The Bad Idea

✨ Chapter Ten | Cardio

— Aubrey —

Early the next morning, we both woke up in my bed to Eli's phone alarm going off -- he had to go work a little earlier than I did. My room was a complete mess, and I was so fucking tired... Not to mention incredibly sore.

I still smiled from ear to ear when I saw the mess of flowers all over my bedroom.

I had a quick coffee with Eli before the sun came up, us both having only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Thankfully, my roommate had already gone to work. Having him interrupt us last night was awkward as hell... We had laughed over all the noise last night, and how loud we'd been, and teased each other mercilessly over who was louder between taking sips out of our coffee.

Apparently I'd been muttering in French more than I realized.

I cringed at myself, but Eli said he said he loved it. That it was hot, and really got him off... That he loved everything weird about me. I felt like the luckiest man in the world to have Eli love me.

When Eli left for work, he kissed me goodbye breathlessly, so beautifully and lovingly, for way too long at the door while he ran fingers through my hair and caressed the sides of my face. I didn't even care about my hair... That was how in love I was with that man, and that was saying a lot.

I grabbed him by the waist to pull him in closer as I broke into smiles against his lips, whispering goodbyes, and he did the same.

Then he ran off late for his shift, yelling back that it was totally worth the shit he was going to get from Mike. He told me he'd found a shortcut to work last time, so he'd still get there faster... As long as he didn't get pulled over for speeding.

He was probably going to get pulled over.

I just stood there, awkwardly, with a ridiculous smile on my face, and waved goodbye. I was in a complete love haze over him. I was so gone.

I didn't tell him about the phone call last night, or the trouble I'd gotten myself into over borrowing money... I couldn't.

I probably should have, but I couldn't.

It was fucking embarrassing. And what the hell was Eli going to do about it?!

Not a single one of my friends knew the reality of how much debt I was actually in after having to take care of my grandpa. All my grandpa left me was his house, which I had to sell, and his truck, which I refused to sell. His truck was all I had left -- his truck and his mixed tape.

He didn't have a penny to his name otherwise, he had his own debt, thanks to having to unexpectedly raise me... Selling the house didn't cover the years of hospital care and keeping us afloat, much less the existing debt.

I didn't know how I was going to dig myself out of this. I just kept slipping deeper and deeper.

I was terrified, and I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't have five thousand dollars to pay back in full, rent was also due, and I couldn't get approved for a loan because of my shitty income. That was why I stooped to such lows for borrowing money in the first place.

I got into the shower, my stomach in knots as my mind raced over what the hell I was going to do to get myself out of this latest shit storm I'd thrown myself into.

If I didn't come up with something, this was going to end with me laying dead on the street of downtown LA, or slammed with another medical bill for my broken face.

I finished getting ready for work, checking the time on the clock in the kitchen as I ran out of the apartment with my bike.

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