Toxic Impulse ⁕

four.

Bright rays from a new day shone powerful through the open blinds. It glared through Hale's closed lids, gradually pulling him away from his slumber. Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness. His pupils constricted, exposing more of his shimmering eyes. He groaned, turning his body over.

He re-positioned his head on the firm-soft pillow and shut his eyes. His arm snaked out to the side of him, then he patted his hand against the sheet as if looking for something or someone. His eyes reopened, staring into an empty space. He drowsily rose up, using his elbow for support and scanned the master room. The walls were smeared black all around except for the ceiling which was a pure white. Both seemed to be made from some type of wood.

He leaned half his body back, turning his head towards the window, squinting his eyes again until his pupils adjusted. He noticed a long balcony with a thin glass railing. He peered his head to get a better view, wondering if maybe she'd be out there. No one.

He sighed, then pushed himself up and swung his legs over the bed. He placed his feet firmly on the fluffy white rug and pressed his hands into the mattress. He skimmed the room over again, noticing there wasn't much in it.

There were two rectangular lights screwed into the wall above the bed, similar lights scattered all along the ceiling. A white cylinder nightstand stood to the right of the bed with a single potted plant laid upon it. There were two doors, one he assumed was the way out, and the other a bathroom or perhaps a closet. At the far end of the room opposite of the bed, was a black dresser with a wide large mirror above it placed against the wall.

Hale stared at himself from afar. His hair was no longer the neatly gelled back style he began the night with, but a sweated out curly scuffled mess. He rose from the bed and sleepily sauntered towards to the mirror.

He stood before it, his eyes grazing over his naked body. Darkened marks shown around his neck, chest and shoulders. A grin formed at his mouth while his mind trailed back to how those marks got there in the first place.

The memories of her hands exploring his body and sweet kisses that she left behind started to make him grow with lust. He swiped his tongue across his lower lip, the saccharine taste of her still present. If Ichor were real, he imagined this was what it tasted like.

Feeling himself growing swell, he stepped away from the mirror and headed towards one of the doors, hoping to find her. He just so happened to open the right door that led out of the bedroom and into a small hallway that overlooked the large main room below. All the curtains were pulled apart completely illuminating the entire room. The empty room.

He trotted down the wooden staircase, feeling his member bouncing with each step, and found himself back where it all began. Everything looked different in daylight but it still felt the same. He looked around expecting to find a note or some kind of message. Nothing. In his search he noticed a familiar set of clothing that sat upon one of the couches: trousers, shirts, vest, and a jacket, his entire getup rested neatly with his shoes sitting on the floor in front of them.

He chuckled to himself. Her words were true and she made sure he would retrieve that jacket of his. He reached for his pants pocket in search for his phone, quickly feeling the square device and pulling it out, checking for the time. 11:17.

"Shit," he hissed. He assumed it would've been earlier. He shook his head and placed his phone back in his pocket.

Coming to terms with her presence being nowhere in sight, he sighed and dressed himself, leaving his jacket off. He found a nearby mirror, much smaller than the one upstairs and attempted to fix his hair as best as he could. His fingers rubbed through his short curls at the top, giving it some kind of solace but not enough to fix without a comb. He dropped his hand in surrender and proceeded to straighten his collar. His eyes noticed another dark tanned mark and he smirked before covering it.