The Paying Guest

iv - back home

Isabella

My slumber was broken by the buzz sound that was coming from my side. Groaning I pulled the lightweight that was over me a bit more up to cover my head and sighed at the warmth that it gave me. The buzz still continued and the warmth seemed to have no intention of protecting me from it. Relectuntantly I moved my hand towards the annoying noise and grabbed the device and placed it on my ear.

"Hello?" I asked groggily, groaning again as a sharp pain shot through my head.

"Ella? Thank God!" a familiar feminine voice exhaled loudly in relief, my brain didn't seem to process who exactly was the owner of the voice. "Where the hell are you? I've been to you for three hours. Do you know how much you scared me?" She continued to yell at me which did nothing but increase the throbbing in my blank mind. "Can you not talk so loudly?" I asked, wincing at the itching in my throat. It was drier than the Sahara desert. Lord! What is happening?

I moved my upper body and sat up straight on the fluffy ground under me. I couldn't help but bounce lightly on it, my butt loving the feel of it. Can I never leave? But the voice coming from my phone seemed like it wanted me to leave, like now. "Where are you?" She yelled again. "In bed," I answered to the person whom I still can't recognize. "Did you go home? Without me?" Her voice increased with every question. "How did you go home?" She asked which deepened my frown. "Wait! In bed? You don't have a bed. Whose bed are you on?" She asked again, this time her voice lower and concerned. "Woman, just give me a moment. My brain is about to blast, I don't think I'm awake right now." I replied. "You listen here young woman, I don't care what you do but I'm giving you exactly five minutes to get your brain to work again. When I call again in exactly five minutes I want you to answer me like a human and not like a dumb bitch!" She yelled again and a loud beep followed after.

I kept the phone down on the soft ground and rubbed my face before opening my eyes wide open after blinked a couple of times. It was dark but I could see the lamp beside me. I flicked the switch on and the first thing that I saw was water. Immediately I grabbed it and chugged the liquid down my sore throat. Now I seem to be partially awake. I looked around me now. The room seemed familiar but it was definitely not mine. It was big, way big than I am used to living in. Next what I was, made me completely awake. There was a man, beside me, on the same bed.

Immediately I covered my mouth from screaming and stared at his naked back as he slept peacefully with his head turned towards the opposite direction from me. My eyes moved from his naked back to my naked front that was now uncovered by the white duvet that was providing me the warmth. I shook my head to shake away the shock that I just received and slowly got out of the bed so as not to wake up the man. I looked around on the floor and found my dress. I picked it up and rushed to the bathroom.

Shutting the door behind me I turned the lights on and went towards the sink. My eyes widened as I saw all the makeup that Victoria did on my face was smeared and I looked like a clown. Thank god the room was dark back there, the man would have been scared to death if he would have seen my face. Turning the faucet on I splashed cold water on my face and used the cleanser that was kept on the side on the sink and washed my makeup off of my face, I had to use it twice. I grabbed the towel from the rack and wiped my face while sitting on the closed lid of the toilet seat. At that moment I thought how did I end up here? A gasp escaped my lips when I remembered bits and pieces of last night's masquerade ball.

After the dance with Mr. Morris, we went back to the bar and I challenged him for a drinking game. Why did I do that? Maybe because the alcohol from my previous drink hit me. After that, every memory was in pieces. Mr. Morris laughing along with me, leaning in to kiss me, taking my hand and walking to the elevator and kissing me again, getting to the room with our lips still sealed together, unclothing each other in the dark, drowning in each other's skin, kissing some more and... I yelled in the palms of my hand when the next images came into my mind. Just then my phone rang.

It was Victoria, so the woman who called before was Victoria too. Suddenly I was scared to answer, she sounded as if she could kill me right now but at the moment only she was the one who could get me out of her. Gulping the huge bile in my throat I answered the call. "Young lady? Is your mind awake now?" She asked in a deadly calm tone. "Yes." I squeaked, cleared my throat and spoke again clearly. "Good, now where are you?" She asked in the same tone. "In a room," I replied and gulped when I heard a groan from the other side. "I got that from out the last call Ella, which room are you in?" She asked.

"In a hotel room."

"Which hotel? With whom? Are you alright?" Victoria asked in concern.

"Our hotel and yes I am fine."

"I'm waiting in the lobby. Come fast." She said before hanging up.

I sighed and looked at the screen on my phone that read 4 a.m. I sat there for another few minutes before getting up and wearing the dress again and tied my hand up in a bun messily. Slowly, I exited the bathroom and looked again at the man on the bed. I still couldn't see his face properly because there was still darkness on his side of the bed. Resisting the urge to see his face I grabbed my mask that lay on the floor and left the room, hoping of leaving no traces behind. I walked the hallway of the hotel and took the lift to the lobby while rubbing my forehead to soothe the throbbing a little but to no vain. The elevator doors opened with a ping and I walked out of it. Immediately I spotted my best friend who looked at me when I called out her name.

I was engulfed in a hug soon but the next thing I knew a stinging pain was delivered to my bare arm which made me moan in me. "I've been looking for you for three whole hours," Victoria said and was about to yell me more but stopped seeing my face. "Let's go home, I can scold you in the morning."

Morning came in earlier than expected, unfortunately. I was now sitting on the dining chair of Victoria's house as I ate the hot hangover soup that Victoria's mother made for us while she sat opposite me and gave me death glares as a side dish.

"Did you guys enjoy the party last night?" Faith, Victoria's mother asked. "Yes!" I replied "No!" Victoria replied at the same time.

"Why?" Faith asked Victoria. "I was busy looking for someone." She replied while looking at me. Instinctively my eyes moved towards my bowl and stayed glued to it as the conversation continued. "

"Who?"

"Ella, she got lost for a moment. Then I found her and everything was fine." She replied making me breathe out in relief. The conversation later was planning on how to celebrate the first day of New Year but all my plan was to go back home and sleep as my body ached, especially my lower abdomen.

"Why don't we just get over it," I said to Victoria as we sat the car now while driving to my place. "I am not mad at you Ella, okay maybe a little for disappearing but I'm more concerned about you." She said after a long pause.

"I'm fine, V," I replied. "Who was the guy?" She asked instead. "I don't remember." I lied and looked away. I don't know why I lied, but somewhere I was scared to be judged. Although I love my best friend I know how much of a gossip lover she is. If even by mistake she opens her mouth saying I slept with the owner of the hotel, I would have to face never-ending stares of judgment. Not to mention my idea of being low profiled will go down the drain. There would also be a possibility of Mr.Morris knowing whom he slept with which I hoped doesn't happen. There were too many unwanted things with the truth so I opted to lie, nor that she would come to anytime soon.

The conversation about my night died after we exchanged apologies and then my annoying best friend was back.

"See you tomorrow at work," Vic yelled over her shoulder as she drove away living me on the curb of my apartment building. I waved at her until she disappeared before going back to my apartment and spend my first day of the New Year on the bed with some takeout and watching a movie on the TV, a way to treat myself for just receiving my paycheck and also for a new year, hoping my life would bring some good things this year.

***

Hello guys!

I'm sorry for a late update, that's because I forgot it was Sunday. You can't blame me, for me every day seems like a Sunday now. So here's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.