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The phone rang. The quiet buzzing roused Tala from her sleep; the sun pouring through the window kept her awake. She blearily peered out of the gap in the curtains, blinded by the powerful white of the pale sun bouncing off the snow that had piled up overnight. Too much snow. Squinting, she hauled herself out of bed when her phone continued to buzz and her body was hit by a cool draft.
She was naked. Completely naked. Almost completely naked. She was still wearing one sock. The one that hadn't got wet. Curling her hand around her phone as it vibrated against her palm, she cast a glance over her shoulder to see Raphael soundly sleeping across most of the bed. He had spread out as though he owned the place, though the duvet only covered his thighs.
In place of the regret she had expected to feel, there was something she wasn't used to. Certainly not a feeling she had expected after a one-night stand. Almost peaceful. There was a kind of serenity in her brain, the lingering warmth of a good night. It had been a great night, every second of her memory tingling with electric life. There was no urge to kick him out of her bed.
But she did need to kick herself out of the room. Her phone wouldn't ring for much longer. It was only Maddie on the other end of the line, no doubt pestering her for information about her night at the bar, but she didn't want to let the call ring out. Grabbing a towel, she tied it around her chest and slipped into the bathroom.
"Hi," she whispered, quietly pushing the door shut. She perched on the edge of the bath and peeled off the solitary sock with her big toe.
"Do I need to ask?" Maddie's voice was bright and eager, and it was only then that Tala took the phone away from her ear to check the time. It was already ten. She never normally slept in that late, even when she had nothing to do.
"Ask what?"
Maddie harrumphed. "Come on, Tala. You went to the bar last night and you usually get up at eight but I messaged you three hours ago and you never replied. I was beginning to worry that you'd been murdered or something. I even looked up the local news for where you are."
Tala chuckled. Maddie was intense, but never in a suffocating way. She just cared. She was a very caring person, her heart swelling to accommodate everyone in her life without question.
"Tala ... crap, I don't know your middle name. Tala Flores! Tell me what happened!" she demanded.
"It's Mahalia," Tala said, avoiding the question for now. She looked in the direction of the bedroom, though two closed doors separated her from Raphael. "My middle name."
"Tala Mahalia? Oh my God, that's so cute. But seriously, Tala, what happened? Are you ok? Did you get a drink?"
"Yeah, I had a couple of beers," she said.
"And?"
"Kind of met a guy," she said. "Or met him again, I suppose."
Maddie fell quiet, opening up a space for Tala to fill with words.
