The Rebound

Tiana Ugh. My head hurts like hell. It feels like I’ve been hit by a baseball bat. I slowly open my eyes, only to shut them again. The bright light peering through the gray curtains were blinding. Wait! Gray curtains… I don’t have gray curtains. My eyes dart open. Okay, so this is definitely not my room. It also just dawns on me that I am naked. Butt naked and feeling a bit sore. I pull the white blanket up closer to my neck. Then, I slowly realize that someone was sleeping beside me. I could feel his breath on my back. Well, I was naked… so I assumed it was a him. I gently look over my shoulder and slowly turn around… Oh God, please let him not be old and ugly. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see his face. He was sleeping soundly. His eyes were closed… revealing those thick, long eyelashes that would make any woman jealous. His nose was perfect and his jaw perfectly chiseled. His dirty blonde hair was covering his forehead and eyes. I resisted the urge of wanting to run my fingers through them. Looking at his tight, muscled chest and arms made me want to pull the blanket that was covering the rest of his body. Jeez, Tiana! Of all the times, you can’t remember s*x with the hot guy! But as I continue to stare at his beautiful face… he looks oddly familiar. I wrack my brain… making it hurt even more. Then, it hits me... it’s the gorgeous dirty blonde haired guy from the bar. The bar. Right. That explains the massive headache. I remember now. I was drowning my sorrows in Vodka after catching my boyfriend of 8 years f*****g someone else. Eight freaking years!!! And he throws it all away for one night of s*x… which I would have gladly given him! So I hit the bar of the hotel next door and I drowned myself in alcohol. Then, I caught his eye… the hot, dirty blonde guy. He was staring at me… then, he was smiling at me. Next thing I know, he was walking towards me… and that’s all I could remember. Fuck, Tiana… how did you end up in his hotel room? I don’t really do random hook ups. Well probably because I was stupidly and blindly in love with Bryan for the past 8 years!!!! You know, my cheating boyfriend.         Well, at least my first one night stand ever was with this hot guy… not that I can remember any of it. But just the same, I mentally give myself a pat on the back. Now, how to escape without waking him up… I carefully get out of bed. Pick-up my clothes… which was scattered all over the floor. I guess I have to go commando though. My black lace panties were ripped. Guess we had a wild night? I think it over for a second if I should leave him a note… but I figured that’s not how one night stands go. So I grab my purse and I make a break for the door. Once I’m in the lobby of the hotel, I check my phone. I have 28 text messages and 16 missed calls… mostly from Kylie – my best friend and a few from the asshole, Bryan. I press 1 on my speed dial as I try to hail a cab. “Tatiana Walsh!! I was worried sick about you. Oh my god, where are you? Are you okay?” Kylie says. “Hey Ky! I’m okay. I’m heading back home. I caught Bryan f*****g someone else last night.” “What?" Kylie was screaming. "What did he do? I’m going to kill that f*****g bastard!”  I could imagine her beautiful face getting all red, her eyebrows were probably arched and her brown eyes darkening. Kylie is my best friend… actually, she’s more like a sister from another mother. We’ve been friends since she moved to LA from Australia back in middle school. We’ve gone through everything together – puberty, puppy love, our obsession with the Backstreet Boys… now K-drama, heart breaks, disappointments and the death of my Dad. She’s my rock. And she's also the reason why we were in Vegas for the weekend.  It was their joint bachelorette and bachelor party. She’s going to get married in two weeks to the love of her life, Stan. She and Stan met through Bryan. Stan is Bryan’s cousin. Kylie joined Bryan and me on one of our trips to New York to celebrate the holidays with his family.  She and Stan immediately hit it off. A month after we left New York, Stan decided he wanted to be with Kylie. He packed up his things and moved to LA. It was one of the sweetest things that Stan’s done for Kylie. He really adores her. And just after 2 years, Stan proposed to her. Well, we always thought that Bryan would propose to me first… given that we’ve been together since college. Kylie and I always daydreamed about how cool it would be if she married Stan and I married Bryan. We would really be part of one family. But I guess that’s not happening now. Finally, a cab! “Airport please.” I tell the driver as I plop on the backseat. “Hey Ky. Sorry to be a party pooper but I’m going to try to catch the first flight out. Can you bring my stuff home for me? I don’t think I can stand to see Bryan right now.” My suitcase was in the hotel room I shared with Bryan. And I really didn’t want to deal with him right now. “Do you want me to go home with you?” Kylie asks. “Of course, not! This weekend is about you and Stan. I’ll be okay.” I reassure her. Of course, I need her… I really do. And I know the moment I say yes, Kylie would leave with me in a heartbeat. But I’m not ruining her bachelorette party just because my boyfriend couldn’t keep it in his pants. “Are you sure – sure, Ti?” She asks. “I’m sure, Ky. