𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐨𝐧|𝟑| [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

Chapter 5

ZARA

My head hurts.

My body hurts.

The sun blinding me through the window is making it worse.

Or, maybe it is the surrounding I am unfamiliar with? White linen beneath me, beer bottles littered the floor and table. I must be in some hotel room, one that smells like sweat and festering alcohol.

Shit, what the fuck happened last night?

Julie, Kerr, and I were at the booth, too many shots and too many hands.

Who's hands?

Who brought me here?

I rushed to my clutch bag, emptying it on the red carpet and grabbing my cell.

12 missed calls. Two from Julie, one from Kerr an hour ago and the rest from Jane.

8 new messages. Jane is fucking frantic; Grace is asking why I am not at work and Kerr has sent a chain of messages asking where I went and who the guy was. Julie also asked where I went.

I wish I knew the answer.

I scoured the room, the bathroom, nothing. No one. I looked out the window, covering myself with a comforter covered in beer. I'm not too far from the club that I don't remember leaving last night.

Me: Jane, I need your help.

Jane: Where are you, lady?

Me: Send Paul to my location, I will attach it. I'm so sorry.

I tucked my cell away again, seeing the battery is about to die. Noticing my dress on the floor, I slid it on, gave up rummaging for my underwear and stared at myself in the mirror.

Whoever I was with last night did a number on me, red marks decorating my whole body, painful bruises on my hips and shoulders.

I don't feel like I've had sex, though. Thank god.

I'm struggling to hold back my tears, one falls anyway.

He would hate me.

I made it to the reception, five floors down in an elevator full of businessmen and women. I stood at the back, mascara down my face, hair a riot and I may as well be naked.

Thankfully, Paul was waiting for me by his black Honda and threw his suit jacket around me, helping me into the car.

We stayed silent the whole drive back, even when I let a few sobs croak from my throat. Jane was waiting for me at the door and wrapped her arms around me when I fell apart, telling her everything.

She was furious that someone would take advantage of me in that state. She claimed that if I don't remember then I was definitely not able to consent to anything in a clear way. Rage took over her, resulting in her calling the cops but I batted the cell out her hand and begged her to drop it.

I felt cheap and having to explain that to strangers made my blood run cold.

I bathed, scrubbed until my skin turned red and cried even more.

Teddy cheered me up, he said mama and yanked my earring out.

"My head is still not fully attached to my body." Julie huffed, head slamming down on the table dramatically. "where did you even go? One minute you were dancing then you vanished." She lifted her head and petted her lip.

I shrugged, popping a chip into my mouth. Julie wanted to grab lunch with me and Kerr, who walked in ten minutes late, apologising and taking a seat next to me. "Feeling fresh, ladies?" he smirked, stealing one of my chips, "I had a great night." He side-eyed me and let his arm fall on the back of my chair.