Under the spotlight

Chapter 14: Sloth

Imagine my surprise when I woke up in some stranger's bed with not any memories whatsoever. My head was spinning and the sunlight was pushing me to keep my eyes shut. I tried very hard to recall last night events but the last thing I remembered was pouting at Nikolai for more alcohol.

NIKOLAI, my mind rushed to find answers that were not coming. Whose bed was this? Why hadn't I gotten home? What happened? all those questions without truth behind them.

I breathed and took a second to gather my surroundings. The enormous bed was the center of the room, with its blankets and pillows. There were playbill poster sticked on the walls, 'The lion King' 'Chicago' 'Heathers' and many many more, almost twenty.

There was also a black wooden desk with a computer and books piled up besides it. On the bed's left was a foot-lamp and on the right I saw a water bottle, aspirins and a yellow-paper note on top of a night stand. I quickly grabbed the first two things and shoved the pill down my throat. After that I picked the note up and started reading.

'Good morning little one, here you have water and an aspirin, please take them when you find them, it'll help with the hungover. I'll probably be downstairs when you read this note so don't worry. We need to talk about what happened.

One more thing, you can take a shower if you want to, there's clean clothes on the sink.

- Nikolai'

My cheeks turned bright red and I bit my lip while staring at the paper. What did we need to talk about? Oh, maybe the fact that I'm on his bed? In that moment I glared at my "casual" outfit, his shirt. I was wearing his fucking shirt. What the hell had I done and why couldn't I remember?

Stepping out of the bed I went to the bathroom. It was the first door next to the night stand. Like the bedroom, it was modern, white marble for the counter and a huge tub in the center. A big window gave view to hills and I wondered where the hell we were? This surely wasn't near campus.

I noticed a change of clothes waiting on the countertop and I was relieved to see my purse with it. I winced at it and got my phone out, I had miscalls from Sarah and messages from my granny asking how my dance with Matthew had gone. I sighed, tipped a quick answer to Sarah saying where I was an then left the phone back in my purse.

I turned to look at my reflection, my hair was messy and the bandages I had put in my palms were not there anymore. My heart was beating out of its chest and I had to embrace myself to calm down. This was probably what he wanted to talk about, maybe he thought I was harming myself on purpose or worst, that I had committed suicide. The scratches on my legs were still visible and I hadn't tights on anymore.

I exhaled and inhaled once, twice and then got back to earth. Whatever he had seen or thought I was going to dismiss it, that was the plan, yes. I went to the shower and turned the water on, while waiting for it to heat I took the shirt out and my underwear as well.

When letting the water fall over me I sighed, this was not my usual self. I never drank, never. Tiny glints of things would eventually come back, like laughing with Joshua or Nikolai's beautiful gaze, but they were short fragments which didn't add knowledge to my memory loss.

The water had helped to dime my headache and the aspirin was finally starting to hit. I was feeling much better but I needed food, my stomach was growling for breakfast. I closed the water tap and grabbed a towel to dry my body off. I felt like being finally cleaned after the hangover and even though I still felt a little bit heavy it was nothing compared to when I had woken up.