Chapter Sixteen
Hannah
My morning starts with the noise of a door slamming. I wake up abruptly and search the dimly lit room anxiously for the source of the noise. The door to my bedroom is closed, and I catch sight of Jeremy’s silhouette in the bed next to me. I find comfort in his gentle breathing, knowing he’s still asleep as I adjust to the faint, morning light.
Wait.
If the front door slammed…
I scramble out of bed and quickly put on the first clothes I find: black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Quietly slipping out of the bedroom door, I navigate the apartment to find my roommate.
Immediately, I find her in the kitchen, staring at the mess of clothes and first aid supplies left from last night. I announce myself with a cleared throat, causing her to spin around in alarm.
“What the fuck happened?” With concern etched on her warm, tawny skin, dressed in gym clothes and her dark hair braided back, she asks, “Why is there blood?”
Startled, I recollect the events that result in waking up with Jeremy beside me. “Ohh, umm, bit of a long story, Sash.”
“You better start from the beginning,” she says coyly, entering the kitchen and delicately storing away the first aid supplies. “I’m not going near that bloody gauze, so you’ll have to deal with it,” she adds.
“Apologies for the interruption,” Jeremy says, surprising both of us. He apologizes again when he sees Sasha startle at his sudden presence, possibly even more surprised by him being in his underwear.
His appearance in his underwear has my mind drifting back to last night.
“Hannah, can I have a quick moment?” Unfazed by being caught half-naked, he inquires. Sasha announces her retreat to her bedroom for a wardrobe change, granting us our privacy.
“I don’t want to be the guy who leaves in the morning,” he whispers, coming closer and hugging me from behind. “I have to get to Bondi because I have that early surf lesson before yours that I need to get to.”
“Right,” I say, having completely forgotten that he has to be at the beach by 7:00 a.m. “Uhh…” I say. “You need clothes.” I pull away and search the kitchen floor for his discarded garments.
In a matter of seconds, he’s wearing his torn and bloodied clothes from last night. “Do you have any time for coffee or do you have to go straight away?” I ask, attempting to hide any signs of being flustered.
He checks the time on his phone and decides he needs to order an Uber immediately to get to the beach on time.
Even though I don’t want him to leave, I tell him it’s alright and that I understand. I feel guilty and relieved about his sudden departure.
Sensing my disappointment, he brushes his thumb gently over my cheek before giving me a soft kiss. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave. I wish we could spend the morning together in bed,” he whispers, kissing me one more time, causing me melt into his embrace.
I feel an immediate longing for his touch when he withdraws. He leaves me standing in the kitchen saying, “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I quietly knock on Sasha’s bedroom door once the front door is closed. “It’s safe to come out now, he’s gone.”
She quietly opens her bedroom door and slips out, still wearing the same clothes. “Oh, I see you didn’t bother to change,” I tease.
“I need to shower first,” she explains while making her way to the living room and plopping down on the lounge. “I don’t want to miss the opportunity to find out what I missed last night.”
I inquire from the other end of the lounge, “Why are you home so early?”
She confesses, biting her lower lip, that she had a fight with her girlfriend tonight and wanted to come home early before her girlfriend woke up in order to avoid another argument.
“But let’s not dwell on my relationship drama,” she eagerly says. “Did you finally sleep with Jeremy?”
“What do you mean by finally?” I ask.
“Oh, please.” She dismissively waves her hand. “He’s been in love with you all along, and don’t deny that you don’t feel the same.”
I say nothing.
She exclaims, “I knew it! Was it good? Also, why is there so much blood?”
“Oh god, Sasha, gross,” I say. “The blood came from when he fought with Clae last night.”
“What?” As she gasps, I proceed to tell her everything from last night taking time not to leave any details.
“Are you and Jeremy in a relationship now?” she asks me when I finish.
“I don’t know yet,” I admit feeling guilty “He quickly left this morning so we didn’t have time to talk about where we stand and now I am uncertain”
“Alrighty,” she mutters drawing closer and enveloping me in a hug. “He’s head over heels in love with you and worships the ground you walk on.”
Trying to fight back tears, I take a ragged breath.
“Go get ready for your surf lesson then speak to him afterwords. You’ll see that I’m not lying when I say he loves you and this will all work out,” she adds.
“Okay,” I muttered glancing at my phone and realizing the time.
Shit.