Ronald's diner

chapter 18

Bonnie woke up alone in the bed, still fully dressed save for her shoes and socks. Reaching out she touched the other side of the bed and found it held no warmth. Ronald must have been up for some time. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand told her it was 2:33am. Sitting up she favored her midsection, a hand covering the spot where the bandage hid under her dress. The nurse had warned her she'd be sore and she was right. Not to mention all the excitement from before couldn't have been good for her. Taking a bottle of pills she'd been prescribed for pain, she shook out two and downed them dry. After putting the bottle back on the nightstand she pushed off the bed and padded on bare feet to the bedroom door. Opening it she entered the only other room of the apartment aside from the small bathroom.

Ronald was sitting on what passed for a couch, bottle of half empty beer in hand, his head resting back, eyes closed. At first Bonnie thought he might have fallen asleep like that, but then he spoke without opening his eyes.

"Hey there beautiful." his voice sounded as tired as she felt.

Moving to the couch she gingerly lowered herself down so she could cuddle up close to him. Ronald welcomed her to him by laying an arm over her shoulders. She let her head rest against him and sighed contentedly. This felt so right.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked the obvious question.

"Well..." he began, then took a swig of his beer. "...you'd think laying next to a hot woman in your own bed would make it so easy to fall asleep, but it so does not." his lips spreading into a big grin.

"Aww poor baby." she teased. "Patience is a virtue you know."

"Patience smatience." he snorted. "You're not the one who's dying to lose his virginity with his woman." taking another swig of the beer.

Bonnie almost came right off the couch in shock. "Virginity!"

Opening his eyes, Ronald rolled his head to the side and gave her a goofy smile. "Yup." he said, making the p sound pop.

"Wait a minute there mister." brows furrowed deep. "What are you talking about? There's no way. I mean you and Kim were..." she faltered as understanding dawned on her. "...oh...OH!"

Tipping the beer bottle her way, Ronald chuckled. "We have a winner."

Bonnie still couldn't believe what he was saying. "You're serious?"

"What, you think guys like to brag about being virgins?" he said with that lopsided grin she was starting to adore so much. "I never got to be with Kim, despite any memories up here." he said, tapping the side of his head with the tip of the bottle. "And I never even looked at another woman until now so..."

"Ok hold up there buddy." Now Bonnie had something to talk about for sure. "Just what memories of Kim do you have?"

Making sure to take an extra long swig of the beer this time, Ronald let out a long breath before explaining. "Well I do have all Ron's memories so..."

Holding up a hand to stop him, Bonnie shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"They're just memories. They never happened to me. Which just makes my life all the more complicated." his tone exasperated.

"I'll bet." she conceded, but she still didn't like the idea of it on principle.

"Of course it can't be easy for you either." Ronald said with a hint of mischief in his dark brown eyes. "I mean how will you show your face in public considering our age difference?"

She looked at him, confusion written all over her face. "What does that have to do with anything. There might be a few months difference, but I don't see how that's a big deal."