Rubbing my slightly throbbing temples, I opened my eyes and groaned softly. "Why does my pillow smells woody and citrus-y?" I mumbled, knowing that my bedsheets and pillowcases all smell like lavender because of my fabric conditioner. When I slowly moved my lower body, a sharp pain shot through my spine and my skin went cold as ice when realization sank in. I blinked my eyes rapidly and took in my surroundings, slightly shaking my head as tears began to well up. My chest tightened and my throat dried up.
Slowly getting up, I inhaled sharply and wiped my tears. Get yourself together, Arden. For now, I have to escape. I gingerly climbed down the massive bed and didn't bother to check who I slept with. I should, since he took my virginity, but I don't even want to see his face right now. I am so ashamed of myself for letting this happen. How can I be so careless? I don't know how I got here and I can't think right now because my mind is jumbled, so I'll panic later.
I was hoping that the soreness in my back is a result of me slipping or falling down the stairs, but the scattered clothes on the floor made my heart sink. With my knees trembling and my hands shaking, I slowly slipped my clothes on and grabbed my shoes before making my way out, slowly limping. I heaved a sigh of relief because I still had my phone in my jacket. Running to the elevator, I unlocked my phone and grimaced at Tyler's multiple messages; it was not an exaggeration.
Tyler: Arden, where are you?
Tyler: I went to the buffet table and you disappeared when I went back to our table.
Tyler: I saw my future daddy but I would rather wait for you than ask for his number.
Tyler: Oh, is my future daddy related to Mr. Il Volo? I saw him talking to your future sperm donor.
Tyler: I will be waiting by the fountain. You can spot me easily. No one is as gorgeous as me, except for Arden Coleman.
I burst into small giggles at that. Silly Tyler.
Tyler: One hour has passed, Arden. Let's play hide and seek when we get home, not now. 🥲 Show yourself now!
Tyler: Why are there mosquitoes here? I thought rich people don't have to worry about these blood-sucking insects?! 😰
Tyler: Arden, I have been waiting for you for two hours. Did you leave me? That's not possible. You adore me.
Tyler: Please text me or call me back. I'm getting worried and scared.
Tyler: Where are you, Arden? I will control my appetite so please show up now.
Tyler: Arden!!! Did someone kidnap you?
Tyler: I should've put that tracking chip in your molar! Don't make me tell you, 'I told you so'... because I did tell you!
Tyler: How can I trace you now?! The cops will not be of help until 24 hours have lapsed!
Tyler: What if after 24 hours, I'll find you in the gutter?! Lifeless?!
Tyler: Arden! This is enough for a prank!!! Let's go home now. You are a carrier, for God's sake!
Tyler: Please, bestie. Where are you? I am so close to bawling and you wouldn't want that. The mascara I used is not waterproof.
Tyler: Okay, I waited for four hours. I hope you are safe. I will not tell River about this. Please come home safe. I will not drag you to any party again.
Tyler: I love you, Arden. I'll be waiting in your room. I just gave Aunt Bec a lame excuse and she bought it.
Tyler: Your pillows are soaked with my tears and it's three in the morning. Where the fuck are you?!
Tyler: Please be alive. My anxiety is reaching its peak. I need a hug.
That was the last message he sent me and it was at five o'clock, and I almost cried right here and then. Who would have thought that I'll find a friend as great as Tyler? Someone willing to wait for me for hours without sleeping? Someone who cares for me and worries about me? Only River, Aunt Bec, and Tyler do those things. They make me feel loved and special, but with the way things have happened, I disappointed them.
Sucking a breath, I typed a short reply. "Hey, bestie. I'm going home."
****
I returned home at about nine in the morning. Aunt Becca is already at her flower shop and the servants in the house are busy with their tasks. My plan would be to jump into the comfort of my bed but knowing that Tyler is there, I headed to the guest room. I removed all of my clothes and entered the bathroom, slightly horrified at the hickeys and bite marks on my neck, chest area, and even on my inner thighs.
Hot tears coated my cheeks as I slowly dropped to the floor. I'm so stupid. Every mark on my body is proof that a man touched me and... I shut my eyes tight and heaved deep breaths. I need to remember what happened last night. This is not the time to mope and get depressed. The hotel where he brought me was one of the most expensive five-star hotels in the country. "Fuck. That's not helpful. All of the guests at the party were wealthy."
