The Editor's Favorite

Chapter 4

“What?” I sit up, in bed disoriented. 

I rub my eyes and yawn as I try to figure out what woke me when my brain starts to register what my eyes are telling me - I’m not in my bed. The night slowly comes back to me as I turn to look at Darien sleeping peacefully next to me. 

My bladder reminds me that I drank a bit too much last night and I gently rolled out of bed trying not to disturb him. I stumble around the bed and search out the bathroom. 

Once I finish my business in the bathroom, I realize this is the perfect chance for me to get out of here. I tiptoe around the room, hoping against hope that I don’t wake him as I gather my discarded clothes on the floor.  I leave him asleep in bed, heading to the elevator. I pause for a moment as I push the call button for the elevator, wondering if I should leave my number or a thank you note or something. What is the etiquette here?

I shake off the thought and as the elevator doors close, I can’t help but wistfully wish that I could stay and see him again, but things like that only happen in fairy tales. 

--

“Holy moly, my head hurts,” I gasp as the afternoon sun streams into my bedroom. Why are the curtains open? I squint at the rude sunlight streaming into my new bedroom. Sigh. Oh, that’s right. I haven’t put up curtains yet. I groan, grabbing a nearby pillow to cover shield my sensitive eyes from the sun. Just a few more minutes.

“Has Sleeping Beauty decided to join the rest of us in the real world?” Samantha asks loudly as she enters my room, closely followed by Lindsey. 

I groan again as I twist around to see my lovely, but annoying, roommates enter my room. I glance around in a daze and after clearing my throat a couple of times I grab the bottle of water on my nightstand. 

“What are y’all doing here? What time is it?” I use the moment to guzzle some water.

“We’re clearly here for all the sordid details,” Lindsey says as she sits on the edge of my bed. “But we’re also starving, so we’re here to drag you to brunch as well.”

“I need bacon,” Samantha moans. “And a waffle.”

“I can get behind that.”

We spend the next thirty minutes cleaning up and throwing on vaguely fashionable, but comfortable, clothes to head to our favorite brunch spot. 

Soon we’re seated in a hole in the wall restaurant that has an enclosed patio in the back. It’s super cute and hasn’t been listed on any of the trendy brunch spot lists yet, so there’s no wait for a table. 

“Ugh,” I groan as the minimal sunlight starts to penetrate my hungover haze. “Why did we leave the apartment? We could’ve ordered bacon and waffles wearing our pajamas.”

“Because I wanted to have brunch with you! Is that a crime?” Lindsey asked disingenuously.

“It is when I’m this hungover,” I answer as I exaggerate shielding my eyes from the sun.

Lindsey smirks, “Want my sunglasses?”

“No,” I answer. Dropping my dramatic act of seeking shelter. “The light isn’t really bothering me too badly, but the smell of alcohol still does. How in the world can you be drinking a mimosa right now?”

“Helps with my hangover,” Sam says, shrugging. 

“Y’all are crazy,” I say as I stare blankly at the menu, I know it by heart and already know what I'm ordering.

We pause our conversation as the waiter stops to take our orders. As he walks away, I can feel the two sets of eyes staring at me from across the table. I decide to just jump in, I honestly just don’t have the brainpower to do much else. 

“It was amazing. He lives in this swanky apartment that looks right over the water. He has a beautiful body, he went down on me and knew what he was doing. The man pleasured me three - THREE - times. As soon as he fell asleep, I snuck out.” I say quickly and in one breath. 

By the time I’m finished, both girls have their mouths hanging open, drinks were forgotten on the table. 

“Three times?”

“You SNUCK OUT?

“THREE TIMES B*TCH!”

I laugh at their comical reactions, “Listen, girls, it was a great night but you saw that man, it was going to be a one-night stand. Better I leave of my own will than be thrown out in the morning.” I shrug softly as I finish.

“Hmmm,” Samantha said skeptically. “I don’t know if I would’ve left a man that looked like that, alone in bed after he pleasured me three times. He would’ve found me in his kitchen cooking pancakes in the morning.”

“Burning pancakes is more like it,” I say laughing as the food arrives.