As the morning sun streamed through the curtains, Lucia slowly opened her eyes, glancing around in confusion before letting out a gasp. These were definitely not the walls of her room.
She tried to move away from the bed, but an arm was draped tightly around her, keeping her close to a man. Heart pounding, she turned slightly, only to find herself face to face with him. Blinking several times, she struggled to recall the events of last night's escapades at the club.
Then it hit her , flashes of last night suddenly surged through her mind, and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She had given out her virginity last night.
Finally taking in the man lying next to her, she almost forgot to breathe. God! He was the most perfect man she'd ever seen, the very definition of perfection. Long lashes framed his sculpted face, and his tousled hair gave him an effortlessly attractive look. But before she could admire him further, panic gripped her chest. She wasn't ready for this, for him. And suddenly, Will's face appeared in her mind.
God, she thought with dread, I totally forgot that I even have a boyfriend... and he's loyal to me.
Carefully, she slid out from under his arm, replacing herself with a pillow. Her gaze swept across the room. God... they had really gone through it last night.
She looked around for her clothes, spotting her shredded panties first. A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her. At least her gown was miraculously intact. Thank heavens. She hurriedly slipped it on and found her shoes abandoned in a corner.
That's when the realization hit, she had only brought her phone. No wallet. No cash. How am I going to get home? she wondered. And then another horrifying thought: Oh my God... today is the bridal recital!
Fumbling for her phone, she checked the time, past 1 p.m. Her heart sank. A long list of missed calls popped up: Cassandra, Amy, Amber... even Will.
Her hands trembled as she set the phone down, then noticed a wallet on the bedside table. Without thinking, she flipped it open and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. Why did he only have hundred-dollar bills? she groaned inwardly. She felt awful taking so much, but what choice did she have?
She tiptoed out of the room, slipped into the elevator, and quietly left the penthouse... and the club.
As she stood outside, waiting for a cab, a million questions flooded her mind. Who was he? Why did I do this? Do I even know his name? Where is he from? Does he have an STD?
Shaking her head, she tried to clear away the ridiculous thoughts. She flagged down an empty cab and gave the driver her address, her mind still reeling.
A sudden ring startled her, pulling her back to reality. She glanced at the caller ID predictably, Cassandra.
She answered and immediately yanked the phone away from her ear as Cassandra's voice boomed through the speaker.
"Where the hell did you wander off to last night? I looked for you everywhere! I thought you'd been kidnapped at my bachelorette party! Are you okay?" Cassandra's voice fired off rapid questions.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm in a cab on my way home," Lucia replied softly.
A pause. "There's something you're not telling me," Cassandra said, suspicion in her tone. Lucia groaned internally she hated how Cassandra could read her so well.
Leaning back against the seat, she bit her lip, dread coiling in her stomach. How would Cassandra react when she heard what I did?
Though Cassandra wasn't a virgin like Lucia had been, she wasn't exactly promiscuous either her only experience was with Max, the man she was about to marry.
"Okay, spill it," Cassandra demanded, her no-nonsense tone brooking no argument.
Lucia hesitated. The guilt over sneaking out... over what she'd done to Will... was overwhelming.
Cassandra exaggeratedly cleared her throat on the other end of the line. Lucia gave a nervous laugh.
"Spill what?"
"Something's going on. I can feel it. It's big, isn't it?"
Turning her gaze away from the road, Lucia stared out the window, lowering her voice , she could feel the cab driver was watching her through the rearview mirror.
"I cheated on Will last night."
For three long seconds, there was only silence on the line.
"Cheated?" Cassandra said carefully.
"As in... had sex?"
Lucia bit her lip again, nodding slowly even though Cassandra couldn't see her.
"Yeah."
"You gave out your V-card?" Cassandra's tone was almost comical and pierced through her ears.
Lucia could easily picture her friend's eyebrows shooting up into her hairline. When she didn't answer, Cassandra let out a heavy sigh.
"Holy shit."
"Yeah... you could say that."
"How the hell did you end up having sex?"
Lucia bit her lip again, stifling a nervous giggle. She and Cassandra never had these kinds of conversations neither of them really dated so this was all very surreal.
"I have no idea, really. I was looking for a toilet, then somehow ended up in the elevator... landed in a penthouse... and things happened. The main issue was that at first, I was drunk, but later on I wasn't. I was... sober."
More stunned silence from Cassandra.
"Wait. What? You mean you knew what you were doing?"
Lucia exhaled. "Yeah."
"We'll talk about this when you get here," Cassandra said finally, her tone leaving no room for argument. Then she ended the call.