With a soft groan, I filled the tub with water and checked for available bath bombs. I didn't have to worry about running out of my favorite vanilla bath bomb since Ms. Jane always makes sure that supplies are replenished. I threw two vanilla bombs in the water and looked for an ointment and a painkiller to remedy my sore hole.
Checking it in the mirror, aside from it being red and slightly swollen, there are no signs that I was forced. "Did he clean me?" Maybe because of my low pain tolerance, it fucking hurts right now. "Should I have peeked at his face?" No, I did the right thing. It only happened once and I hoped he put on a condom. Still, the fact that the person who took my virginity was a bit gentle with me did not rid me of the disgust I felt.
Just imagining what he did to me-- snap out of it, Arden! I need to relax and freshen up before Tyler wakes up. Maybe, removing the clutter in my mind will help me remember what happened last night.
Stepping into the warm water, my knees turned to jelly as I let the warm water envelop my tired body and have the scent of vanilla calm my senses. Maybe Tyler can help me remember. I promised him that there will be no secrets between us but I don't want to tell him about this. I want to forget that this ever happened and take it as a learning experience to never drink outside ever again.
****
One hour later,
I brought the paper bags to the kitchen and took out the food containers. This is my way of making it up to Taylor. I ordered several dishes from the restaurant Mr. Il Volo regularly eats. A bit pricey but River is rich; a few hundred bucks won't make him poor. After arranging the dishes, I went up to my room and found Tyler snuggling into my pillow, his cheeks still flushed and coated with tear stains. This is one of the consequences of my stupidity: worrying my best friend.
I walked to the bed gingerly with a small smile and slowly sat on his left side, his back turned against me. He was still wearing his clothes from last night and the mascara stains were all over his face. "Why did you have to cry so hard, Ty? I'm sorry for worrying you. I won't do it again."
"You better not do it--"
"Oh, fuck, Tyler! Do you want to kill me from shock?" I clutched my chest with a pant. Tyler scoffed and sat up, only to have me scoot away when I finally got the chance to take a good look at his face. "You could audition for a horror flick, bestie."
His expression morphed into annoyance as he crossed his arms. "This is all your fault! Clean my face!"
I nodded furiously and scampered to my vanity drawer and pulled out a pack of makeup remover facial wipes and a bottle of micellar water and some cotton pads. Tyler likes to clean his face thoroughly or he will have acne breakouts.
Tyler did not talk for the duration of makeup removal. He will only throw me a few sharp glares here and there followed by a displeased snort. "There. You can now audition for a princess role, Ty!" I cheered and he just rolled his eyes. He's allowed to be a bitch so I'm just letting this go. After all, part of our agreement states that when one of us did something wrong, we are allowed to bitch about it for an hour before we make up.
"Draw me a bath. I want the floral bath bombs," he ordered with a pout and a sniff.
"Yes, your majesty. Anything else?"
He bit his lower lip, his eyes shimmering. "When I'm all freshened up, you need to hug me for five minutes. Do that and we're besties again."
My heart melted at that. "I can't give you a hug right now?"
He frowned and thought for several seconds. "Fine, but I still need my bath. I'm all sticky and my hair is a mess," he whined and opened his arms. With a soft giggle, I jumped into his arms and hugged him tight, however, that did not last long.
"Ty, you need a bath. You stink."
"I told you I need one!"
****
"Tyler, slow down. No one is going to steal your food," I told him to prevent himself from choking. "Didn't you eat last night? You're inhaling all of the food."
He snapped his head and threw me a deadly glare. "How can I eat when I'm worried about my best friend who went to God knows where?" He snarled and using his fork, pierce the buffalo wings and chomped on them sloppily, with the sauce spreading to his cheeks. I didn't dare to wipe it clean for him because Tyler is a whole 'nother scary when he's hangry. We made up earlier but he won't be fully appeased until he hears an explanation.
I cleared my throat and pushed the plate of barbecue to him. He lifted his head and grabbed a paper towel to wipe the sauce. "What do you want?"
"Ty... do you remember what happened last night? I think I got wasted and I forgot what happened."
He creased his forehead and sipped on his fruit tea. "We followed Hal, my future daddy," he explained with a soft blush when I sported a confused look, "to a dressing room full of expensive suits. After that, he ushered us to the main hall but he didn't stay with us for long because he was needed elsewhere," Tyler started and I nodded.
