away from my ear. "Why did you not tell me you had a boyfriend?!" Jace wept "what are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend!" I responded trying not to match his anger. "Then who the hell was that man who followed my damn car and punched me!" "What?! Are you ok?" "don't play dumb! Clearly, he knew you so who was he?!" "I'm sorry. I will talk to him, but to be clear I am not a cheater. If I had a boyfriend I sure as hell wouldn't be going around messing with other men." With that, I hung up the phone with anger, not sure who directed towards, Jace or Simon.

That night Simon didn't get home until around ten o'clock. When he walked in the door I was waiting for him in the living room. "Hey, what's up why are you in the living room?" he said as he removed his coat and loosened his tie. "I need to talk to you" I spoke firmly "oh? what about?" he sat across from me, not even five feet away from me. For some reason, his tie, his mannerisms made me a little nervous, but regardless I am angry with him. "I...I know what you did." he raised an eyebrow "and what would that be" I swallowed my breaths getting heavier, "you punched Jace? Followed his car?" his expression changed almost instantly, he let his head hang down resting his elbows on his knees. He let out a sigh, "Eve there are things you don't know about that night." "What would that be?" "That night you took my phone instead of yours with you to the bar, which you didn't even tell me you were going to." "I don't have to tell you where I am all the time" "well you're about to know exactly what would have happened if I hadn't been there." I have never seen Simon so intimidating, I sunk back in my chair listening to him. "I tracked my phone with my watch and when I got to the bar I was going to go in but I saw through the window that you had passed out since you were so drunk." he sighed "I watched him pick you up, put you in his car and drive off so naturally I followed to make sure he would bring you home safe." that comment made my heart flutter, it's normal for him to care about my safety like this. "he took a wrong turn." my face turned to shock and a chill went down my spine, just the thought of what that wrong turn could have brought for me. Unconscious and vulnerable. "I sped up and made him pull over, he was yelling and he kept denying so I uh...punched him and I put you in the car and brought you home." I was in shock, I genuinely thought Jace was a good guy. Why am I like this? I blindly trust everyone I meet as if I know all their intentions. "Were you just never going to tell me?" I said under my breath. "I didn't want you to worry about it, of course I was going to find a way to get you to break it off with him but I figured after what I did he would leave you." he looked up at me, our eyes locked his expression filled with genuine guilt and worry. Grabbing my hand he said, "I'm sorry Eve" even though I blindly trust those around me, I feel as if I'm not making that mistake with Simon. He has been so kind to me this whole time, inviting me to live with him, returning my bag, looking out for me. Before I knew what I was doing my face was moving closer to his, the distance between growing smaller by the second, my eyes shutting along the way. Our lips met as his hand moved from mine to my cheek. All I could think was how could this have escalated so quickly? I pulled back in a sort of panic, how could I let myself become attracted to him? After all, I know his fate all too well. "Is there something wrong?" I couldn't help but look at my hands as he spoke, still feeling his touch. Even though there was nothing wrong I knew I couldn't allow myself to get into a relationship with someone I knew would leave me so soon, "no it's nothing, I'm fine just a little tired I'm going to go shower." I leapt up from the chair and ran to my bathroom, letting out a sigh of air I didn't know I was holding in.

It won't happen again, it's too painful.