A String of Secrets

Chapter 19

A soft musical melody woke me up. I groaned quietly, reached around my bed and pulled my phone up towards my face. I shut off my seven-thirty alarm, and when I readjusted the pillow I was laying on, I froze.

This is definitely not my bed.

I looked down underneath the blanket to see that I was dressed in nothing but an oversized t-shirt, and little by little, the memories came back to me. Last night. Gray's house. Studying. Eli.

I was exhausted, but I knew I had to get up and get ready for the day. I started to sit up, and I winced softly at the slight ache between my thighs. When I moved, a strong arm that was originally curled around my waist gently pulled me in tighter so I settled back into a comfortable embrace.

"Classes are canceled today," Eli murmured, his voice low and heavy with sleep.

"Why?" I quietly asked.

"An email was sent out. Late last night, a few custodians reported sightings of the killer walking around on campus. Police are investigating campus grounds, and I believe Dean Vincent is having a meeting with them and the rest of the staff members. They don't want the students there today. At least they're being honest about it."

I rolled my eyes. "If Dean Vincent isn't getting paid, then he won't do a damn thing."

He chuckled, and though I hated to admit it, the sound of it sent a small shiver down my spine. His other hand came up and softly stroked my hair. "You're still sleepy, Mari," he whispered. "Get some rest."

I wanted to protest and say that I could be doing some extra studying like I always did, but I was tired, and plus, comfortable. The repetitive motion of him stroking my hair quickly relaxed me, and as my eyelids started getting heavier, I thought about last night after we slept together.

-----

First, after checking on me again, Eli went and got me some water, then he showed me how to work his shower so I could use it. It felt nice, but I still couldn't shake the sinking, anxious feeling that I had done something terrible.

But then again, to me, the worst part about sex was how I felt afterwards once the high had disappeared. I always felt upset and could never explain why, always felt detached and lonely and couldn't figure out how -- especially since I was just close with someone.

When I finished my shower, I dried off, then Eli gave me one of his shirts to wear in the meantime. I had started to pick my clothes off of the ground, ready to get dressed and leave so I could deal with the mixture of negative emotions, already getting the feeling that I'd be in tears within an hour. Then Eli stopped me and asked how I was feeling. I was truthful and said that I didn't know, but I wasn't liking it, which surprised me because I was so used to lying about it to my ex.

Then he asked if I wanted to go home. My answer was the same. I didn't know.

To my surprise, he didn't look irritated or annoyed. In fact, it was the opposite. It looked like he understood. "Stay for a while, and see how you feel," he said softly. I was cautious, but I stayed. I rested in bed beside him, and he disappeared for a moment only to return with a steaming mug of peppermint tea. It smelled good, and it was delicious once it cooled to a perfect temperature for me to drink.

As I sipped my tea, he took a quick shower, then we just talked. Not about the sex we just had, not even about the masked killer. It was like the both of us knew that we could talk about that later. We took turns showing each other videos on YouTube that we thought were funny, and between that, the tea, and just the company, I felt a lot better. This continued until I started dozing off.