Chapter Six: How did I end up here in her room?

 A D A M

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing in my pocket. My head hurts so bad as soon as I get up. 

Where am I? 

Why is Justin calling me three in the morning? 

I slide my finger across the screen of my phone to decline his call. 

I hold my head with my hand as I look around the unfamiliar white-painted room. Then I feel someone shifts next to me. And when I look down, Naya’s face appears under the covers. 

 Why I am here? 

How did I end up here in her room? 

Last night…

Right, Justin and I were at the bar place nearby the restaurant Chloe left me and Naya in. I called him right after Naya walked out on me. Perhaps I didn’t handle it well when she confided to me why she hates me so bad. When she also told me that she wouldn’t have come if she have known it would be me that Chloe was bringing with her. 

Sometimes, I want to ignore the pain from those words, but last night it hit differently. So I decided to go drink it off, hoping it would somehow numb the pain. 

I look over her dresser across the room. My hoodie is folded and lying on top of it. It would be good if I leave before she wakes up. 

But as I get up, her bed makes a squeaky sound that flutters her from sleep. Her eyes are opening as soon as I glance at her. 

“Adam?” She says, rubbing her eyes. 

I freeze up at the sound of my name under her voice. Though it sounds better when she says it, I try to act normal.

What should I tell her? 

“Hey, I’m really sorry about this,” I tell her and get my feet on the floor, ready to leave. 

Naya sits on the bed and faces me. “No. It’s really fine. It’s fine.” She says, her voice still sounding hoarse from the sleep. 

It gets quiet for five seconds.

“Did my friend drop me here last night?” 

“Yeah. Justin was it?” 

I nod, still holding my head. “What did he tell you?” 

Naya looks away from me the second I ask. Then she lifts her eyes back at me, “Nothing much. Someone called him and then left you with me.” 

“Ugh. I can’t believe he did that. Thank you.” I bow my head. “Again, I’m really sorry. ” I say. 

This is a huge burden on her. It’s not a piece of cake to take care of a drunk person. She must have had a difficult time taking of me last night. I don’t know how I behave whenever drunk, and I don’t want to know. 

She smiles at me before saying, “It’s really fine, Adam. You were drunk so I had no choice. I can’t let you sleep on the streets.” She releases a short laugh.

 I join her for a moment before we turn into silence again. 

Her room looks so clean and collected with her floral scents. Her books are piled neatly into a bookshelf next to her door. Her bed is against her window. And I can already picture out the sun every morning behind her as wakes up. She doesn’t have too many decorations in her room except for the photographs plastered all over that one wall facing her bed. 

I point to it. “Did you take all of those?” I can’t hide my curiosity away. 

Naya's eyes follow where my finger is pointing, then she slowly shakes her head, “Some of them are found at random places. Some are given to me. A few are taken by me. I really love having a collection of photographs, it makes me see a whole different perspective on people, things, and places.” Her smile grows as her eyes are studying and appreciate the wall. 

I love that she opens up something about herself that she loves. It makes me think that we don’t really know each other. And this little fact about her urges me to know her more. 

I walk towards the wall. “Which is your favorite?” 

To my surprise, she rustles to my side. “This.” Her face smiles brightly. I can’t help but linger my eyes on her before returning back my attention back to the photo. 

It’s a photograph of a landscape where there is a sun rising up between the mountains and a silhouette of someone in front of the scene. 

“Is this you?” I lean closer to the wall, pointing at the silhouette. 

“No. It’s my best friend.” 

“Is it Chloe?” I ask. 

When Naya doesn’t answer right away, I glance to the side to check on her. 

“Is everything all right?” I ask, touching her shoulder.

“Yeah.” She nods her head. 

“Naya?” I whisper. 

She tears her eyes away from the wall and looks up at me. “Yeah? What is it?” 

“I really like this side of you right now. I don’t want this moment to end.” I lean down closer to her so our eyes meet at the same level. 

She glances away with a hint of guilt showing in her eyes, “Adam. I…” She stammers. 

She continues, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings last night. I just… I don’t know you at all. And every time you’re near… all I feel is…” There is a hesitation in her. 

“ You can tell me,” I say softly as I touch her shoulder with my other hand so both of my hands are on her. And she’s not even pulling away from me, but I feel her flinches a little under my touch. 

“I feel angry at you for some reason. Afterward, I would feel extremely guilty for the words I said.” She says, fixing her eyes back to me and in this second I can sense her frustration and honesty. 

It’s obvious now that she’s trying hard not to be it, that she’s just losing control of herself. 

“I just want to know what made you so angry at me.” 

“Because you showed up at my favorite place and all the places I go to. Literally, everywhere. It’s like you do it on purpose to annoy me.” 

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose. I’m not trying to annoy you most of all. ” I shake my head, preventing myself from smiling. 

But Naya smiles. 

“Well, I don’t know why we on keep bumping into each other.” She says in a chuckle. 

“It must be fate,” I utter when I shouldn’t. Not yet. 

“Pfft,” A smirk formed on the side of mouths. “Fate? As if it’s true.” I can hear the bitterness in her voice as she speaks. 

“What? You don’t believe in fate? Or you don’t believe in love? ” I ask.

“In those two, I don’t.” She declares certainly. 

“What makes me you think they’re not true?” 

“I’m not saying they’re not true. I just… okay… I have doubts.” 

“Did something happen in the past that-” 

 “The marriage of my parents sucks. I was cheated on, multiple times before. Maybe that’s why.” She says, cutting me off. I’m quite taken aback by her speaking up but her parents and past relationship experience all of a sudden. But what struck me the most is the mention of her parent's marriage. 

It feels like for the first time, I have someone who shared the same story with me: a complicated life with our families.

