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Dennis pats my shoulder and leaves. There’s no need for him to say it.
I’ve buried these feelings for so long that I forgot they existed.
Carol takes a step back as the waiter brings in the cake. She claps with the rest of the guests and starts scanning the crowd until she sees me. Her gaze lingers on me for a few seconds, curious and waiting, and my mind is made up.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back, even if I have to start over.
Chapter Seven
Carol
Asharppaininthe back of my head forces my eyes open, quickly followed by a wave of nausea. I blink a few times, trying to adjust to the bright light that’s shining directly on my face. Weird. I always make a point to? close the blackout curtains every night—
The party. Damn it.
I roll to the side to check the time and then close my eyes again, taking in a few deep breaths, trying to will away the insistent throbbing that’s starting to spread from my temples. I shouldn’t have drunk that much last night. Or at least I shouldn’t have switched from champagne to wine, ending the night with a round of shots.
Mistakes, mistakes.
I let out a soft grunt, trying to gather enough strength to sit up but a slight movement next to me does the trick. I jump up, the pain spreading from my head to my back and then everywhere else.
My eyes dart to the person lying next to me. Rose.
Thank God.
“You slept here?” My voice is hoarse, almost foreign to me.
With her dress wrinkled and her makeup smudged, Rose snarls, “Stop moving.”
I mutter an apology, certain that I look equally disheveled, and get up as slowly as I can, for both our sakes.
My apartment is on the fourth floor which allows for sunlight to come in but still—it’s too bright. The room is still a mess from yesterday, with clothes and bags scattered around. For a moment I consider picking them up and at least throwing them all in the armchair by the window but there’s no chance I can bend down without vomiting. The hangover is strong, and I have to be at work in an hour.
I head to the kitchen, the distance from my room seeming longer than usual, and pour myself a glass of cold water. I gulp it down in the hopes that it will jump-start my brain and, while it burns its way down my throat, it’s enough to bring me around. I drink another glass and then keep the tap open, splashing water on my face.
“Do you have to be so loud?” Rose is by my bedroom door, her hair a tangled mess on top of her head.
“Sorry.” I head for the coffee machine and turn it on. There’s a soft buzzing and soon the smell of roasted coffee fills the room, instantly making me feel better.
She stands in the doorway for a couple of seconds before deciding to head for the couch. The pillows are all piled up on one side and there is a jacket on the other. Dennis must have slept there too.
“You both stayed? Why?”
“Well, we brought you home, but we couldn’t leave you like that. I told Dennis I’d stay to make sure you were okay, but I’d also had one too many, so he stayed to make sure,” she yawns, “that I was okay too.”
I place our cups on the coffee table and pat her knee. “Thank you.”
Rose shakes her head. “You always have my back and I always have yours. Besides, it was fun watching you drink and dance with every man that came your way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so raunchy.”
Rose makes the win gesture and my cheeks flush from embarrassment. Last night I was so caught up in my anger, and the desire to make Brian jealous, that I acted like a complete fool.
“Now that I think of it,” Rose continues, “If you’d done this a few days ago, you’d have easily found a date for the wedding.”
“Please, Rose, let’s drop that. I want last night erased from my mind.”
“Oh, come on. You looked great,” she assures me but that’s the least of my worries. Seeing Brian again and finally learning why he left me is too much to process.
My mind keeps replaying those moments we were together on the veranda and despite going there with a clear goal—to get some answers and start a revenge plan—I was caught up in the moment. His mere presence was enough to make my knees weak and I had to force myself to get away.
