The Truth Untold

10

When I woke up the next morning, I was disoriented. I was lying in a strange room and when I turned around there was a strange person next to me. No, he was not a stranger. It was Leo lying on the stomach with the blanket just over his hip. I had an excellent view of his muscular back. Along with a headache the memories of the last night came back and I felt hot blood shooting into my face. I looked down at myself and realized that I was naked. 

Shit.

Shit. I could have slapped myself. What Katherine? What did you thought you were doing?

I just wanted to get out of here, the whole situation was awfully embarrassing. I had lost control and just wanted to leave. So I got out of bed as quietly as I could and put my clothes on again. Without looking at Leo I crept on ten points, the shoes I had clamped under my arms, to the door. Just as I was reaching for the key, a tired voice was grumbling behind me: "You're not even saying good morning, or at least goodbye?"

I drove together in shock and turned around, too fast, because a stabbing pain went through my head. I had a fat hangover.

"Good morning", I mumbled with a high red head and looked at Leo, who was still lying on his stomach and still watching me from his bed, what he was perhaps doing God knows for how long. But I avoided his gaze.

"I'll take you home," he said without tolerating any objections.

"You really want to make the situation even more embarrassing than it already is," I asked and quickly turned my back to him as he sat up.

"We should talk about it," he said, adding after seeing my reaction: "Wait for me downstairs.

And I did. I stood down in the hallway looking at the chaos the guests had left behind. Someone was sleeping on the Couch, the Floor was gluing and there were red cups and bottles everywhere. Tyler showed up from the kitchen with a cup in his hand and I was about to flee to the front door hoping he hadn't noticed me.

"Kathie?" he asked and I stopped. But I had no luck at all. With a sigh I turned to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked surprised and was completely different than yesterday, when he had drunk something. It had always been that way with him, he could be nice, but also your worst enemy.

"Hey, I ... um ...", I stuttered and tried to find the right words to escape the embarrassment.

"She was too drunk to go home yesterday, so she slept with me," explained Leo, who had just come down the stairs.

"Well, well," Tyler said, wiggling through his hair and winking at Leo suggestively.

"Stop thinking so much crap. Nothing happened," he said, boxing Tyler lightly against his shoulder.

"It's okay," Tyler said and disappeared with his arms raised and a last look at me in the kitchen. He knew it, I was sure of it, because it was obvious that I couldn't even look at Leo.

The silence in the car was unpleasant, but I still thought better than to talk. I looked outside, watched the people and wished the last twelve hours had been just a dream. The way was not long, but we did not stop in front of my house.

"I thought we could talk about it over a cup of coffee," he said and looked at me shyly.

I just nodded and got out. We entered the café, ordered our coffee and remained silent. None of us dared to say anything, my head was suddenly swept empty.

At some point, Leo leaned forward and began: "Katherine, what happened...".

My heart stopped, he had never called me Katherine before. It pounded like wild in my chest, excited about what he wants to say.

" ... that was a mistake. We were both drunk and didn't think," he said and couldn't look me in the eye.

I swallowed heavily and felt myself slumping down, my shoulders and head drooping.

When he looked up and saw my facial expression, he said: "I'm sorry, honestly. I should have stopped earlier."

I was confused and I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong.

"Yesterday it didn't look like you wanted to stop,' I said confused and I saw him dodging my gaze.

"There I wasn't me," he said, slightly desperate.

"But it felt very much like you," I replied and noticed the anger in my voice. He rejected me which hurt my pride and that made me angry to find out that he was like all the others.

"That... It won't happen again," he said, but I noticed that there was something else. Something he didn't want to tell me.

I just nodded stiffly, got up, put a five dollar bill next to my half-full cappuccino and said: "Yes, it will never happen again". With my head raised, I left the café and left Leo sitting.

Something was wrong with Leo, what he said was completely opposite to what he was doing. I was disappointed with his rejection, but I was also annoyed at myself for having raised such hopes and not being reasonable yesterday.

"Kathie," Jessie shouted from the living room as soon as I had entered the apartment.

"No, Santa Claus," I called back sarcastically and went into the living room.

"There you are. Where were you yesterday? I was worried," she said and looked really worried.

With my arms crossed and my mouth sulking, I dropped onto the sofa and said: "Boys are asses".

"What happened?" she asked and I told her everything, from front to back.

"There's my Katherine again," she said after I finished and grinned. Yes, I had fallen into old patterns, but I regretted it.

"There is something wrong. Or is it just my imagination", I asked desperately and the only thing I can be proud of at the moment was that I haven't started crying yet.

"It's funny already. Don't worry about it, he'll get over it," she said encouragingly and took me in her arms. I just nodded.

"What's going on between you and Milan at the moment?" I asked her to change the subject and she sighed.

"You mean because of the celebration last week? Oh, it's a stupid story. I saw his hand on someone else's ass and I ticked off a bit. But he had sworn to me that it was an accident and I left it there," she said with a throw-away gesture.

"Are you up for rolls," she asked and stood up as I nodded with a smile.