Stripped

Chapter 13

The sun was bright, way too bright. I flinched away from the beam that was slicing between the curtains of my window only to groan in agony. It felt like I had been hit by a truck and every sound was magnified. Kara wasn't in my bed, but I heard voices muffled by my bedroom door. It sounded like...Jake? I sat up with much effort and the room spun like a top. "Uggh," I groaned as I stood and shuffled  out to the kitchen. Jake and Kara were sitting at the kitchen table talking animatedly with each other. 

Kara saw me first and hurried over, "Good morning!" she said way too cheerily for my hungover state. I grunted in response. 

"Morning baby," Jake said and patted the chair next to him. 

Baby? Why is he calling me that? Didn't I yell at him for that before? But since I felt like death I just plopped down into the chair and said, "Coffee." Jake chuckled and stood, returning a few minutes later with a steaming, delicious cup of coffee. "MMMM," I hummed as I sipped at the black coffee. Normally I load it with cream and sugar but the way I was feeling I needed straight caffeine and  no sugar to keep the contents of my stomach in tact. "What the hell happened last night? Why are you here?" I asked Jake sounding more harsh that I had intended. 

He seemed unfazed and simply responded, "Well after you drank a dozen or so beers last night I had to bring you home because you barfed all over the place at the bar and Kara told me to sleep on the couch."

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, "Mark! He was there last night... he...he saw us..." Oh no! He saw me kissing Jake! 

Kara seemed very interested in the conversation now, "What exactly did Mark see?"

I groaned and flopped my head back onto the table, "Me and Jake kissing," I answered miserably. On top of everything else Mark had been putting up with he had to see me kissing Jake? I would have told him but for him to actually SEE it is plain awful. 

Jake moved to put a comforting hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off, "Why don't you go take a shower and deal with this after? You'll feel better and be more level headed. If you want I'll even stay while you call Mark. I'll talk to him and apologize profusely too."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes I'm sure that will go great!" I replied sarcastically, standing and shoving my seat back with a loud screech. "He totally won't think you spent the night in my bed."

"Layla, just go shower. You'll feel better," Kara said, "You can handle this after. It will all be okay."

My eyes teared up, "But what if he hates me?"

Kara's features softened and she hugged me in the motherly embrace she always seemed to have even when we were young. "I'll still love you." 

With Kara's sweet words, I took her advice and hopped in the shower. With the water as hot as I could stand it, I scrubbed my hair and my body thoroughly. Rinsing away the events of the day before. 

For years and years I had dreamed about what it would be like to kiss Jake. Now I finally had and nothing about it seemed right. His kiss was incredible but nothing about it felt natural. Maybe because we both knew it was wrong. Because Jake was engaged and Mark was my boyfriend. It should never have happened.  Now Mark thinks who knows what and I feel like the biggest ass hole in the world. 

After the water went cold I had to get out and do what I had been dreading. I dried my hair and wrapped the towel around me. Just outside the bathroom I heard my phone ring. Maybe that was Mark. I whipped the door open and found Jake holding the phone up to his ear. It only lasted a moment though because he looked at the phone and it had gone dark. "Who was that?" I asked anxiously.