Jurassic Love

Chapter 9

I woke up with the weight of the world on my shoulders, at least that's what I thought, but really I had a blinding hangover and I was lying at an awkward angle in bed.

"Morning sunshine." a voice made me jump out of my skin and a pain shoot through my head.

"What the fuck?" I groaned, shielding the sunlight from my eyes that was pouring through the messily closed blinds.

"Hangover's a bitch huh?" A voice I recalled as Owen's said. Owen. Fuck. My memory of last night was blurred, but I definitely remember his lips on mine and his hands all over me. I tentatively sat up in bed, clutching my head.

"Pass the advil." I said hoarsely. Owen chucked over the bottle and a bottle of water too.

"Last night was..." Owen trailed off, blowing air out of his cheeks. My heart started pounding.

"What even happened?" I said, my voice shaking slightly. Owen raised his eyebrows at me and came and sat next to me.

"Don't tell me you don't remember. I don't fall for bullshit Rosie." Owen's voice had gotten lower and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Perhaps you can remind me?" I said, biting my lip, wondering how I had ever gotten so brave. Owen moved his face closer to mine and our lips were about to meet when the shrill sound of the door bell rang, going straight through my sensitive head.

"Urgh can you get that?" I asked Owen, flopping back in bed, covering my head with the pillow. Whoever was at the door was leaning on the doorbell and they sure were desperate to see us.

"HOLD UP! I'M COMING!" Owen yelled, making his way to the door. I tried to calm my racing heart at what had almost happened between me and Owen again.

"Rosie... um do you want to come out here?" Owen called, his voice showing traces of uncertainty. I climbed out of bed begrudgingly, pulling on Owen's shirt over my sports bra and shorts.

"What's going on- oh! Claire. Hi." I gasped, pulling the length of my shorts down. I felt so out of place wearing Owen's shirt and small spandex shorts in front of her who looked so put together in her crisp white suit, as usual.

"Good afternoon Rosie. Could I have a private word?" She said 'afternoon' pointedly, glaring at Owen. I glanced at Owen before following her outside.

"So, um... What did you want to talk about?" I asked, wincing at the intense heat and sunlight of outside.

"Since when have you and Owen been... Well... I don't even know what I just saw." she said.

"That wasn't... I mean that seriously- what you saw, it wasn't what it looked like!" I stammered, blushing furiously. Claire raised an eyebrow, but she wasn't smiling.

"Well I know what the hell it did look like." she said dismissively, "I've been trying to reach you both since 9am this morning, and I appreciate it's a Saturday and it's your day off, but there's common courtesy. You've clearly just rolled out of bed and-"

"Hold on Claire, there's no need to shade me for just sleeping in on my day off. I think that's a little out of order." I replied.

"A little out of order? Its 1 in the fucking afternoon, get it together!" she retorted, smoothing her already pristine skirt, a nervous habit I had noticed.

"Whatever." I muttered, "what did you need anyway?"

"Henry and I have a proposition for both of you and we'd like to meet with you both in the lab at the earliest opportunity of convenience." Claire looked me up and down, "you obviously need to change."