After the Heartbreak

Chapter 5 of Part II: Unfinished Business

(Gerald’s POV)

Gerald hadn’t expected to sleep as long as he had. When he finally woke up, the light streaming through the window told him it was much later than he’d planned. He groaned softly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. The events of the night before came flooding back—taking Megan, the drunk woman he barely knew, home after the club, making sure she was okay on his couch, and then crashing in his room, too tired to think about it anymore.

He hadn’t known what else to do. She hadn’t responded when he’d tried to ask her where she lived, and with no clue about her exact address, bringing her here had seemed like the only solution.

Gerald ran a hand through his hair and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. His apartment was quiet, the air still, and as he walked into the living room, he realized that Megan was already gone. The blanket he had draped over her was folded neatly on the couch, but she herself was nowhere to be seen.

A part of him felt relieved. He hadn’t been looking forward to a potentially awkward conversation first thing in the morning. They were strangers, after all. He didn’t know her, and she didn’t know him, and they were both probably better off pretending last night hadn’t happened. Besides, Megan had looked embarrassed enough when she’d stumbled into his car—he doubted she’d want to stick around for more awkwardness.

“Guess that’s that,” Gerald muttered under his breath, glancing around the living room one last time before heading to the kitchen. He made a cup of coffee, trying to shake off the grogginess from his extended sleep. Today was one of his rare days off from the police force, and while he had planned on getting to the gym early, his body clearly had other plans.

He sipped his coffee slowly, staring out the window and letting the calmness of the morning settle in. But as the caffeine started to wake him up, something nagged at the back of his mind. He had this strange sense of unfinished business. He’d helped Megan, sure, but something about the whole situation felt incomplete.

Gerald frowned, placing his mug down on the kitchen counter and turning toward the door. His mind raced through the events of last night. Something didn’t sit right. Her purse.

His eyes widened as he realized that he hadn’t seen Megan leave with it. He hadn’t been looking for it earlier, but now that he thought about it, there had been no sign of a purse when he found her at the club, nor had she carried one inside.

“Damn it,” Gerald muttered, walking toward the door. Sure enough, sitting on the passenger seat of his car was a small purse. Megan must have dropped it or forgotten it in her hurry to leave.

He reached into the car and grabbed the purse, holding it awkwardly in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just drop it off at her place—he didn’t even know where that was. And asking Mark felt like a hassle.

“Well, this complicates things,” Gerald mumbled to himself, stepping back into the apartment. He placed the purse on the kitchen counter, unsure of his next move. He didn’t know Megan well enough to just text her, and besides, it would be pretty weird to reach out to her after last night. Wouldn’t it?

Part of him wondered if she’d even want to see him again, considering how things had played out. She’d probably be embarrassed, and maybe it was better to wait and let her contact Mark for help. But another part of him knew that holding onto her purse was just delaying the inevitable.

He sighed, staring at the purse. “Guess I’ll be seeing you again after all, Megan.”