"Okay, I remembered that. We went around and admired the elegance of the place but we got hungry. What's next?"
"You grabbed a cocktail from a server and gulped it down because you thought it was juice."
I winced. "I have low alcohol tolerance."
"I told you that but you just giggled. I know that you were drunk then so I led you to a corner table and asked you to sit down. I was going to get you a glass of water but I thought that having food in your stomach will make you sober, so I went to the buffet table. When I turned to check on you, you were gone."
"Okay. Thanks, Ty. Finish your food." I am drawing a blank. It was just one glass of cocktail... or was it? Can I get hammered from just a glass? I know that I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol but it's highly unbelievable to get wasted from one glass. Something is off.
"Of course, but your turn. Tell me what happened to you last night."
I blinked and smiled. "Nothing much. I woke up in a hotel, all alone, in good condition, and not a body part is missing," except my virginity, I thought regrettably to myself.
"Which hotel?"
"Um... something like a crown? Golden Crown?" I just saw the hotel name from my periphery while I was in a cab but I didn't bother to know the place where my stupidity happened.
"The Golden Imperial Plaza?!" Tyler yelled in surprise, his eyes bulging from shock. Okay, I was way off with the name but the hotel had a golden crown in the logo.
"What's with the reaction?" I reached for my orange juice to ease the slight hangover.
"That's an expensive hotel, Arden." I agree with him. The elevator was sparkling and golden. I was afraid to touch the walls in case they got scratched.
"Not a big deal. I chose a good hotel, then."
"Five thousand bucks a night kind of a hotel, Arden. That was your choice."
"Five thousand?!" Okay. I want to pass out now, but before that, I need to check River's credit card statement. I'm not worried about the money; I'm more concerned that he will get suspicious of me for spending such a huge sum in one night since he knows that I am more on the economical side. I ran to the guest room to check my phone and heaved a sigh of relief when I noticed that I didn't use the card to pay for the room.
But that man must have a lot of money to burn for him to bring me to an expensive hotel.
Three weeks later,
Several days have passed and I was starting to forget my idiocy. River returned home and he brought a suitcase filled with souvenirs for Tyler and me. Days have been passing normally and I spent my time in the gallery, in the cafe, and then I go home. I also moved on from Mr. Il Volo especially when I saw on the news that he's getting engaged. Talk about being allergic to commitments. Who's getting married now?
What happened at the party and my previous stupid actions are all buried in the back of my mind. I didn't try to find out who the guy at the hotel was. I want to keep my peace, and I plan to continue feeling peaceful when one morning, I started to feel lightheaded and I threw up my insides in the bathroom sink. Holding onto the marbled counter, I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth to rid of the acidic taste.
It has been three days since I started throwing up in the morning and I began to reject the taste of chocolates, my favorite. At first, I owe it to the oyster dish Tyler and I ordered from a restaurant, but throwing up this morning again? Something is not right. After freshening up, I headed downstairs feeling sluggish.
I saw River lounging in the living room. "Arden, you look so pale. Are you sick?" He trained his worried gaze at me and had me sit beside him.
Resting my head on his chest, I groaned softly. "I have been throwing up for a few days now, River. Maybe it's food poisoning?"
"What? We need to go to the hospital and have you checked. This is not a trivial matter. Wait for me. I'll get my jacket and keys." He stood up and patted my head comfortingly before making his way to his room. I squeezed my eyes shut and sagged on the sofa, feeling so weak and out of energy.
River did not take long and he asked me to wait by the door while he gets his car. "How are you feeling now?" He asked me again in that worried voice as he buckled me in my seat.
"Weak."
He nodded in understanding and started the engine. I closed my eyes and drifted off. When I woke up, I was in a private ward and River was standing in the window with a brooding expression. He occasionally grits his teeth and pulls his hair back as he taps his foot on the floor nervously.
"River? Why are you so tense?" I winced a little when I felt the burn in my throat. River walked to me and handed me a glass of water. I took a small sip and let the water gradually moisturize my throat. River sighed deeply and offered a small smile. "What's wrong? Am I sick after all?"
River looked straight into my eyes and sighed again. "You're pregnant, Arden."
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