EPISODE FOUR
1044 Words
THE SHOCKING AWAKENING.
Maureen's head pounded slowly, pulling her from her sleep. Her eyelids opened and blinked as the early morning sunlight came in through the windows.
Something felt…off.
She had never slept on something as soft as the bedsheets under her. Expensive cologne and traces of last night's alcohol were still in the air. There were parts of her body that hurt, which made her mind raise suspicions.
She moved a little — and felt it. A solid warm body beside her.
Her breath seized.
She turned her head slowly, almost frightened.
Beside her, a man laid with his bare chest visible through the bedsheets. His arm was casually spread over the space between them, as if he had been holding her as he slept. His dark hair was tossed on the pillow, and his face was turned away.
She felt panic rushing through her body.
She stood to her feet, holding the blanket tightly to her chest as her heart beat fastly. She tried to calm herself by closing her eyes for a while as the action sent another wave of dizziness washing over her.
What have I done?
The question screamed loudly inside her head, but she received no response. Only the fading memories of last night— desperate touches, warmth, lips brushing her skin, and faded whispered words-were all that remained of last night.
She looked around the grand hotel room. The walls had fine touches of gold, and the furniture was clean and modern. The only evidence of her careless decisions was a half-empty glass of alcohol on the tabletop.
Then she saw her clothes scattered all over the floor.
A sharp breath escaped from her throat as she realized what had happened.”
She slept with a strange man and it was her first.
She felt dizzy again, but she wasn't sure if it was from the drink or the fear in her.
I need to get out of this place.
With shaky fingers, Maureen removed the blankets while holding her breath. In the silence, every little movement felt loud. As she slowly dropped her legs down the side of the bed, the cool morning air pierced her bare skin.
The carpet below her feet was soft, but her body felt heavy and weak. She needed to move faster.
Her dress lay in a messy heap near the foot of the bed. She carefully crawled toward it, her fingers hardly touching the fabric when the man beside her moved slightly,
She froze.
She turned her head slowly, hoping he hadn't woken up, her pulse pounding in her ears.
He moved a little, a hand moving across the vacant area she had just left, but he kept his eyes closed. His breathing stayed steady and deep.
She breathed out, shaking.
She grabbed her dress and quickly pulled it over her head with a need to act fast. The soft fabric twisted in her trembling hands as her fingers struggled with the zipper.
Her heels were closer to the chair by the window. Too far, forget them.
She walked toward the door barefooted, fighting the idea that the stranger might wake up at any moment and see her running away like a midnight robber.
Her fingers wrapped around the doorknob's cool metal.
She carefully turned it, hoping it wouldn't sound.
Just as she entered the hallway, her wrist shook slightly. Something had caught on her dress.
She looked down.
Her obsidian bracelet—gone.
Her stomach twisted, but she didn’t dare go back.
With one last rushed breath, Maureen slipped out of the room, disappearing before the sunrise revealed the truth.
Maureen continued to walk fast until she was far away from the hotel. The city was already bustling, with cars speeding past and people going about their morning business. She felt as if she was trapped in a dream and everything seemed out of balance.
She hardly sensed the sting of the cool pavement on her bare feet. Her thoughts were too loud and overwhelmed by regret and confusion.
What had she done?
She had never been this reckless. Never thrown herself into something so blindly, so carelessly.
And yet, last night…
She trembled, wrapping her arms over herself.
She doesn't even know his name.
Did she ask? Did he tell her? She struggled to hold onto the questions, but they faded under the weight of alcohol and emotion.”
But one thing was clear—she had made a mistake.
And she would make sure she never see him again.
Little did she know, the man she had just run from had no intention of letting her disappear so easily.
____
Amos stirred as the soft sound of the window reached his ears. His brows wrinkled slightly before his eyes blinked open.
There was no one beside him on the bed.
He stood motionless for a minute, the traces of sleep still hanging over him. He then sat up, the cool bedsheets falling over his exposed chest.
The cushions still held the scent of jasmine and something clearly feminine.
His eyes moved around the room.
A dress had been quickly thrown on the ground, and a pair of heels had been abandoned close to the window. Also, the bedsheets where she had been moments ago still felt warm.
Who was she?
He wiped his face and tried to piece it together the previous evening, recalling how tired he was after he returned to the hotel late from a business function and how a woman in his bed had surprised him but wasn't unpleasant.
In her drunken state, she held onto him, rubbing her body against his as if she was looking for solace, a way out, or probably both.
And now she was nowhere to be found.
His jaw tensed as he stretched his legs over the bed, placing his feet on the cool floor. Something dark caught his eyes near the pillow.
A bracelet.
He grabbed it up and turned it around in his hands. It was fragile and made of polished black obsidian stones.
A tiny smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
She had left something behind.
And whether she meant to or not, she had given him a reason to find her again.
- Writer
