7 - Lost something valuable

"Ssshhh! Shut up!" She whispered-shouted simultaneously when an annoying sound continuously pierced her eardrums, waking her up from her deep slumber.

"Umm!" That freaking hurts. A shooting pain spread throughout her skull as she tried to open her eyes. Automatically, her hands rubbed her temples as the throbbing in her head intensified.

Damn! What was that?

She grabbed her pillow on both sides of her head and tried to cover her ears. But it was a futile effort as the ringing in her head persisted.

Eventually, she gave up, squinting her eyes against the bright light and searching for the offending clangor.

Kring! Kring! Kring!

Oh!

It was her phone ringing.

"Ahh!" She groaned again when a sharp pain shot through her skull when she abruptly moved to reach for her phone on the nightstand.

"Damn! Hangover." She mumbled as she forced herself to answer her persistent caller as the phone began ringing again.

"Yes!" She irritatedly responded to the caller while rubbing her forehead and the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"Tell me you're dying, or else I'll kill you myself." She said threateningly to her friend, whose name appeared on the screen.

She just wanted to end the call immediately, return to sleep, and end her suffering.

"Where are you, Charlie? Do you know what time it is?" The alarmed voice of her friend suddenly made her jump out of bed. "Jack is going berserk, looking for you."

Then, she stared at her phone, blinking twice to check the time. Suddenly, she dropped the phone on the bed as if it had just bitten her.

"Fuck!" She cursed when she realized she had overslept.

Oh no! She was late for her photoshoot.

What just happened? She never woke up late. She had always been an early riser, a morning person. But now, it was already mid-morning, seeing the sun was way up outside the windows.

But damn! She had never had a hangover before.

"Charlie? Charlie, are you still there?" Her friend's voice resonated from her phone's speaker, reminding her she was still on an ongoing call.

Quickly, she picked up the phone on the bed, only to notice that the linens were strange. Then, her eyes wandered around the room, finding herself in unfamiliar territory.

But that was not all.

She also discovered she was wearing someone else's shirt. Visibly, it belonged to a man, seeing it was way too big for her.

"What the hell!" She quickly closed her eyes, trying hard to recall what happened to her the other night while running her fingers through her messy ginger hair.

Geez!

Where were her clothes?

"Charlie, what's going on? Anyway, where are you?" Her friend sounded concerned, probably hearing the slight panic in her voice.

"I don't know." She responded, confused as she rummaged her brain for a clue.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Her friend asked, sounding baffled by her answer. "By the way, where did you go last night? You just vanished. I thought you went home."

She thought so too. Now, she had precisely the same question.

Fuck!

What the heck, Charlie! What did she do last night?

She could not help but curse herself as flashbacks of last night finally flooded her memories.

Oh my!

She was not expecting that as she sat on the edge of the bed, piecing together the pieces of the previous night's events.

"Anna, can you just stall Jack for me? I will be there in a few minutes." She was not about to explain herself to her friend on the phone.

"Hey, Charlie. Are you sure you're ok?" Her friend worriedly asked again.

"I am. Just help me out with Jack. Please, Anna." She knew she had to show up at the studio before Jack lost his patience with her.

She could not risk pissing him off since this was the last job she had. After breaking up with Collin, her career in the modeling business just went on a nosedive.

Her prospective offers suddenly vanished. Now, she could barely get an audition. But even if she got one, she doubted they would select her for the job.

"Please, Anna. I can't get fired. I'll explain everything later." She pleaded with her friend before ending the call.

She believed Collin might be behind this propaganda against her. He banned and cut her off from the industry while leaving her with no choice but to return to him.

But for now, she had no time to dwell on that as she faced her immediate situation. She had to get out of there.

But where was she?

More importantly, where was he?

Well, so far, there was no sign of him around.

"Great job, Charlie!" She chastised herself for putting herself in this awkward situation.

But in her defense.

Heartbreak!

Alcohol!

Those are two dangerous combinations in her book. It had completely messed up her head and ability to make rational decisions.

Now, she had a splitting headache, a terrible hangover, and a night that was more likely another mistake.

"Come on, Charlie. Move your ass." She had to get out of there before he returned. The last thing she needed was the awkward confrontation after what happened the previous night.

She suspected the room must be his, judging from the minimalist furniture, lack of decorations, and almost bare walls. This place must be his home.

"Damn it! A hickey? Really?" She blurted, glancing at her reflection in the mirror when she changed back into her dress, which she luckily found neatly folded on a nearby chair.

"Just great." She sighed exasperatedly. It was in full display on her neck, just under her ears, for everyone to see.

She grabbed a handful of her hair and spread it across her shoulders, hoping it would, at least, partially cover the offending red mark on her skin.

"What now?" Just when she thought nothing else could go wrong, her dress had a tear on her right side, making it difficult to secure the clothing from exposing parts of her upper body.

Couldn't this day get any worse?

Luckily, she found one of his sweatshirts hanging on the chair. She did not have a second thought about borrowing it to cover her torn gown.

"I promise to return it one day." She muttered in the air as she rushed out of the room, tiptoeing in the corridor and hoping not to bump into him.

But as she turned into a corner, she noticed him on the kitchen counter, speaking on his phone. He was undoubtedly the man from last night and the other night.

He was the man who haunted her dreams, even her waking hours, no doubt about it.

Damn! "Mmm!" How could he look so good?

She suddenly felt guilty as she discreetly ogled him behind her hiding spot. She believed her imagination did not give him justice.

In truth, he was far better looking in reality with his shirt off and sweat glittering his bare chest than in her dreams.

"Damn!" She could not look away, assuming he had just returned from the gym after an intensive workout.

What are you doing, Charlie?

She should be running for the hills, not enjoying the show as his chest muscles flexed each time he paced the room.

Quickly, she turned away from him, noticing a door on the other side of the floor, guessing that it must be the exit from his apartment.

"Ouch!" But in her haste, she stupidly caught her foot on a table. Then, her movement caused the empty vase to shake and roll.

"Oops!" Luckily, she caught the fragile piece before it turned into tiny pieces on the floor.

She carefully replaced the seemingly expensive object on the table before she rushed to the door, before he became aware of her presence.

"Geez, that was close." She only breathed when she was finally out of the main door and on the street.

But in her hurry, she bumped into a man who was also rushing opposite her, sending her spiraling out of control until she landed on her ass on the pavement.

"Watch it!" She shouted, but the man just gave her the finger as he strode away.

Quickly, she stood on her feet, held her phone and clutch bag, and dusted her dress and hands before flagging down a cab.

She wished she could return home to change, but it was not an option as he instructed the driver to drive her straight to the studio.

"If you hurry, I'll give you a tip." She told the driver, concentrating on making herself presentable through the rearview mirror.

Meanwhile, as Charlie sped away, a woman accidentally stepped on an item on the street. "Wow! It must be my lucky day." The woman whispered as she picked up the object on the concrete floor.

Then, she walked away.

On the other hand, Charlie was completely unaware that she might have lost something valuable as she rushed to the studio, worrying about keeping her job.