taste | e.d

dos

I wake the next morning in a bed that isn't mine. I'm no longer in my gown. Draped over me is a large white T-shirt that is so long it reaches just above my knees.

I sit up in the king-sized bed with silk sheets that smell like lavender. In front of the bed there is a huge flat-screen TV, and above me a beautiful crystal chandelier. On the left side of the room there are sliding glass doors that open up to a balcony overlooking the ocean. The room itself screams wealth. I don't even want to begin thinking of the entire house.

My stomach suddenly grumbles, interrupting my thoughts. What time is it? How long was I out?

I get up from the bed and soft carpet tickles the bottoms of my feet as I head towards the door. The floor in the hall is made up of white marble tiles. I follow the path to the huge living room. I find my way to the kitchen, where a man sits alone in a chair with his elbows perched on the kitchen island.

His muscled back, arms, and shoulders are bare, and his legs are hidden by a pair of gray sweatpants. His dark hair is disheveled and pointing in one direction, like he's been running his hands through it.

"Hey," I blurt out. The second it comes out of my mouth I regret it.

He starts and quickly whips his head around. "Jesus fuçking-!" Then he seems to realize who he's talking to and rubs his eyes. "Oh, it's you."

"Hi," I say again, finding nothing else to say.

"Hi," he says back. He scratches the back of his neck and examines me. When his eyes sweep over my legs, my face warms.

He's the most attractive person I've ever seen, with thick eyebrows and an amazingly structured jawline. His eyes, slightly slanted, dark and brooding, ringed by long black eyelashes. His lips, pink and soft. There is a distinguishable freckle on his cheek, and another by his eye.

His gaze on me is stone hard, as if he's also trying to make sense of my facial features. Then he seems to break out of it and says, "Are you hungry?"

As if on cue, my stomach grumbles loudly. I grin. "I think that answers it."

His lip twitches as if he's about to return the grin, but instead he just nods. "Cereal is in the cabinet all the way to the right. Milk is obviously in the fridge. Bowls are in the middle cabinet and spoons are in the drawer."

"Thanks," I say. I head over to the cabinets and grab a box of Fruit Loops and pour it in a bowl. Then I bend over the fridge and reach for the milk carton. I set the carton down on the counter and then abruptly realize that I'm not wearing a bra. And who else could have changed me besides him?

"You saw me practically naked," I say flatly without looking at him.

"Yes, gumdrop. Don't worry about it," he says.

"Don't worry about it?"

"That's what I said," he says, raising an eyebrow.

I sigh and stand across from him on the counter with my cereal bowl in front of me.

"Where are you from?" he asks.

"Florida," I say.

"You're certainly a long way from home."

"I know." I look down at my cereal. I came to California to put as much distance as I could between myself and the horrible memories.

"What's your name, gumdrop?"

Gumdrop. "Kendall. Kendall Rose-"

"Don't tell me your last name, Kendall Rose." He sticks a lollipop into his mouth. "I'd prefer to find that out for myself."