004

Camille:

Several thoughts went through my head as I ran into my room and locked the door. I didn’t know what to do.

If I called the cops and someone found out it was me, I’d never live it down. I always hated people who were so prissy to do that and I couldn’t imagine myself being such a party pooper even if the party was at my house and without permission.

Sighing, I dialed Lucia’s number and stormed around nervously in my room as I waited for her to answer. I switched the lights on and jumped when I noticed movement on my bed.

“Hey, do you mind?” The guy in my bed said breathlessly as he shielded his eyes from the light. There was a girl under him, doing god knows what under my covers.

My eyelids twitched and I felt something crawl over my body- disgust.

“Get the hell out of my room!” I yelled with a voice that didn’t sound like mine.

“Girl, relax…” the girl said with a bored expression.

“You don’t know me, so don’t call me ‘girl’ like we’re supposed to be friends,” I said with a finger pointed at her face. “If you don’t leave my room in the next sixty seconds, I’ll empty a whole gallon of water on both of you.”

The couple looked at each other and scoffed, but luckily, they took my threat seriously and got down from my bed. I averted my gaze until they were both dressed up and out of the room, then I banged the door behind them.

“…hello? What’s happening? Say something Camille,” Lucia’s voice said over the phone I had forgotten was still on.

“Your stupid brother came by early and you didn’t bother to tell me?” I asked her angrily.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.

“Don’t call my brother stupid,” she said and I slapped my hand on my face.

“I got back to find the whole house filled with people with loud music. I even found two people going at it in my room. I think your brother is even doing coca*ne. Do you know how shocked I was? The least you could do was tell me.”

“I’m sorry, Cam. I was so caught up with ward duty I forgot to tell you. Just permit him for one night, please,” Lucia pleaded. “I’ll talk to him when I get back.”

I shook my head. “I’m calling the cops.”

“Camille!” She snapped at me from the other end. “Don’t do that to him. You know he’s depressed. Let him just let it out of his system this one night, please.”

“He didn’t seem depressed to me,” I muttered, shutting my eyes when I remembered what happened in the kitchen.

“I know I’m asking for a lot here and you really deserve to be angry, but please don’t do anything. I’ll talk to him in the morning when I get back, okay?”

I sighed. “Okay.”

“Thank you. You’re the best. I love you. Sorry, gotta go. One of the patients shoved a bottle of shampoo up his butt and we all have to be there to get it out,” she said and ended the call.

I held my breath and removed my bedcovers from my bed, sprayed an anti-bacterial spray on the foam before replacing them with new ones. I was so disgusted with everything, but there was nothing else I could do.

Unfortunately, the bathrooms in the apartment were outside the room and I just couldn’t risk running into someone out there.

I placed my noise canceling headphones in my ear and lay on the bed, wishing the night would end as soon as possible. I didn’t know when I fell asleep.

***

When I woke up the next morning, I groaned because my head hurt from the headphones I had slept in. When I took them off however, the house was quiet. I checked the time and shrieked when I discovered it was almost nine in the morning.

I had gone to bed late and extremely tired because of the people at the party and now I was late for school. My body was in so much pain I couldn’t even imagine standing up to prepare.

I tried going back to sleep but no position was comfortable enough. Groaning, I got out of bed and opened my door silently, hoping I wouldn’t find anyone laying on the floor or something.

The rest of the house was just a mess like I predicted, with empty beer cans and liquor bottles littered everywhere. I got to the living room to find Lucia helping some people who had slept over out of the house in their hungover state.

I shook my head and entered the kitchen to get a glass of water. I hadn’t joined them in the party yet I could feel my bones creak inside my body. I leaned by the counter but jerked up and left the kitchen to the dining room when I remembered what had happened there.

“You’re finally up,” Lucia said when she spotted me.

“Why did you lie to me about your brother?” I asked the first thing that came to my head.

“Lie? What did I say?”

For starters, you forgot to mention he was the hottest man I had ever seen…

“That he’s depressed and quiet. And that I won’t even notice he’s here,” I said instead.

“People have different ways of coping with depression,” she said.

“How does he even know so many people here?”

She shrugged. “This used to be his apartment three years ago when he was doing a course here in New York.”

Ok. That made sense.

“I don’t think I can go to school today. I’m so tired,” I said with a yawn. “I feel sick.”

Lucia placed the back of her hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up. You might have a fever. You’ll have to stay home.”

She brought out a small towel and doused it in water before placing it on my head. It was such a relief.

“Thank you,” I told her with a smile. “Where’s he anyway?”

“He’s probably still…oh he’s right here,” she said and I stilled.

I felt him even before I heard his voice.

“I’m so f*cking hungover right now. Have you got any aspirin?” He asked with a rasp in his voice.

“It’s in my room. I’ll go get it,” she said and disappeared into the house. She didn’t even admonish him for what he did last night like she promised.

Daniel groaned as he sat on the dining chair opposite me, and squinted his eyes when he noticed me.

My breath quickened when he settled his gaze on me and I suddenly felt so self-conscious. I gulped down the water in front of me just so I wouldn’t have to look at him.

What the hell was wrong with me? Every nerve in my body was running amok just because he was looking at me. The intensity of his stare made me remember so vividly, how his fingers had trailed up my spine, how he had told me he wanted to f*ck me and the memory of his thick cock twitching when I found him in the kitchen completely naked…

How long was it going to take Lucia to get that aspirin!

“Hey,” he said and I was forced to look at him. My heart was pounding in my chest as the possibilities of what he would say to remind me about last night went through my head. His lips curled up in a smirk as he looked at me with that gaze that made me feel as though he could see through my skin.

“Mm,” I muttered because I couldn’t get my brain to form any actual words.

“I could only find two tablets so take them for now. I’ll get another pack from the pharmacy later,” Lucia said, appearing from inside, and gave her brother the tablets. She must have noticed my discomfort because she stared at me and furrowed her brows. “What’s going on?”

“I was just introducing myself to her,” Daniel said and stretched his hand out toward me. I shook it. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Daniel and you must be Camille, my sister’s roommate.”

My mouth hung open in disbelief. Did he really not remember me? He was drunk and high as a bat last night, but would he look at me like that if he really didn’t remember what had happened?

Maybe it was for the best. I’d rather act like last night never happened since he probably didn’t remember.

I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”