Reckless Passion

Chapter 45

— Chapter 45 —

Song Themes For This Chapter: Dark Road – Annie Lennox; Promises – The Cranberries; Ghost – Fefe Dobson; Leave Me As You Find Me – Josh Powell & Fraser Smith

— Rose —

When I start to come to, it still feels like I’m partially in a dream.  My eyes feel like they’ve got weights pulling them down and my head was pounding.  I pry my eyes open to slits and lazily roll my head around as I take in my surroundings.  I let out a breath that gets caught in my throat.  Panic gradually washes over me.  I don’t recognize this room at all and I most definitely don’t remember coming here.

I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep but I felt so tired still.  I move my hands, taking hold of the sheets covering my body.  I look down as I feel the sheets brushing against my skin; I’m… naked?!

I look around again, trying to find any sense of familiarity…  Whose bed is this?  Whose room is this?  The room seems fairly plain, only having the essentials for a basic hotel room; the sheets and pillows were a cream-white colour and a dark red colour.  I was in a hotel room?

I force myself to crawl over to lean over the side of the bed, my purse is on the floor along with my shoes.  I reach my hand out, stretching it as far as I can and trying not to fall off the bed; I manage to hook two fingers into the strap of my purse and pull it up to me.  I weakly lay back down as I fish out my cellphone; it appears to be off so I turn it on and dial one of the only people I can count on at this moment.

“Rosie???  Where are you?  You didn’t come home last night!  Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t coming home?!”  Noah’s whisper-shouting, he must be close by to my parents.

As soon as he finishes his sentence, I feel the sting of tears in my eyes and my bottom lip quivers.  “Noah…”  I choke out.

“Rose?  Rose, what’s wrong?!”

“I… I don’t know where I am… or how I got here…”  I sob.

“What?!  What happened last night?!  After your dinner with Peter?!”  He asks, his voice is starting to sound a bit frantic.

“I don’t know…”  I sob and wipe a few tears from my eyes with my finger as more tears fall.  “I don’t remember…” 

But I had a feeling.  The fact that I was naked in a bed at some random hotel and that there was a slight aching discomfort between my legs… I may not know exactly what happened but I had a few terrible ideas floating around my mind.

I hear Noah let out a breath of distress.  “Are you alright?!  Are you hurt?!”

“I don’t know… I… I don’t think so… I’m just tired and exhausted and confused.  I feel like a chunk of memory has been removed.”  I leave out the graphic details.

“Do you want me to come get you?”  He asks softly.

My face contorts as I try not to break down into a sobbing fit.  “If you aren’t busy… please.”

“Okay, Rosie, I’ll come.  But I need some indication of where you are.”

I swing my legs around to the edge of the bed and slide down until my feet are planted on the floor; a yelp escapes my mouth as I wince and tense from the pain shooting up my groin.

“Rose?!  What happened?!”  Noah’s voice rings through my ear.

I grit my teeth as I take a few breaths.  “Nothing.  Nothing.  I’m fine.”  I lie as I slowly make my way around the bed, finding my dress, bra, panties, and shoes lying on the floor.  I reach down, grabbing my dress with my free hand and slowly throw it over my head.  I adjust it before walking over to the window, moving the thin, white curtains aside so I can look out and maybe grasp some sense of where I am.