Rebound in Town

"Cleanliness is overrated.", Natalie concluded as she looked around her bedroom from under her pillow with puffy and hungover eyes.

It had been more than 3 weeks since she had withdrawn from the world and cocooned herself in her apartment. The bedroom looked like a disaster zone with pieces of tissues strewn across the floor, along with a tub of chocolate ice-cream that had long ago melted into a hot tub of brown liquid which also acted as a makeshift ashtray for several cigarette butts.

It was a small studio apartment, and the smell of booze weed and tobacco was thick enough to cut with a knife. On the stove was kept a kettle containing hot water for the insane amount of coffee that had been consumed in the past few days. The kitchen floor was lined with Pizza boxes as they were her only source of sustenance.

Natalie lay on her bed which no longer looked like a bed, but more like the bottom of a mayonnaise jar and contemplated her predicament. She was dressed in 3-day old black panties and a white sleeveless top that covered her lean torso and soft round breasts. She threw her blanket aside and let the little rays of sunshine illuminate her pale skin and the small Kanji tattoos on both sides of her pelvic bone. Sliding out of bed, she sat on the edge and once again looked at the upturned picture frame on the bedside table and flipped it upright. She saw her own smile; carefree and genuinely happy standing alongside the man who was responsible for it.

Bobby had been everything that she was not. He was kind, gentle, sorted out in life and she met him at a time when her life was at the peak of decadence. She remembered how he had brought her back home after a particularly nasty evening of partying, and he didn't even know her at the time. A rare smile spread across her face at the memory as it was to be the beginning of a long and painful journey back towards sobriety. Natalie's mood darkened, and she reached for a pack of open cigarettes and slid one between her teeth and lit it. Taking a deep drag, she exhaled a plume of smoke and watched the tendrils dance in the dim light of her apartment.

"Just like this smoke.", she thought, "It was all just like this smoke."

She stood up and sat down again as her head began to pound mercilessly from the hangover. She stood up slowly and made her way to the kitchen sink and slid her head under a column of cold water, numbing the pain to the best of her abilities. Between the throbbing of her brain and the nauseating smell of the apartment, she remembered the day when she discovered his infidelity. After all the effort she put into the relationship, she was still "too unpredictable" for him, and he decided to pursue other more "decent" forms of companionship.

"Bastard never complained when I was indecent in bed." She withdrew her head from the sink and let the throbbing in her head subside as she took deep breaths and opened the fridge for a gallon jug of water. She forced herself to drink it. She staggered back to her bed and lay there looking at the ceiling, feeling the throbbing in her head subside somewhat. She checked her phone and found a flood of voice mails and texts from her girlfriends asking where she was and if she was alright; there was no message from Bobby, not even a missed call. She decides to treat herself to her usual comfort meal of Cheese Pizza

Forty minutes later a loud noise awakened her from her slumber, and she realized that her hangover is at a point where loud sounds immediately set her brain on fire. After taking a few seconds to orient herself, she recognizes the banging at the door.

"LEAVE IT AT THE DOOR!!!", Regretting this action immediately as her head throbbed in protest. The knocking, however, grew only louder, much to her chagrin. "Fucking morons," she said under her breath and made for the door.

"I said leave it at the door you asshole." She opened the door as she finished the statement and was ready to give the delivery boy a piece of her mind. However, she merely stood there in shock as she saw the person who did the knocking. Standing in front of her was a tall man dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt with a dusty bag hanging off the side of his shoulder, his beard was unkempt and hair also the same yet he carried an arrogant/confident smirk on his lips which quickly turned into a grin upon seeing Natalie. His name was Adrian, and Natalie knew him well. It was to be expected of course since he was her ex.