9. Ally
9
ALLY
A pounding in my head awakens me. My eyes stay closed as I will myself back to sleep.
What the hell happened last night?
I try to think back, but the pain in my head stops any thoughts. My stomach rolls, and my mouth is so dry that my tongue feels thick. I’m so thirsty, but I feel so bad that I don’t know if I can get out of bed to get a drink.
Oh my God, why did I drink so much? I’ve never had so much to drink that I can’t remember the night.
My eyes pop open in a panic, and I sit up so fast that the world spins. I’ve never seen this room in my life.
There isn’t a single picture on the walls. There’s no decor. It’s plain, basic, brown, and black. I lift the blanket up and look down in fear. I’m still wearing my dress, and judging by the massive wedgie, my panties are on, too.
“Calm down. You’re still wearing everything you had on last night when I found you.”
I drop the blanket and look up as Dr. Cole walks into the room carrying a tray.
I shake my head and tuck my hair behind my ears. “I’m sorry. Where am I?”
He stops beside the bed, looking down at me. “At my house.”
“How’d I get here?”
He holds out his hand to reveal two white pills. “Tylenol.”
I take the pills, and he hands me a glass of water to wash them down. “You called me. You don’t remember?”
I shake my head after taking the pills. I set the glass on the bedside table, and he places a tray on my lap with yogurt, toast, and fruit.
“You called me late last night. You said you went out with friends, that you were dancing and that when you went back to the table, your friends were gone, even though your purse was there. Someone had stolen your wallet and phone. You didn’t have money for a cab, and you didn’t have a way to call anyone else for help.”
“So you picked me up?”
He nods. “Good thing, too. I walked in just in time to see some asshole drug your drink.
My eyes widen and my brows arch high.
“It’s fine; you didn’t drink it. I got you out of there, but you were so out of it that you couldn’t tell me your address. I didn’t know what else to do, so I brought you here.”
I shake my head. “I … I don’t know what happened,” I mutter, trying to think back. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
He nods.
I pick up a slice of toast and take a small bite. My stomach roils, but I know I need to force it down. “Did I miss anything last night?”
He looks at me questioningly.
I take a deep breath. “I mean … did anything…” I clear my throat, trying to gain the strength to ask. “Did anything happen last night? With us?”
He furrows his brows. “Well, you puked on my shoes. Does that count?”
I laugh and my face heats. My eyes close, and my hand moves to cover them. “That’s so embarrassing.”
He chuckles. “I’m a doctor. I see all kinds of bodily fluids, so no need to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us.”
My hands fall away. “If you send me the cleaning bill, I’ll take care of it,” I assure him.
He laughs as she sits on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he looks over at me. “Oh, I already threw them out. There was no saving them.”
I let out a whine as a giggle slips through, and I stick out my lower lip. “God, this is so embarrassing. I’m not like this.” I meet his eyes and watch them darken as they fall from my face, down to my neck and chest.
He wets his lips before forcing his eyes back on mine. “Like what?”
“Like this,” I say, motioning down my body. “I’m usually very put-together. I don’t drink. I don’t go out and party. I focus on my schoolwork, but I’ve done nothing but make a mess of things here lately. I’m just making one big mistake after another and at the worst time. You’re my boss. I should be trying to make myself look good, so it betters my chances of landing a job after graduation, not showing you how awful I am.” I roll my eyes as my emotions get heavy.
“You’re not an awful person, Ally. You’re young. This is the time to make mistakes. Trust me, it’s much easier to recover at your age than my age. When you’re young, everyone writes it off as a learning experience.” His eyes meet mine. “So, what have you learned?”
Not to fall for my boss runs through my head, and I bite my lip to hold back a smile. “Ummmm, don’t drink?” It comes out sounding like a question.
He chuckles. “Well, I suppose. I would go with ‘drink responsibly’, ‘don’t leave your purse unattended’, and ‘maybe have a backup plan with your friends when you go out so you don’t end up stranded again.’”
I nod. “That was a much better response.” I laugh, and he joins in.
“Eat up, and I’ll take you home.” He stands, walking over to the accent chair in the corner of the room. He picks up a throw blanket and begins folding it.
“Did you sleep in that chair last night?” I ask, poking a piece of strawberry with my fork.
“I was worried about leaving you alone with as drunk as you seemed. I didn’t want you to vomit in your sleep and aspirate.” He tosses the folded blanket over the back of the chair before turning to face me. He shrugs. “Sleeping in the same bed seemed a little too personal, so I crashed in the chair. It wasn’t a big deal.” He waves his hand through the air.
