Warm Touch

Chapter Nine: Holding on & Letting Go |Part Two|

I wake up to my phone ringing directly next to my bed. What the fuck? What happened last night? "Ahhhmmm." I yawn, stretching my arms out to pull my phone from my nightstand. I can't quite think clearly, I'm having trouble pulling the damn drawer out to retrieve my phone. Just how dumb, or drunk do you have to be to not pass this simple, every morning task?? There's a lot of thoughts surrounding my mind, and the question of how the fuck did I get here, still remains. I can't think clearly at all, so I throw myself back down to bed, to formally get up instead, and walk to my nightstand, considering I somehow can't even reach it. Just then, the phone call stops. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I whisper, but I'm already up. My phone, soon after, decides to start ringing again. "Okay, what the fuck? Just how stupid do you have to be to call me when I am not on my right mind, whatsoever?" I say out loud, laughing hysterically, but enjoying every second of this, while it lasts. "No wait, don't tell me, don't tell me," I open the drawer, get my phone out, look at the screen, and sure enough... "Danny!" I scream, dropping the phone. Just then, I notice there's been background noise this whole time, I've just been too drunk to realize, I guess. Suddenly, my bedroom door opens, revealing Kate in a robe with crazy, lion hair.

"Claire" She says, with big wide eyes and a smile. "You're up so early, on a weekend."

"Yeah, I was kind of woken up" I say.

"Oh!" She pauses, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry we woke you up, I tried- we tried-"

"The background noises I heard- weren't"

She takes a deep breath, "that was us," she interrupts, looking down, and pulling her arm to the back of her head. Suddenly, Zayn walks up to her in the hallway, and it all is crystal clear to me. He's got a towel wrapped around his waist, and he pulls Kate's curls to one side, allowing him enough of her neck to kiss. I just stand there with my mouth opened wide, and I start to feel the floor vibrating. Surely it's Danny again, but I don't wanna talk to him. I don't know how much clearer I can make this statement.

"Good morning baby" Zayn whispers into her neck as he kisses it.

"Babe," Kate pushes him back, slightly.

"No, no, it's okay! By all means, carrrrry on" I say, sitting back on my bed with my phone.

"Good morning, Claire. Kate and I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep. I apologize." He then turns to Kate, "I'm gonna go take a shower, babe. See you when I get out. We'll go anywhere you want. So Claire, how's everything with Danny? Heard things aren't going too well between you two after your breakup."

"Zayn!" Kate punches him, again. "Just go shower, okay? Jesus Christ!" She says, shutting closed the door behind her, and sits in my bed. "I'm sorry about that. I know he want supposed to know, but-"

"It's okay Kate, drop it" I say quickly.

"Hey what's that background noise now?? Is that your phone?"

"Yeah, indeed it is." I say getting up to pace around.

"Well then, answer it! It could be Danny!"

"Fuck! What for? To fucking talk about all the times I've been let down, and how I thought this time would be different? To talk about how stupid I was for almost giving myself entirely to him? Oooh, I know, I know!" I raise my hand and jump up and down, "to fucking tell him how much I love him? And that I actually thought he was different?" I say, falling back to the bed, dropping my phone on the mattress.

"Just answer it. I'm sure he's just as hurt as you are."

"I can't be with someone who can't trust me enough to tell me whatever the fuck it is he wants to tell me, but he... Can't" I make quotation marks with my fingers.