Rich Bastard {mxm}

Eighteen.

"There is nothing like the fresh breath of the air once you realize you're free," -C.T

"Ugh..."

I rolled over in what seemed to be a bed, confused at why I felt linen instead of my usual silk sheets. My head was pounding like someone was beating it with a hammer and I felt nauseous. I opened my eyes blearily, not seeing my familiar canopy curtains. 

"The hell?" I sat up slowly, feeling cotton rubbing against my torso. I looked around the room, not seeing my usual spacious bedroom, but one that was fair-sized with a closet, a bathroom, and a dresser with a t.v on top. It was silent and I looked down at the blue comforter, seeing that I was wearing some oversized grey top that smelled like mint.

I felt horrible. "Where am I?" I tried to rack my brain for clues, but it hurt to do so. I just stood and dragged myself towards the door like a slug, hoping that whoever was on the other side would have some answers. Before I could even put my hand on the knob, the door swung open. "I—oh," 

All of my thoughts were washed away when I landed my eyes on one shirtless Joaquin van Zante in sweatpants with a glass of water and pills in both of his hands. "Hey," He greeted me with a warm smile and a sheepish nod. I couldn't stop myself from admiring his very-well built and tanned torso. He probably did a lot of construction work or something like that because his body was better built than mine.

Hmph.

"You're up, I see." He walked in and shut the door, handing me the pills along with the water. "Take this so you'll feel better later," He demanded and I had no clue why I cowered from his strong gaze as he loomed over me like a large shadow. 

"You make my shirt look good," He hummed in both appreciation and amusement, enticing a small blush from me. His shirt came to my knees and I was sure I looked more than stupid. "It's not made of the fancy materials that you probably would've liked, but it's what I had for you." Joaquin tilted his head and I rolled my eyes with a shrug. 

I had no idea how to navigate this situation. Bits and pieces were slowly coming back to me, and I wasn't sure how to deal with the fact that he saw me cry. I didn't want him to look down on me nor treat me any differently. "So rich boy," I looked up from the floor, catching his wink as he headed towards the door, his back muscles flexing with each move he made. "How do you take your eggs?" He raised a brow, daring me to defy him. I felt shy, I didn't know why. "Scrambled with cheese," I muttered and he grinned, and I found that the action lit up sparks inside of my stomach.

"You can take a shower in there," He pointed to the bathroom across from us. "I left you a shirt and the smallest pair of sweats that I could find," He sounded apologetic and it took me a moment to realize that I was in his space, a place so much different than mine. "That's okay," I whispered, downing the pills with a chug of water. This was new territory: letting someone else see me cry, letting someone else hug me as fiercely as he did (Tara didn't count because she still didn't know the backstory), and now, staying in someone else's space.

And the sad part about it was I felt no shame or guilt. There were no voices of Sterling telling me that I was doing wrong. For the first time as I took that step towards the bathroom, I could breathe and fuck, was it a nice breath of fresh air. 

"Just come down when you're done," Joaquin waved me off and I stepped inside of the bathroom, seeing that it was small in size, but it screamed Joaquin. I walked over to the sink, picking up a fresh toothbrush that had a note attached.

For you, your majesty.

-J

I snorted in amusement, rolling my eyes as I began to brush my teeth. Once I was done, I shed my clothes and turned around to turn on the shower. Out of the corner of my eye, a pill bottle that sat on a ledge near the toilet caught my eye. I tilted my head and walked over to pick it up, narrowing my eyes once I figured out what type of prescription it was from its name.