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.” I tell her, trying my best to assure her. “Okay… if you’re sure.” She pauses. I know she’s doubting me. “You take care, babe. I’ll see you at home tomorrow. Don’t worry. I’m going to kill that asshole for you.” She adds. And I don’t doubt that. I’m pretty sure that Kylie would. Not that she can literally kill him. But I’m sure that she’ll give Bryan more than her two cents. Thankfully, I was able to take the first flight back home to sunny Los Angeles. Once I get home to the apartment that I shared with Kylie… I take my clothes off and soak myself in a warm bath. As tears rolled down my face… I couldn’t believe it… eight years of my life down the drain. I really thought Bryan was The One. He was the perfect boyfriend. He was tall, handsome and sexy. He was a well-known dentist. He was dependable. We had good s*x… not exciting and not as often as I would like. But we’ve been together for 8 years… the s*x has to die down sometime, right? Besides, we were both busy with work. But he was comfortable. I’ve been so used to him being there. He must have seen a future for us too. I mean, we‘d talk about it… but we had no plans laid out or anything. But who sticks with someone for 8 years if they don’t see a future with them, right? And we’ve met each other’s families already. Oh God. Our families. Do I have to break up with them too? I adored his family. And his parents loved me too. His little sister, Katy… I got along so well with her. I really thought we were happy. Sure, we’d get into fights… but it was never something that we couldn’t get over or fix in a day or two tops. This really sucks. I spent the rest of the day bawling my eyes out and pigging out on all the sweets that I could get my hands on. The next day, I woke up to another terrible headache. I get up and see piles of chocolate wrappers, cookie wrappers and empty ice cream pints on my bedside table. Right. That asshole, Bryan cheated on me. I get up and throw them all in the trash can… including the photo of Bryan and I on my table.  I need my coffee. I had to have good coffee. I check my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My skin was pale as a ghost. My eyes are swollen and my nose is red from all the crying I did yesterday. I felt bloated too... must be the sweets. God, I felt horrible. I looked horrible too! But I really need my coffee! Ah! Who cares? I just got cheated on. It’s normal that I look hideous right? Besides, it’s 7 in the morning on a Sunday. Who am I going to bump into? I tie my long, messy brown hair in a ponytail and tuck it under a baseball cap. I pull on an oversized gray hoodie and a black pair of leggings. I wear a black rimmed pair of glasses in the hopes of concealing my puffy eyes. I slip on a pair of white sneakers, grab my bag and head out the door.   The moment I exit the front door, there was an uptight looking man in a dark navy suit looking straight at me. There were two rough looking men who looked like bodyguards and a black heavily tinted SUV behind him.  “Ms. Tatiana Walsh?” He asks. “And who are you?” I nervously ask. Jeez, Tiana… did you do something else when you were drunk? Oh but yeah, that was in Vegas... and I’m in LA now. Surely they won't follow me all the way here, right? “Please come with us.” He says firmly as he steps forward to grab my arm. I move away from his grip. “Don’t touch me. I don’t know you, why should I come with you? Better get lost or I’m going to scream.” I was starting to panic. “Please, Ms. Walsh. We’re not going to hurt you. Our boss just needs to talk to you. I promise, if you come with us, I will return you back here in one piece.” He pleads. “Why should I believe you? And who the hell is your boss? And what if I don’t come with you?” “Well, we’ve been ordered to take you at all costs.” He gestures to the two bodyguards behind him and they start moving towards me. I raise both hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay. Don’t touch me. I’ll go meet this boss of yours.” I figured they weren’t stupid enough to kidnap me in broad daylight right? They already knew my name and where I lived… so it’s not like I had much of a choice. Truth be told, I was just not in the mood to argue... specially since I knew it was an argument that I was not going to win. So, against my better judgment, I got in the black SUV. Once inside the car, I tried to ask them for the name of their boss… but no one even glanced at me. Surprisingly, we ended up in a nice, high-end, gated community in Beverly Hills. I thought for sure that we’d end up in a beaten down, abandoned warehouse.  But instead, the car stopped in front of a massive, glass-walled, two-story, modern home. It was beautiful. I was busy taking in the details of the house when Mr. Navy Suit interrupted my thoughts. “Ms. Walsh?” He says as holds the door open for me. I get out of the car and continue to admire the beautiful architecture of this home. “Our boss is waiting for you inside.” He gestures towards the front door. I excitedly walk towards the front door. I somehow forgot the fact that I didn’t know who or what was awaiting for me inside those doors. But I was excited to see the interiors of this home. I’m pretty sure it would be amazing. Just as I’m admiring the hardwood double doors, it opens. “It’s you!” I gasped.