The intense sunlight feels like it ignites a fuse, and a bomb explodes somewhere inside my head. I wake up with a terrible headache. At first, I struggle to open my eyes, taking a few deep breaths hoping it will ease the pain, but it does not. An agonizing thirst quickly joins the fray.

Summoning all my willpower, I manage to open my eyes, only to be greeted by a blinding light. I attempt to turn away from the window, and it's then that I realize I'm pinned down onto the bed.

I'm lying on my stomach, and someone's weight presses against my back. I lack the strength to push them away.

Another realization crashes over me - I'm naked. Completely. And the one who lies on top of me is too... And it isn't a woman with soft curves.

Right before my eyes, lands a hand of my bedmate. And I'll be damned... but I know this ring...

Sleep flies off me, eyes widen. I take a look around everything - I am in some small room with a window. My clothes are on the floor, mixed with someone else's. A familiar shirt... and pants... and...

Before I can even begin to make sense of the situation, a loud knocking resounds from the door. Damn!

"A moment!" I shout, trying to get out of bed. And when I almost make it, the door swings open, and the cleaning lady walks in.

Dear heavens, I hope there's at least a blanket covering us! She sees this picture, blushes, and retreats apologetically. Just as I'm about to let out a sigh of relief, the door nudges open again, and in come Mel and Todd.

I wish the ground would just swallow me up. Even spontaneous combustion would be better than this.

Mel's eyes widen with surprise, a strange smile on her lips. Todd's mouth tightens, but his eyes hinting at a grin.

"Stop staring and help me, for fuck's sake!" I exclaim hysterically. My screaming obviously wakes up my bedmate (and I hope he's only that!). He finally shifts away, allowing me to breathe easier. Mel looks at me expectantly, but I can't move from the bed - I'm still naked!

"Maybe you can wait outside the door?" I manage to squeak out.

Mel wiggles her eyebrow, barely suppressing a smile, but turns around and drags Todd out with her.

"Told you," she remarks to Todd, and just before shutting the door, she shoots me a knowing look.

I can't bring myself to turn to face Nolan. I lower my head and hide my face in my hands, hoping to erase both - the shame and the blush.

Nolan is oddly quiet. Eventually, I turn my gaze towards him. He's seated, propped against a pillow. A light blanket loosely drapes over his lower abdomen, leaving his upper torso exposed. The smooth, fair skin of his strong pectoral muscles has not a single hair, and the contours of his abdominal muscles are delicately etched. Damn, without a shirt he's an even bigger coxcomb!

I tug the sheet up over my shoulders, hastily covering my entire body. I have nothing to brag about here, you know!

The silence between us becomes increasingly unbearable. My confidence ebbs away with each passing second, leaving me feeling almost numb. And why on earth is he not saying anything? He's never had this kind of problem before. Never could stop running his mouth!

I blink at Nolan, who seems to be dozing with his eyes open.

"We didn't..." I manage to mumble, my words hardly audible. Nolan flinches as if being pulled from a reverie. His eyes focus on me, and I feel uncomfortable.

"Didn't what?" he probes, his voice carrying a familiar edge. Maybe he just pranked me in such a stupid way?

"Well... you know... that..." I stumble over my words.

"That?" Nolan continues to jest.

"Sex! Did we have sex or not?" I blurt out, unable to endure the tension.

"Don't you remember?" he retorts.

I panic, attempting to piece together the scattered and hazy fragments of last night's memories.

"I don't even remember how we ended up in this room! And why do we even have one room?!" I exclaim in despair.

"And you don't remember what you said to me? And what you did?"

As I peer at Nolan's face, I can't tell if he's teasing me or if I truly did say and do something.

"What?" I whisper nervously and start from a loud knock on the door.

"Hey, lovebirds! Wrap it up! Do we have to wait all day until you're done with your snuggling?" Mel's irritated voice chimes in from outside.

I leap out of bed, hastily wrapping the sheet around me. Nearly losing my balance, I bend over to gather my scattered clothes.

"Fetch mine," Nolan says. I pick up his pants, shirt, and jacket and toss them onto the bed. He turns his back to me, and I notice that in addition to being almost twice as wide as mine, his back has a scar on the left shoulder blade.

A vivid memory pierces me as if I've traced that scar with my fingers.

Shaking my head, I divert my gaze from Nolan and hurriedly dress. Moving over to the chest of drawers, I spot a pitcher of water. I drink greedily, consuming half of it before offering it to Nolan. By now, he's already dressed, meticulously fastening the buttons on his cuffs. But there is no trace of his impeccability.

His shirt is soiled and creased, much like his trousers. His hair lacks the neatness of when we first met, yet I smile, looking at him.

Nolan notices my smile, and for a moment, he steps closer, close enough to make my breath catch. Taking the pitcher from me, he pours himself a glass of water. I retreat to the bathroom, where I try to finally come to my senses. I purposefully avoid remembering anything. It seems safer to simply let it fade from memory, whatever 'it' is. I wash my face and scrutinize myself in the mirror.

"Good morning, Alex," I say to my reflection, attempting a smile that turns out rather feeble. I smooth my hair and feel the nagging headache again.

When done, I return to the room; Nolan takes the bathroom, and I reluctantly let Mel and Todd in. Mel still wears a wacky grin on her face as she looks at me and the messy bed.

We fall into silence. And this silence seems eternal. When Nolan finally comes out of the bathroom, we leave the scene of my shame and walk to the dock to find that the yacht is still gone.