My Waitress (NOT EDITED)

Chapter 19

The sounds of a disruptive alarm opens my eyes. I blink a few times before forcing myself up and reaching for it to shut up.

I yawn, slowly stretching my arms up to the ceiling. The pains in my back aren't so drastic anymore, so the injuries must be getting better, healing faster.

Arms still in the air, I gently fall back down on the bed, staring into the patterns of my ceiling. A smile automatically forms on my face. I feel so... bright. Like all of my problems have been washed away by a particular ocean. Well, temporarily. I know things haven't been solved yet, but now... and last night... it felt like nothing got in the way.

I turn my head to the reason why I'm feeling like this.

Malachi faces me, still sleeping. His arm rests on his belly, his chest rising up and down. I realize that his shirt is undone, his chest and stomach out in the open. When did he do that... did I do that?

Did I already forgot what happened? Yeah, we kissed, but did we really go that far into it to start unbuttoning shirts? And it was my first kiss with him! But speaking of unbuttoned shirts...

I feel my shirt and.... yep. The first three buttons are undone, my collarbone and part of my chest below it exposed. The thought of how it could've went makes me blush to my ears. I cover my face with my hands, letting out a silent groan. Stop thinking, Nicole! But I can't. How the kiss started keeps replaying in my head. It's like I can still feel the touch of his soft lips on mine. I lower my left hand and graze my lips.

I didn't back away from him... I didn't push him off me, or stop midway. I let it keep going, I was the one who kissed him back. But why is the word trust hanging on for dear life?

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I let my right hand fall from my face.... the hand I used to run through his dark brown locks. His fine, flowing, dark brown locks... Ugh.

My right hand still covering half of my face, I open the space between my index and middle finger to look at him. And there it is, the disheveled hair, strands sticking out of place. He looks so calm, peaceful, somehow comfortable on this bed of mine. Wait a second... is that a smile I see? I wonder what he's dreaming about—

The rings of my phone make me jump, snapping me out of my staring. I rise up, sitting on the edge of bed, close the vanity. I pick up my phone, reading 'Chloe da Boss' with a heart next to the name. I tap on the green button. "Morning, Chloe."

"Hey, Nicole," she says. "Came home drunk or sober?"

"Umm..." I still can't remember myself what happened before waking up in my bed.

"So I'm guessing drunk. You young people..."

"Chloe, I'm pretty sure you're close to my age, just a little older. You're considered young too."

"Hey, I'm 21, but I feel like that times three."

We both chuckle. "So anyway," she continues, "Go and drink some water. If you're up for it, you can come for your full shift or part of it. Won't count it against you."

"Of course I'll be at work," I say. "Let me just..." I'm about to get up to look for my uniform, but I sit back down. "Oh shoot, I left my stuff at Ashley's place." I should text Naomi to see if she's sleeping there, so she can drop it off at the diner.

"Oh, hope you get it back. So since you were drunk, who took you home?"

"Malachi. He's sleeping right now."

There was a pause. "Okaaaay." She says in a teasing tone. Suddenly there was a crash in the background on Chloe's line. "What the... Ok, I have to hang out. I may have another uniform you can use in the meantime. Hope to see you at work!" And she hangs up.