The Choosing Game

The Hangover

Lilliana's POV:

I woke up from the most exhausting sleep i have ever had with a banging headache in an unfamiliar environment. I held my head in my palms, trying to figure out where i was or how i got here but nothing. I've never been here before. I sat upright looking around the room.

The lights were dimmed enough for me to see and still not bother my mean headache. The room was magnificent. A brown bed with gold frame. Rich coffee brown wallpapers and an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

How did i get here? I can't remember a thing. Why can't i remember? Why was my head pounding? Do i have a hangover? Is this what a hangover feels like? I don't drink.

After recking my brain to a point of migraine, try to recall the events of last night, i remember feeling down about Nick. Then, i remembered Emily leaving. Then, seeing Alex and Amy; I remember how i saw them and i remember being beyond pissed. What else? Nothing.

The door suddenly opened to reveal a sweaty prince in joggers. He took off his headphones and came towards the bed, he had a solemn expression. Why is he here?

"How are you feeling?" He said putting his iPod on the side drawers.

"Strange. Where am i?" I asked groggily, my head was swamped with crazy thoughts.

He looked around, then at me "you are in my room"

Before I could ask further he said "I'm going to go take a shower" and disappeared into the bathroom.

What's wrong with him? I pulled the blanket away and stood up. I went to the vanity mirror and checked myself out. I was in a white night shirt that extended to my knee. My hair was all in knots, my face was flushed, my eyes puffy and my lips slightly swollen. Have I been crying? What happened last night? Did we..? No! I'm beyond confused. I wanted to scream!

I was deep in thought when I heard the door open. I jumped up and turned around. I immediately turned red with embarrassment. Alex came out of the bathroom a towel rapped around his torso, little droplets of water all over his perfectly toned body. My God! And there i was with my puffy face and unruly hair..

I quickly looked away from his burning gaze and started searching for my clothes. "What are you looking for?" His voice boomed

"My clothes." I said sternly. I searched frantically but didn't find anything and finally gave up and sat by the edge of the bed. I looked up to see his sad expression. I sighed audibly "how did i get here? And why is my head pounding?" Asked putting my head in my hands trying to stop the pain.

"You don't remember?" He said kneeling down in front of me, the smell of his expensive cologne filled my nostrils. I was too ashamed to answer. I have never done anything like this, i think i just proved Ruby and co right, why else would i be here? I looked down at my intertwined fingers and shook my head signaling no. He gently place his under my chin and made me look at him, that was when I remembered he was practically naked.

"Can you please.. Ehmm.. Put on some clothes" God! Why am I acting like a school girl having her first crush? My cheeks were burning. He chuckled at my shyness, got up and disappeared into his gigantic closet.

He emerged after a minute with a black v-neck tee and khakis. He went straight to the telephone and called the kitchen to bring up breakfast and to my surprise he called in the palace doctor.

"I think we should talk in the living room" he said gesturing me to the door. I guess he noticed how uncomfortable i was. Well it kind of serves me right, i am now a complete slut.

We stepped into the living room which was connected to his room and sat down. I patiently waited for him to start.

"What do you remember from yesterday?" He asked carefully.

I shook my head, i wanted to cry but i kept it in, it was seriously frustrating not being able to recall a thing "I remember taking Emily to the airport, coming back and sleeping through half of the day. Then Anna woke me up to go out, I remember seeing you flirting with Amy.." I said blurting out the last part. I had no intention of letting him find out that i was thrown of by him flirting with the other girls, i mean why do i even care?

He looked surprised by my outburst but quickly recovered. "Is that all you remember?"

“Yeah..” i nodded slightly.

He was quiet again, i hate the suspense! What happened last night? “What happened last night Alex?” I voiced out my thoughts, i was really panicking now “what did i do? What did we do?” He could hear the fear in my voice as clearly as he could see it in my eyes.

“Calm down” he told me, his lips were acting innocent but there was guilt in his eyes and that scared me “we did not do anything, i would never take advantage of you like that, i swear” i felt relief wash over me and a bit of guilt for doubting him like that. I was about to reply but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Alex opened the door and came in with Dr Grace. She gave me a smile which I reciprocated. "Hello Lilly. How are you feeling today?" She asked nicely

"Hi. Weird. My heading is banging, my stomach feels empty and I can't remember most of what happened yesterday."

She smiled pitifully. I realized what that sounded like " I swear to you I don't ever drink" I quickly defended.

