𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙚 | 𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘩. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

˚⊱ 15. | ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴄᴀʀᴇ ⊰˚

Aki woke up with the first light of morning, his body stirring with the gentle sound of Touko's breathing next to him. He looked down at her peaceful expression, marveling at her beauty even in sleep.

But as much as he longed to stay, he knew he couldn't. They were collegaues, and it was dangerous to let their feelings overcome them.

So he carefully extracted himself from the bed and quietly left the room, leaving Touko to sleep alone.

He lingered for a moment at the door, taking one last look at Touko's sleeping form before he crept out into the hallway. He felt a pang of regret and longing as he closed the door behind him, knowing that he had left her alone and oblivious.

As he made his way through the empty halls, he tried to push aside the thoughts of Touko and the feelings that had been stirred up within him.

Touko slowly stirred awake as the first rays of sunlight streamed in through the curtains. She stretched and yawned, feeling the coolness of the sheets against her skin.

She groggily opened her eyes, her mind fuzzy and her head pounding with the remnants of a bad hangover. She sat up in the bed, trying to remember the events of the previous night. She remembered going out drinking with Aki and her other colleagues, but everything after that was a blur. She had no memory of coming back to her room, or of Aki being there with her.

She looked around the room, expecting to find Aki or at least some sign that he had been there since she had been taken home safely somehow. But the room was empty, and there was no indication that anyone else had been there except for her.

Touko felt a pang of disappointment and confusion at the thought that Aki might have left without saying anything. She couldn't remember anything from the night before, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had happened between them.

She got out of bed and walked over to the mirror, looking at her reflection with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. Her hair was a mess, and her work clothes were wrinkled and disheveled as she had fallen asleep in them.

She tried to recall any details from the night before, but her memory was blank. She had no idea what sort of things she had said or done, or what had happened between her and Aki.

The hangover hit Touko hard, causing a throbbing headache and waves of nausea that made it difficult for her to stand straight. She stumbled out of her bedroom and towards the bathroom, gripping the walls to keep herself upright.

She leaned over the sink, turning on the cold water and splashing it on her face. The cool water helped to clear her head slightly, but the pounding in her temples was still relentless.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her stomach and will away the nausea.

She grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap, sipping slowly to soothe her dry throat. The cool liquid helped a little, but her head still felt like it was being squeezed in a vice.

Touko leaned against the bathroom counter, feeling weak and unsteady. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on breathing deeply, hoping the headache and nausea would subside soon.

The nausea continued to worsen as Touko stumbled toward the toilet, her body lurching with each step as her stomach churned and roiled. She collapsed to her knees in front of the bowl, hovering over the rim as her body retched and convulsed.

She felt a wave of dread and despair wash over her as she knelt there on the floor, her body betraying her and forcing out the contents of her stomach. It was a humiliating and humiliating experience, made worse by the fact that she couldn't remember what had happened the night before.