Baby

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve: Morning After

unedited

I woke up, finding myself miraculously still on my side of the bed. Yesterday's events had me wondering if I would accidentally end up lying on top of Silas, like the cliché scenes depicted in those romance novels. Thankfully, it appeared that such scenarios were nothing more than wishful thinking. Despite the amount of drinking I did at the party, I was surprised to find myself free from a hangover. Also, Silas had said he would be gone for only five minutes, but he was actually away for a total of forty-three minutes. His surprise upon seeing me still awake when he returned solidified his belief in my inexplicable fear.

I turned my head to the right, looking past the pillow barrier I had placed between us, and found Silas silently scrolling through his phone. I don't know what compelled me to do so, but for a few moments, I simply lay there observing him. I watched as a variety of emotions played out on his face as he perused his phone, unconsciously prompting a smile to form on my own face.

Out of the blue, Silas sighs softly, his words breaking the silence. "I know you're awake," he murmurs, turning his gaze towards me.

"Morning," I reply.

"Good morning, Baby," he says, his voice unusually husky and hoarse, sending a shiver down my spine. It's only then that I realize how attractive his morning voice is, especially when he says my name. "Can I ask you a question?" he asks, and I nod in response.

He stares at me intently, his gaze fixated on my lips, causing me to feel uneasy in the comfortable bed. Without any context, he drops the question, "How did you get that name?"

I pondered for a moment, wondering if I should reveal the source of my name or if I should fabricate a lie. Would he change his opinion of me if he found out I was an orphan? It was a stupid thought, wasn't it? He wouldn't judge me, would he?

I took a deep breath and decided to share everything, letting it all out in a single breath, "Well... my mother passed away before she could name me, and my father was never around, presumed dead. So, I was placed in an orphanage as an infant, and the folks there weren't particularly creative with names. Eventually, they ended up changing it legally to 'Baby.' I still suspect they named me that out of sheer spite, seeing as they had to raise a child, a baby who wasn't even their own. Jokes on them, I actually came to love my name."

Silas lay there, processing my words for a few moments. "Wow," he exclaimed, his voice filled with surprise. "I had no idea about that."

I didn't respond, but merely smiled at him. Following my confession, he gazed at me with an unfamiliar mixture of pity and sadness in his eyes. Feeling self-conscious, I quickly averted my gaze, hoping to prevent my cheeks from blushing.

I glanced at my phone, unplugging it from the charger and checking the time. "What time is it?" I muttered to myself.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath as I noticed it was nearing eleven o'clock and I had almost twenty missed calls from Beverly and the girls. To make matters worse, my phone was bombarded with a stream of text messages from them.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder with every step. Before we could react, a rapid succession of knocks assaulted the door.

"Silas! Where the hell is Baby? She's not in her dorm! Open the door right now, you shithead!" Raia Petrova's infuriated voice rang out, her banging on the door becoming increasingly intense.

I watched in awe as Silas got out of bed without a care, his toned physique on full display. My jaw dropped open involuntarily as I ogled his muscular form. His pajama pants, red and black, seemed to accentuate his athletic build, making him even more attractive. If that is even possible.