Cleo's head is pounding and her body feels stiff as if she had been hit by a bus. Dam that best friend of hers. If Sharon had taken her out and got her pissed she is going to be mad at her. What did they do last night? Cleo tries to think hard, but she can't remember for the life of her. How much had she had to drink? What time is it? Fuck, she hopes she is not late for work. She hates waking up hung over. She lies still and then frowns. She has not attempted to open her eyes just yet, afraid of the pain the daylight will bring. But, her room is making odd sounds. She can hear a beeping sound as if she is in a hospital and there is a lot of whispered talking. She also feels a set of strong warm hands on her arms and can sense that someone is close to her face. She smiles to herself. She bets it's Drake.
Her frown deepens. The thought of Drake does not feel right. The warmth from the hands brings a sense of comfort that she has never felt from Drake before - they are bigger, stronger, too. She also feels slightly jaded at the thought of Drake. Did they fight again last night? Is she angry with him? She can't remember but the thought of Drake annoys her. That can't be true though. He is her boyfriend and she loves him. She squeezes her eyes and then slowly blinks them open.
She comes face to face with a man. He is one hell of a sight to wake up to with his curly brown hair that swirls around his head and a thick unkempt beard. His face is adorned with tattoos and his teeth are all silver. Every single one of them. Silver. Cleo's first instinct is to push away and put some distance between them but she stops herself. There is something about him that has her captivated. It might be the way he is smiling at her. It's a sunshine smile. One of those contagious smiles with a hint of mischief and it makes her want to smile back at him. It could be his eyes. They are a soft blue and they seem to hold her hostage. She feels like she knows him. She knows this man but she can't find any memory of him as she tries to search her blank mind, nothing comes.
Who is he?
"Hi, baby," he says softly. Cleo's frown deepens. She knows the sound of his voice. She recognizes it. It's a voice she has heard repeatedly in her head and there is a song playing on a loop deep in her brain with his gentle hum. But, who is he? She can't place him and she starts to panic. Where is she? Why is her body so painful? Who the fuck is this man and why is he looking at her as if he knows her? As if she should know him. Where is Sharon and where is Drake? It all feels like way too much and her head is pounding even more now. "Shaz..." she croaks out, pushing away from the man and trying to sit up. "Slowly, baby," the man says reaching out and trying to steady her as she tries to sit up.
"No. Please..." she chokes out, pushing his hands away and getting more panicked by the second. "Baby..." the man says softly, reaching out for her again. Baby? She looks at the man with wide eyes as she leans away from him. The flash of pain in his eyes catches her off guard and he steps back. Sharon suddenly comes into view and Cleo reaches out for her in relief. Curling her arms around Sharon and holding her tight. She peeps over Sharon's shoulder and sees the man has moved away from the bed more. He looks so defeated with his shoulders slumped and a broken look on his face. He looks so sad. She has no memory of him but her body seems to. Instinct screams at her to let go of Sharon and reach out for the man. To pull him close to her body and hang onto him tightly.
But, she is really scared right now. It feels like she has blank spaces in her brain as if she has moments in time that she has lost and it all feels a little overwhelming right now. She just wants to curl up and go back to sleep then hopefully when she wakes up again everything will make sense. "Shaz, what's going on," she whispers. "You were in an accident. You hit your head hard and have been in a coma for a long time," Sharon says. Cleo pulls away and looks at her. Sharon still looks like Sharon, but a little older. Her once long black hair is now cut in a short sleek Bob and her clothing is different too. Sharon always wore tight-fitting dresses that left very little to the imagination and long sharp nails. But now she is in a simple shirt and jeans and her nails are shortish. She looks like a responsible adult and not like the party girl Cleo frequents LA parties with.