When Naya notices my silence, she moves back to her bed to sit on it. “I know that’s too much information but I feel better finally saying it to someone. For so long I was keeping it inside me. Nobody in my circle of friends knows but you, Adam. I don’t know why I’m trusting you with this.” She rubs her neck. She bends over as she leans her arms on her lap and buries her face in her hands in frustration. 

It must be hard keeping things herself. 

I walk towards her. I kneel in front of her and carefully remove her hands from her face, “I know you said you don’t know me at all, but you can trust me, Naya.” 

Our eyes meet and are glued to each other. 

“I assure you. It’s safe with me.”

She slowly nods her head without leaving my gaze. “Okay.” 

My smile grows when she drops her head to my chest. 

“Are we alone?” I ask her. 

“No. My parents are sleeping in their room. Only my mother knows you are here.” She says while her head is still on my chest. 

She’s still lucky to have them on the same roof, though. Unlike me, I don’t have both of my parents together. 

I don’t know if it’s my turn now to open up about them since Naya already has, but it seems like it doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing will change even if I tell her about it. 

Naya lifts her head and pulls herself away from me, “Why did you ask if we’re alone? Are you planning something?” 

“What? No? Not at all.” I say waving my hands in defense. I move away from her and choose to sit on the floor. 

Then she starts laughing, throwing her head back. 

 It’s good to see this playful side of her. If only we could stay like this forever. 

“Why are you laughing?” 

She shakes her head, still laughing. 

“What?” I ask again, trying to remain serious.

 I can’t help but smile and adore the way her eyes form into a line as she laughs. 

“You should see your face.” She says. 

“Sorry what?” I pick myself up from the floor and sit next to her on the bed. “Did you just make fun of me?” 

“No. I didn’t. I just…” She purses her lip to prevent the smile from showing up on her face. 

“You just did. And you’re going to pay for it.” I say in a playful warning. 

Her face drops back into serious as she locks eyes with me. Her hair falls down to the side of her face. My fingertips slide it away and keep it behind her ear. Her eyes drop to my lips and then back to my eyes. This time, my eyes drop to her lips while I draw near to her that I can feel her warm breath against my face. 

She closes her eyes as I touch her face with my hand, “Would it be okay for you if I kiss you?” I know I have to ask permission because I won’t afford it if she will hate me more doing it. It’s been a good thing we’re getting along with each other even just one night. 

She nods her head without saying a word. 

“Are you sure?” I ask again. 

“Just do it before I change my mind,” Naya says, her voice being firm and decisive. 

Right after she said that I pull her into me and touch my lips to hers. It takes us a few seconds before we move along with each other’s kiss as she places her palm behind my neck. She pulls me closer to her while running her fingertips to my hair. 

I tilt my head to the other side while I continue giving her a passionate kiss. 

There’s something about this that I can’t explain. It’s like we are making it all up to the fights that we had. To the mean words that we threw at each other. To the pain I had. To everything that we feel. And the longing for touch and a connection like this. It’s like it’s all that we needed, but didn’t know until this moment. 

Maybe, she’s allowing me to do this. And allowing herself to have this moment with me. For us to feel this way before everything turns back to the way it was. And I don’t want to go back. I want us to stay still while we move forward. 

“Adam,” she whispers through the kiss. 

I pull away from her, “What is it?” 

Her eyes are half-closed. She opens her mouth to say something but closes it back. She pulls me again by the arms and kisses me deeper. I move along to the flow of her kisses. 

I gently lay her down to the mattress without breaking our mouths apart from each other. She inserts her hand inside my shirt. I can feel the warmth of her touch to my skin that I want to touch hers, but I can’t.

 Not yet. 

Naya pulls away from me when she notices my hesitation. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks, breathing hard as she runs her eyes on my face. 

I shake my head, “Nothing.” I say, avoiding her gaze. 

“No. Tell me.” She insists. 

“I just… I gotta go.” 

I get up from the bed. I can see the pain in her eyes as she watches me move away from her. 

“Your jacket is on the dresser you can have it back. I washed it last night.” Her voice is so quiet and hurt at the same time. 

I don’t grab it. Instead, I put on my shoes. Why am I acting like this? It’s not her fault that I am so afraid that if I touch her, I wouldn’t be able to stop. That I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to stop what we were doing and going to do. 

I want to take it slow with her. 

After I finished tying my shoelaces, I turn to face her. “Thank you for letting me sleep here last night. I have to keep going and get ready for school. You should, too.” 

Naya just nods her head. 

I stay still, waiting for her to say something because I know that those eyes want to tell me something. But she turns her gaze to the side, avoiding my eyes. When she still doesn’t speak, I start to walk towards her door. 

“Adam?” She calls, her voice is nervous. 

I quickly turn around and walk back to the bed. 

“Do you regret kissing me?” Her voice is so small. 

“What? No? What makes you think of that?” I rush to her side and my knees meet the floor. 

Is this what she’s been meaning to say for the last five minutes? 

“When you… we stopped. I saw the way your-” 

I cut her off by kissing her on the lips. But it has to be quick just to assure her that what’s she’s thinking right now is wrong. Because I’ll never regret kissing her. 

“I don’t, Naya. And I won’t regret every single second of it.” I look inside her eyes until I find the hope inside it glitters. 

Her smile appears back on her face. 

“Okay.” She says, nodding her head. She gives me a peck on my lips before I get up and leave her in her room. 

When I step out of her house, I check the time on my phone, it says 5:36 A.M. Then my eyes read the text from an unknown number on the lock screen. 

Hey, Adam. This is Tanya. I had a really great time last night. Btw, you dropped your bracelet in my car. The memories last night begin to unfold when I read the message sent to me.