Love Is A Losing Game

6|Stranger danger.

Twenty-six. That was the last time I went out clubbing and had a blast that the next morning I woke up in a house that wasn't mine with a killer hangover and aching body. The difference from then and now is that then I was married and I woke up in a house that I familiar to. Now I'm thirty years old, I'm divorced, and I had a one-nightstand with a stranger.

My body aches worse than when I was twenty-six for two reasons. One, I had sex and two, I four years older. Meaning I less energy and more stress.

Rolling on my bed I flutter my eyes open. I really didn't expect last night to end up as wild as it did. The last thing I remember was moving to the dancefloor with Bryce and after that, it's just a blur.

Turning my head to allow the regret of sleeping with my work partner to flood me, I'm shocked.

It's not Bryce.

The man is built like Bryce with lighter brown skin compared Bryce's. He looks very handsome but not really as handsome as Bryce.

This is weird. I thought I'd have slept with Bryce but instead, I'm in bed with this guy. I don't even know what he's name is.

I lift the duvets to confirm my worries. And yep, I'm butt naked.

Fantastic.

"Who are you?" I called out at the naked stranger. He slowly flutters his eyes open.

"Ouch, I'm hurt. I give you amazing sex and you can't even remember my name?" His morning voice is sexy but I'm more concerned about who he is.

I raise an eyebrow at him, silently asking him to answer my question.

"Bryan," he finally answered. A small memory whipped through my mind of when Bryce introduced us.

I sat up but kept the duvet to my body. "You're Bryce's best friend, aren't you?" I question and he gives me a dashing smile.

"Unless he's changed his mind about that, yes," he sat up as well.

With a sigh I looked down on my side of the bed, looking for my clothes. Nothing is what I find.

"Where's my dress, bra and panties?" I look back at Bryan. "If I remember correctly, I tore your panties? Your dress is probably somewhere on the living room floor. Or was it the foyer?" My eyes widen in surprise.

"You have got to be shitting me," I groaned as I cover my face with my hands. "Bryan, could you please go fetch my dress. I need to leave," I mumbled but he seemed to have heard me clearly.

I heard the door open and shut and again after a minute.
"Here you go, babes," he handed me my dress.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I took the dress from him but noticed he wasn't leaving any time soon. I raised my eyebrow at him in questioning.

With a sigh, he turned around to give me some privacy. I quickly stood up and pulled on the clothing. "My heels?" I scattered around the place for them.

Bryan pulled them from the duvet making me raise an eyebrow. "Thank you," I mumbled as I took the heel from him.

"Your phone's on the kitchen counter," he notified me and I nod in response.

With my heels in my hand, I followed Bryan out of his room to the kitchen. A sizzling sound with the smell of bacon came from the kitchen.

Walking in we found Bryce standing shirtless by the stove. My eyes widened at the sight of Bryce shirtless. It was truly a sight.

Bringing myself back to earth I my a beeline for my phone on the island by with my luck, Bryce turns around.

"Detective?" I shut my eyes to spare me of embarrassment but that doesn't really help. "Bryce," I paint on an awkward tight-lipped smile. "Very good morning, isn't it?" He taunted.

"It is, indeed," I grabbed my phone from the counter. "Leaving already? Don't you want some breakfast?" I shook my head in decline.

"I'm good. I'd rather head home now," I lined my lips into a straight line. Silence filled the air between us. It was like we never had a very friendly conversation last night because right now it was very awkward and tension-filled. I don't even know why there's tension but there just is.

"I should..." I point toward the direction of the foyer. He nodded at my suggestion and I headed out of their apartment.

The walk of shame out of Bryce's apartment building wasn't the bad thing. It was the feeling of being ashamed that I slept with his roommate who also happens to be his best friend. And to top it off, I'd forgotten that they were roommates.

The uber ride wasn't that long. Turns out Bryce doesn't live that far from me. Just a fifteen drive away. With a sigh, I entered the pin code to my gate and walked up the driveway to the house.

The moment I entered my house I let out an exhausted sigh. I felt really bad and I don't know why. It's not like it would've been any better if my one-nightstand was Bryce. It would've actually been worse and yet I still feel bad.

Feeling too lazy to head upstairs, I take a shower in the downstairs bathroom. Once I feel a lot fresher I head up to my room to brush my teeth and get dressed for the day. With the amount of alcohol I consumed last night, I think it's best I work-out those toxins.

Dressed in my sports bra, gym shorts and Swift runners, I head over to the kitchen. I drink up some cranberry juice to help with the hangover and grab my water bottle.

Because the gym is just ten minutes away I usually run to and back from the gym. The run is my warm-up so that when I get to the gym I just move onto the serious things.

The run to the gym was intense because not only was it a ten-minute run but the sun is scalding hot today. I'd say it's unnecessarily hot today.

"Tommy," Alice, the gym receptionist, greets me as I walk in. "Hey, Alice," I greeted back.

"Still not smiling," she smirked and I graced her with a sarcastic smile. And I was right! My face does hurt today from all that smiling I did last night. "I'm blessed!" She yelled with a giggle.

"It was a sarcastic smile," I said while I rubbed my cheeks. "And it hurt," she chuckled as I continued into the gym.

Walking into the gym I head straight to the dance studio to stretch out.
I'm stopped in my tracks by the sight of Bryce fully clothed now, but in gym clothes, stretching.

"I'd have to say that you're stalking me now," he joked and I rolled my eyes. "I'm not. This is where I work out on a regular," I walked further into the studio.

"Interesting," he said. "What's interesting?" I quirked up an eyebrow.

He opens his mouth to answer me but my phone rings. I raise my finger up to tell him to 'hold that thought' and answer," Detective Roy, speaking."

"Tommy, we've got a case for you. Call Bryce and get down to the scene."