The Protection

Twelve

When I finally came to, I felt like I had slept for an eternity. I stretched my arms up over my head feeling so incredibly well rested. I slowly blinked, opening my eyes to a swirling ceiling fan, the blades spinning rapidly like an angry hornet, attempting to cool the enormous room. I dreamily closed my eyes again relishing in the way the cool, circulating air felt against my flushed skin. Wait, my room didn't have a ceiling fan! My eyes popped open, and I sprung up in the bed, clutching the black satin sheets against my chest. Their creamy texture was so much different than my cheap Walmart variety with a collective thread count of zero. My eyes moved from the sheets to the rest of the room which was vast. The walls were painted a modern light gray with bright white crown molding near the top of the twenty foot vaulted ceilings. The furniture was expensive, heavy, and dark. A sort of modern gothic aesthetic that was more expensive than anything my mother or I could ever afford.

Where the hell was I? I peeked under the covers, relieved to find I was still wearing the black slinky dress Beth had gifted me the night before, but as I touched the material the dress didn't answer any of my burning questions this time. Had I gone home with someone?! My stomach sank at the thought. This definitely wasn't a normal college boy's apartment with pizza boxes, beer cans, and an Xbox strewn across the floor. I rose from the bed slowly, feeling remarkably fantastic, and walked towards the full length mirror in the corner of the room, my bare feet cold on the dark wood floors. I looked absolutely terrible. Mascara stains streaked heavily beneath my bloodshot eyes and my hair hung in reddish-brown knots to my waist, sticking out in all directions. I scrubbed my fingers against the black makeup marks, and pushed my fingers through the knots attempting in vain to detangle them. I hadn't been able to afford a haircut in months, and was beginning to look like a mermaid.

I tore my eyes from my less than perfect appearance to my black sky high heels placed neatly next to the bed behind me. That was strange. If my lover and I had been lost in a fit of passion, surely my dress and heels would have been strewn across the floor. Ben and I had never shown restraint when we had made love, shedding clothing as soon as we entered his apartment. Typically I would find my bra somewhere near the small fish tank in the living room the next morning.

Ben. My heart sank. Did I have sex with someone else last night? I automatically felt guilt claw at my gut despite the fact that Ben and I had broken up. Months ago. I knew I hadn't caused him to lose sleep while his arms were wrapped around a variety of other women. I had heard all the rumors. The perks of attending a university smaller than my high school. I bent down and buckled the stilettos onto my feet as quickly as I could. They were impossible to walk in, but I would attempt to run as fast as I could from this strange, but beautifully expensive home.

I opened the solid wood door to the bedroom and almost slammed directly into the most beautiful man I had ever seen. My pupils dilated and my breath sucked somewhere deep into my lungs. The man's blonde hair was cut into an expensive men's haircut, longer on the top with a professional fade on the sides. His full lips curled themselves upwards into a brilliant bright white smile, showcasing an adorable set of dimples, dipping beneath his golden tan, like he had been working outside all summer in the hot sun.

Despite my 5'10" frame and four inch heels, he still towered over me. Everything about this man screamed sex and my body was certainly not immune, involuntarily leaning towards him, like an unseen magnet was pulling my chest toward his. That chest, strong and capable, protruding beneath his simple black t-shirt. I forced myself to look away after a few moments, down toward the dark wood floors. Staring at this man was like staring into the sun. He was too perfect to fully take in, between his skin and his bright brown eyes and his golden hair. I felt overwhelmed by his beauty.