Sophia cupped Mattia's face, her fingers lightly tracing his jawline. "They say you're a bad boy," she teased, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
Mattia raised an eyebrow, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "And what if I am? Are you scared?"
Sophia...
I woke up to a pounding headache that felt like someone was drilling into my skull. "Fuck," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut before forcing them open again. The light coming through the window made me groan. I rolled over, and it hit me-my whole body ached. Ugh. What the fuck happened last night?
Sitting up was a challenge. My head felt like it weighed a ton, and I dragged myself toward the mirror. One look at my reflection, and I almost laughed. Almost. "Jesus Christ," I whispered, running my fingers through the tangled mess of hair that barely resembled anything human. My eyeliner was smudged, lips swollen, and I looked like I hadn't slept for days.
I slammed the drawer shut, too annoyed to care, and yanked open the closet. My eyes scanned over the clothes before I grabbed an oversized black t-shirt and some shorts.
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I kicked the bathroom door open, throwing the clothes on the sink as I turned on the shower. The hot water was a small comfort, steaming up the mirror until I couldn't see my face anymore. Good. I didn't need to be reminded of the mess I'd turned into. As the water hit my skin, I closed my eyes, letting it wash away whatever bullshit I was still feeling from the night before.
Goddammit, I really need to stop doing this to myself.
I stepped out of the room, dragging my feet down the stairs. My head still throbbed, but at least I didn't look like complete bullshit anymore. As I hit the bottom step, I could smell something cooking. Georgia was in the kitchen, humming to herself like she didn't have a care in the world.
"Hey, Georgia," I said, my voice a bit hoarse.
She turned around, smiling warmly. "Morning, sweetheart." Ugh, she was always so nice. It almost made me feel guilty for being a mess half the time.
I scratched my head, trying to think of how to say it without sounding like a complete idiot. "Uh, so, my phone died and... well, it's not turning on. Could I borrow yours for a minute? I need to call my mom."
"Ohh, of course!" she said, wiping her hands on a towel before reaching for her phone on the counter. "Here, take it."
"Thanks." I took the phone, but before I could walk away, she added, "You know, Mattia has like a million chargers upstairs. You could just grab one of his. Might save you the trouble next time."
Jesus. The last thing I needed was to go asking Mattia for a damn charger. "Uh, yeah, maybe," I mumbled. Swear to God, I'd rather deal with a dead phone.
I grabbed Georgia's phone and stepped outside, the warm air hitting me as I walked down the street. My thumb hovered over the call button for a second before I pressed it, and I could hear the ringing in my ear as I waited for my mom to pick up.
Finally, her voice came through. "Hello?"
"Mama?" My voice cracked a little, and I swallowed hard. "Swear to God, I miss you so much. I miss home. Everything." I didn't realize how desperate I sounded until the words left my mouth.
