The Unexpected Romantic

Chapter 7: Sober

I am in a state of total confusion. My mind is awake, my eyes closed and my body, at a halt.

Disorder.

Randomness.

A glitch?

Think, Forth, think! Where are you now and what happened last night?

Slowly, I open my eyes, and I am greeted by the darkness of this room. It smells different, so I'm guessing this isn't mine? That means I am on someone else's bed.

Panic sets in.

Shit! Did I pick up anyone on my way home? Or was I picked up?

I'm pretty sure not.

I realize now why I can't seem to move. Half the weight of someone is keeping me from doing so not to mention one of the arms wrapped around me. Whoever this person is seems to be comfortable enough to be next to me let alone hug me.

I gently turn my head to the right to find out the answers to my questions.

It's pitch-black, so I grab my phone from the side table and use its light to help me recognize this unfortunate person next to me.

WTF! What did I get myself into? How did we end up like this?

The words are hushed; let's not get busted; Just lay entwined here, undiscovered. 🎶

I point the phone around the room, and I see beer bottles on the small table.

Little by little, last night's events start to become vivid in my head. It's just a couple of hours ago. I check the time in my phone. It's 2:30 in the morning. How long have we been in this position? Then it hits me. Today is the day of the competition. I should be getting proper sleep in my own room, but instead here I am in someone else's. It's time for me to go. Whatever happens, I should be able to drive back to my own dorm. No matter how badly my head hurts.

But... Wait...

I must be crazy if I pass up this chance to take pleasure in this moment.

I turn my head slowly back to his direction. Using only the faint light coming from this small piece of technology, I stare at Pha's face. This person, who has stunned me from the very first day I saw him, is now sleeping peacefully next to me with his arm around me.

If I remember correctly, he dragged me to his bed. Did anything else happen? I check under the sheets to examine our clothing. We're still dressed properly and completely. What a relief!

All this time, my head's been opposing what my heart really feels. I might have actually fallen for him. Subtly. Almost understated. No matter how hard I tell myself that what I feel for him is merely an admiration, here I am finally giving up.

I've been staring at his face. Can anyone blame me if I can't help but run my fingers through his hair? If I lightly feel the outline of his face? If I try to remember the silhouette of our bodies physically entwined, yet we are emotionally estranged?

I must be losing in this game that I'm playing.

My breathing becomes irregular when he suddenly moves, pulls me closer and hugs me tighter. His eyes are still shut. Shit! He must've felt that I've been staring at him.

The short distance between our faces only draws me closer to him. I can feel his breath on my left cheek. Just a few inches more and our lips could meet. I am not moving, and neither is he, but his embrace only got tighter. His warm breath is so compelling magnetizing me, pulling me closer and closer as I breathe heavily. There's no time to blink. My eyes ogle at every single detail of his face while my lips uncontrollably intend to touch his.