Mr. Good Bad Guy

36 - Surprise

I awoke the next morning with a start, the realization that I had no idea where I was hitting me like a ton of bricks. I sat up slowly, taking in my surroundings. The sun was shining through two bay windows, casting a warm glow onto the bed I was lying in and the wooden floorboards beneath it. To my left, I could see a bookshelf overflowing with worn leather-bound books, and to my right, a large desk cluttered with papers and various sized folders.

Someone shifted beside me, and I looked over to see a man with dark hair sticking up at odd angles, his features softened by sleep. I looked down at myself and realized that I was in trouble. I told myself I wasn't going to sleep with him, but I did it anyway. Now what? I quickly scanned the room for my clothes, but they seemed to have vanished. Panic rising in my throat, I carefully inched away from him, making sure not to wake him.

I quietly searched the room, eventually finding my clothes in a pile on the floor near the desk. As I began to dress, I tried to piece together what had happened last night. I remembered going to the club with Nina and we got separated. I found him dancing alone and we got drinks, but I couldn't remember much after that. How had he convinced me to come back to his place?

As I finished pulling on my dress, I found a notepad on his desk. I carefully tiptoed over to it, surprised to find my phone waiting for me. I picked up a pen and wrote:

No one needs to know this happened. - Irene

I hesitated for a moment, then added:

Let's do it again some time?

I couldn't believe I'd written those words. But they were true. I wanted to know what had happened last night. I wanted to spend more time with him. I wanted to see where this...whatever this was, could go. I put the notepad and pen on the desk, then turned to face him.

He was still asleep, his face relaxed and peaceful. I couldn't help but wonder what he would say if he knew I was standing here, watching him. Would he be embarrassed? Annoyed? And if I left now, how would he feel knowing I was willing to get blackout drunk again and sleep with him? Honestly, I don't even have to be drunk.

I tiptoed to the door, debating what to do next. Part of me wanted to slip out quietly and pretend last night had never happened. But another part of me, a braver, more honest part, wanted to stay and find out what came next. With a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Everything was quiet in the hall. Surprisingly, the floorboards didn't creak as I snuck my way to the front door. I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me, the knowledge that whatever happened next, there was no going back. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, stepping out into the bright sunlight.

When my feet touched the cold porch, I took another deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Where the hell were my heels? I didn't want to go back in there and wake him up, but I also didn't want to give him a reason to embarrass me anywhere. If he showed up at my apartment, Axel and Parker would get a kick out of it. If he waited until I came to work, everyone would think exactly what I didn't want them to think.

I threw a small tantrum before silently storming off barefoot, cursing myself under my breath for being so damn stupid. As I walked away, I swore I could feel someone's eyes on me, but I refused to look back. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do, but I knew that once I got back to my apartment, I was going to pretend nothing had happened. No one had to know.

I found myself wandering through a quiet neighborhood, the early morning sun making my head throb. Everywhere I looked, there were couples walking hand in hand, laughing together. And here I was in a short ass dress with no shoes, probably looking like I'd just come from a wild night out. I ordered an Uber, hoping it would hurry up and get here. I was in no condition to be walking anywhere, let alone across town back to my apartment.