Love/Fail

Chapter 11

Annoying Pinspiration Quote #11

"F.A.I.L. – First Attempt In Learning."

The next day I awoke to the sun slanting in high through the windows indicating it wasn't morning anymore, and Rupert's arm draped across me. The man himself slumbered fully clothed, adorable snorts emanating from his nose. As I rolled closer to him, I let my eyes close again and replayed the night before.

We'd gone out with Odin and his crew for an after-party that stretched well into the early hours. I danced, drank a reasonable amount, snapped pics, laughed, and generally had a ball. Rupert was never far from my side, his hands hot on my skin and his laugh relaxed and constant.

By the time we made it back to the limo, I was exhausted. I was asleep before we made it to Rupert's little house, and had only vague memories of him carrying me to bed and taking off my shoes. I'd started the night wanting to take of more than just footwear but although the libido was willing, the body was weak and sleepy. I drifted off listening to Rupert play guitar in the lounge room, crooning softly to himself as he created new tunes.

He must have come to bed at some stage, and now the day was escaping us. Hunger slapped me, as real as a wet towel across my face. We hadn't really eaten anything all night, and my empty tummy wasn't about to be ignored. Sliding out from Rupert's embrace, I headed for the kitchen.

His fridge was pretty well stocked, and I chopped up some simple ingredients for a breakfast bruschetta: red onion, fresh tomato, soft feta, ripe avocado. I set the oven to warm and placed a day-old loaf of ciabatta inside to warm, then sourced olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress it with when Rupert was ready to eat.

I didn't want to disturb him yet; a shower was needed anyway before I'd be able to face the world. In the old-school bathroom, I found fresh towels, a spare toothbrush and of course, expensive shampoo. After cleansing, I braided my hair, only briefly lamenting the thinness of the plait, and was about to put my yellow dress back on when I spotted an alternative; a silky Japanese-style robe in peach and white hung from the back of the door. It definitely hadn't been there last time, and judging from the tags that still swung from the collar, it had been bought recently.

I slid it on, marvelling at the slippery fabric that skimmed my curves while still concealing everything. Grinning, I left the bathroom, only to find Rupert waiting outside.

"Good morning, Mia love," he chirruped, sprightly as ever. "You found my present!"

"Ah, so it was for me!" I rubbed a finger on the long, fluted sleeve. "I love it."

"It was the girliest thing I could find at the girliest store in all of girl-land."

"It is indeed very girly. Thank you. Hey, shower quick – I've made breaky for us."

His eyes lit up. "Ooo! And she cooks! Be still my beating stomach!"

"Stomachs don't beat. You should get that checked."

He laughed, but there were shadows under his eyes that worried me as he disappeared into the bathroom. How much sleep did he get? We'd been out until at least four am, and Rupert hadn't come to bed until much later.

I wandered back to the bedroom to hunt for my phone, needing to check the time. Bumping against the bedside table, a small bottle of pills beside the bed fell over and I swiftly grabbed for them to stop them rolling to the floor. The word on the label jumped out in red letters: Temazepam. The name wasn't familiar, but the slew of warnings accompanying the label wasn't anything to joke about.