"I believe you" she looked at Alex exchanging a knowing look. He came and sat beside me.

"Lilly I am so sorry, this is all my fault. It is my responsibility to take care of you, a responsibility which i have failed at" he hung his head in shame. What was he talking about? I thought. "Last night you were drugged and almost molested at the club I took you to"

The room went quiet. They were waiting for me to react. I finished processing what he had just told me and turned to Dr Grace looking for further explanation.

"Your virgin drink was laced with opium but thank goodness you only consumed a small amount of it, so it only made you weak then knocked you out for a couple of hours" she explained to me.

Opium? I remember learning about it in school. Opium: a dried latex obtained from opium poppy. Scientific name : papever somniferum. Geographically obtained from Southern Europe. Active ingredient; morphine, codeine, noscapine, papaverine and thebaine. It's referred to as poppy on the streets and is used to induce long lasting intoxication. Weirdly i could remember that but still not a fragment of the horrific thing that happened to me.

"What really happened last night?" I asked Alex sternly, i was feeling really angry that someone would do that to a person.

Before he could talk Dr grace cut in "i'm just going to go send up something for your headache. You are fine now the worst is over" she said

Alex thanked her and walked her our. He came back with a kitchen maid holding a tray of food and some ibuprofen. She had a look of judgement in her eyes as she sized me up, looking at the shirt that i was wearing but she did not dare say a thing. At the moment i could not care less about her. He dismissed her and served me coffee with food. As much as i was anxious for an explanation, i was hungry so i ate with no protest. He sipped his coffee patiently waiting for me for finishing gobbling the food.

I finished and sat down in silence waiting for him to explain. "Yesterday after you erm.. Saw me with Amy, you apparently got pissed off. I don't really know if it was the only reason or not, but you kept flipping me off. When we got to the restaurant you were in a mood. You didn't eat a thing and uhmm.. Ruby made a comment and apparently that was the last straw" he rambled on, i wanted to tell him to get to the point already. "You excused yourself away from the table. I should have checked on you but I wanted to give you space. You didn't come back after a while and I started getting worried so I went to search for you with the guards" he swallowed hard making his Adam's apple bulge.

"I was scared out of my mind thinking of all the things that could have happened to you. I should have been there. Flirting with Amy was a stupid thing to do. Even Ruby. I shouldn't let them treat you the way they do." Why is he saying this? I mean I know he feels bad that i was angry. Why was I even angry? We are in the top three of the competition and he has to pick a wife, that wife will never be me he knows I'm damaged goods and believes it no so, why would he want me?.

I guess its the idea that he is going to be taken that makes me feel attracted to him. Nothing more.. Right? It has to be.

"You were at the bar with your non-alcoholic drink but apparently they put a few drops of the drug as they distracted you. I wanted to rip their heads off for even looking at you!" He reached out and cupped my face in his large palm. "I'm sorry I let those filthy men hurt you. I swear they will pay.. I will make them pay" his eyes swirling with a thousand emotions. It made me remember what Emily said about him being in love with me, she did not know what she was talking about but it made me wonder if it could be true. If this man sitting right in front of me, looking vulnerable could be in love with me.

His simple touch sent million volts of electricity through my entire body. I put my hand over his not wanting him to ever move away, i liked the warmth it provided me with. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It's all my fault. I.." I was cut off by something applying pressure on my lips. It was Alex. His soft warm lips on mine. He tasted like coffee and chocolate. I closed my eyes and melted into the warmth of his body. It was so soft and gentle, like i was a fragile piece of glass and he was careful not to break me. He moved his free arm to my waist and i ran mine through his gorgeous and slightly damp locks.

We pulled away after a while to catch our breaths. His eyes were darkened with pure passion and so were mine. I did not know why i felt ok with what just happened but i was. I don’t even think i remember how it feels like to be kissed, but here i was feeling all sort of feelings.

"Can I ask you something?" He suddenly said sounding afraid. I nodded, not sure i still had a voice.

"Yesterday after I found you, you said somethings that weren't meant to be heard I'm sure most especially by me." He sounded not too sure he wanted to tell me what he was about to.

"What did I say?" My heart was pounding hard.

"You thought i was someone else" he scratched his neck. " you said that he had hurt you for three years and hid something from you. You said you loved and still love him"

Oh my! What have I done?

"Who were you talking about?"