Ava thought she had the world figured out until it was turned upside down. She must decide if she wants to be free or re-building the life she had.
Series Order: Baby Steps, Colossal Jump, Moving Forward, Little Leaps and Passing Motions.
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The moment my eyes open, the thumping begins. Just the sight of the sun peeking through the wooden blinds stings as I dive under the mound of blankets for cover.
I feel like a vampire right now – afraid of the sun, dehydrated, and starving. Why do I keep doing this to myself, and two nights in a row! I assume I had a good night, though, I don't remember most of it.
Stretching across the bed, I curl into a ball and snuggle in. My body is telling me to sleep but the sand papery feel in my mouth doesn't help my situation. As I sit up, the blanket falls into my lap and I see the room for the first time.
"What the actual fuck is going on?" I hiss.
Ripping the blanket away from my body, I note that I'm still dressed in my clubbing outfit. I slide out of the raised plush bed and scramble to my feet. As I stand on the ground, I trip over something and end up slamming my face into the cold hard wooden flooring. The loud thwack of my body hitting the ground raises the alarm.
I hear the thumping of oncoming footsteps before the bedroom door springs open and the man from last night, Axel, come rushing through. His eyes are wide with concern as he has to sidestep around the shoes, bags, clothing, and other random objects scattered everywhere. It's a surprise I didn't trip over his crap.
"Are you okay, Ava?" he asks.
He immediately hooks his hands under my arms and hauls me to my feet. I take a step away and quickly fix my dress. I catch my reflection in the mirror hanging on his wardrobe door and frown.
Ugh, I look and feel gross, I need a shower and quickly! Axel laughs at my situation while I pout. This is so embarrassing. I need to leave before it gets worse.
"Yeah." I nod. "Just a bruised ego."
Axel laughs at my comment, then uses his foot to shove some of the mess under his bed for later.
"Sorry about all this," he says. A bright pink flush develops on his cheek, which makes me giggle.
"Don't worry, it's fine." I shrug my shoulders. "What happened last night, though?"
My brain feels like mashed potatoes! I keep trying to remember what happened. Between blurred images of random faces, alcoholic drinks, and weird dancing, it's hard to decipher how the heck I got here. My memory seems to have disappeared for that part of the night.
"You were so pissed, I was worried about leaving you alone. We tried to take you home, but you refused to get in the taxi and kept running away. So, I brought you here instead. I hope that was okay? You saw the bed and passed out," explains Axel.
"Oh, sorry." I blush. "I sound like a handful. Thank you for taking care of me."
"Can't leave a man, or well, woman, behind." He grins.
"Thank you again." I grab my shoes off the ground and walk towards the bedroom door. Axel quickly follows and then looks around awkwardly.
