Waking up is always tough for me. The bed feels too comfortable, and the soft, fluffy blankets wrapped around me like a cocoon... I can't and do not want to escape this bed. I'm surrounded by warmth, and a scent lingers in the air. Something heady and intoxicating.
Wait. Where am I? I still have my clothes on, so that's a relief… As I open my eyes, I can see that I'm in a massive bed, in an equally large room. Across from me, an old dresser stands, a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. Everything feels vintage, but modernized with touches of color. The whole room is in shades of black, gray, and silver. The only real colors are the wooden floors and the fake fur plaids.
I can hardly gather the strength to get out of bed. The musky scent, the heat, the lingering exhaustion… They all weigh me down, keeping me still. My phone buzzes, finally bringing me back to reality. Five new messages. Oh shit !
Amy:
Hey, what time are you coming back?
Hellooo ?!
Oh my god, you're doing it !
I want to know everything when you get back !
Hey, don't take too long this morning, I'm not doing your share of chores !
Deirdre:
I'm fine, I'm okay. I'll be home soon.
A deep sigh escapes me as I gather the courage to leave the bed and step into the hallway, on the lookout for the owner of this place. I never thought I'd end up here. Especially not like this, in such a modestly chaste way. The scent of cinnamon pulls me toward the kitchen, where an unexpected sight awaits: David, dressed only in black pajama pants, holding a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls straight out of the oven. The sight of his torso, muscles finely outlined under his skin, steals my breath for a moment.
"Did you sleep well?" Oh my… His voice is even lower and rough in the mornings.
"Hmm, yeah. I didn't think I'd fall asleep like that. I'm so sorry"
"Don't worry. I just carried you to my room and slept on the couch. Let's just not mention this to anyone… HR might not be thrilled." He carried me ?! Like, princess carried me ? Instead of leaving my asleep ass on the couch ?
I smile at him, silently approving. Yeah HR would not love this. It would definitely cause a scandal. Even if everything was innocent, coworkers shouldn't be sleeping at each other's places after a night out. Especially with our history of teacher-student dynamics. I was his student, I could be accused of selling myself for good grades and a job. Amy is going to be in shock when she finds out, even though she's been expecting this for years. She knows what I dream about some nights, and since then she's become almost obsessed with the idea of us as a couple. But for now, I'll just enjoy the cinnamon rolls, the tea, and the view, while avoiding the interrogations I'm sure are coming.
***
As soon as I step into the building's lobby, Amy is there, waiting on the landing, arms crossed and looking all too judgmental. She looks like a worried mother when she is like that.
"Hurry up!" She urges me.
I take the stairs two at a time, rushing into our apartment before collapsing onto the old black sofa covered by a Ouija printed soft blanket. Amy follows and sits down in her red Chesterfield armchair, the one she always claims is hers.
"Everyone saw you two leave the bar together. But no one saw you come back with me." She states this simple fact.
"Oh. We just ate at his place, talked, and I might have fell asleep on the couch." What can I tell her ? She states a fact, I state one too.
She lets out a big sigh, her body relaxing slightly. Just in time for me to drop the bomb that will keep her imagination running.
"And then I woke up in his bed, apparently." As the words leave my mouth, they seem strange.
"What?!" Here we gooo. She is not relaxed anymore , that's for sure.
"I just slept! He carried me to his room and took the couch."
Her nails dig into the arm of the chair, and she gives me a look of complete disbelief.
"I don't believe a single word of that! You have the biggest crush on him, and he carried you to his bed just to leave you there alone ?"
"Well, that's fine with me… You know we can't do that. I was his student, we work together. What a mess it would be..." Well, that's a fact that hurt for sure...
"Yeah right… So, what's his place like?"
The shock and disappointment quickly fades away, and now all the curiosity kicks in. I describe the whole thing. The style, the organization, and the strange collection he keeps. She's going to have even more fantasies about us now. About how my collection of dead things and I might one day be permanent guests in his home. As I answer her questions, I can't help but think about his bed. Even though I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, his scent lingers in my mind. A musky, woody fragrance that sparks something intense inside me every time I catch a whiff of it. It's been that way for years…
After gossiping and finishing my share of the housework, I finally get the chance to shower. As the hot water hits my skin, I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. I can almost feel his hands on my hips, his bites on my neck… My morning would've been perfect if he had been in bed with me.