But it is a big deal, and it makes my heart race. “That’s so nice of you. You must be exhausted after spending the night like that.”
“It’s nothing,” he says, repositioning the ottoman.
“Dr. Cole?”
He takes a deep breath before turning to look back at me with his hands on his hips. “Call me Ethan. The professional title isn’t needed here.”
She nods. “Thank you, Ethan.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says, rushing from the room.
I feel like he’s rushing away from me. Does he regret helping me last night? I’m sure he does after sleeping in the chair.
I shake the thoughts off and set the tray on the bed before me. I pull my legs up and focus on getting food and water into my system. I feel awful after last night, and I’m angry with myself for the trouble I’ve caused. Now I have to get a new phone, call the bank and credit card companies and cancel my cards, and hope that whoever stole everything hasn’t spent the money in my accounts. I’m a full-time college student, so money isn’t exactly rolling in. I have also made myself look awful to my boss, no matter what he says. He might not use it against me, but anyone else would. And they wouldn’t want to hire me. I was irresponsible and vow to never act that way again. I don’t even know how I got so drunk. I was laughing and having fun with the girls, dancing, and talking. Never again will I let my guard down like that. I could’ve ruined everything I’ve worked for in one careless night.
I finish my breakfast and push the blankets away from my legs as I put my feet on the floor. The hardwood is cold beneath my bare feet, and I wonder where my shoes are. Sleeping in my dress has caused it to inch up around my waist. I grab at the hem and yank it down, wiggling my hips. Ethan walks in just then and freezes.
“Shit. Sorry,” he says, quickly turning around. “I should have knocked or announced myself or something.”
My face burns hot as I smooth my dress down. “It’s your house. You don’t have to knock. I’m good now,” I say, turning my back so he doesn’t see me blush.
“I’m not used to having anyone here, so knocking slipped my mind. I was just coming to see if you were ready to go.”
“Just a sec. I can’t find my heels.”
“Oh, they’re right here,” he says, walking over. At the foot of the bed, he bends over and picks them up.
I take them from his hands. “Thanks.”
He nods.
I lift my left foot and slide my shoe on. Then I lift the right to do the same, only I lose my balance and fall forward. I squeal and drop my shoe as I reach for him. He catches me and steadies me, both of us freezing as we look into one another’s eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his warm breath blowing across my lips.
I nod. “I…” I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. The way he’s looking at me makes my brain freeze like it’s buffering with a slow internet connection. “Yeah, I’m… shit.” I pull away. “I’m sorry. I’m not still drunk. I’m just moving too fast, I guess,” I say, removing my shoe from my left foot before picking up the one I’d thrown. “Maybe I don’t need to wear these right now. I’ll just go without.”
He stands tall and nods once. “Alright. Ugh, follow me and I’ll take you home.” He starts toward the door.
I take a couple of steps but stop. “Actually, can I use your restroom first?”
He nods to the door across the hall. “Of course. Help yourself.”
I give him a tight smile and watch as he carries on out the door and down the hallway. I walk across the hall and enter the bathroom. I flip on the light and lock the door behind me before setting my shoes on the floor. Then I turn my attention to the mirror and I wince as embarrassment washes over me. I am a mess. My hair is standing up in all directions, and my makeup is smeared all over. I roll my eyes. “Of course, this is how you look.” I turn on the water and let it fill my hands.
I splash water on my face before scrubbing a bit to wash away my remaining makeup. Then, I take down my hair and finger-comb most of the tangles out, tying it back in a messy bun. I shake my head. Grabbing my shoes, I leave the bathroom and head down the hallway in the direction he went. As I move through his house, I notice that every door is open but one. I’ve passed the room I stayed in, what I can only guess is his master bedroom, and a home office, and all had the doors open. I wonder what’s behind that closed door. I’m tempted to open it, but as I draw closer, the hallway opens into the living room where he’s waiting.
Our eyes lock, and he gives me a tight smile. “Everything okay?”
I nod. “Yes, thank you.”
He nods. “Do you want coffee or anything before we go?”
I shake my head. “No, thanks. I should get home.”
“Alright. The garage is this way.”
He leads me through the entryway, and I turn my head and look toward the back of the house. The far back wall is glass and overlooks the patio and pool. “Wow, your patio is gorgeous,” I say, looking out at the pool, built-in grill, sitting area, and hot tub.
He comes to stand beside me. “Thanks, but it mostly goes unused. I don’t have time to entertain guests like I thought I would. Are you ready?” Without waiting for me to answer, he turns away leaving me to chase after him.