Stealing the Groom

Twenty One

Twenty One - Blurred Lines

IT WAS A strange feeling waking up in someone else's bed. The feeling of the mattress was different on my bare arms and legs, the lingering scent of cologne on the pillows, and the presence of someone laying beside me arose me from a deep slumber.

With burning eyes, I squinted against the assaulting brightness of the light coming in from the windows to look over at the person next to me. I only sneaked a peak of a bare, muscular chest before my heavy eyelids fell shut once more.

"Close the blinds," a deep voice said.

"This is your place," I replied in a raspy voice. My mouth felt as if it were full of sand and as dry as the Sahara desert. "You do it."

His chuckle sounded sleepy, but his amusement was strong enough to gently shake the bed. "I don't feel like it."

A moment later, I felt a cool fabric drape over my body and head. "Better?"

I opened my eyes slowly to meet his gaze. "Much."

"So um we should probably talk about erm you know..."

I nodded once and said, "About last night."

"Yeah," Cole said, letting out a breath. "It was--"

"We should do it again some time."

He looked over at me and smirked. "Yeah?"

"It was...fun," I said awkwardly and watched as Cole Richmond burst out laughing.

"What, you mean the part where we got drunk off our faces or when I made a complete ass of myself by trying to kiss you?" After I had run out of the penthouse after Max and I's confrontation, I decided to get ridiculously wasted. And as I wandered into a bar, I came across with Cole and asked him to join me.

I smiled and rolled my eyes at him, "I was talking about hanging out. You're not terrible company once I had a couple vodka shots in me. Although yeah, you shouldn't try to kiss me again."

"Will do," he said with a mock salute. "So does this mean you're going to stop bullying me in public?"

"I don't know, does this mean you're going to stop hitting on me?" I asked and watched as a light blush spread over his cheeks.

"Girl, please. We did pretty embarrassing things in front of each other last night. And you look pretty terrible hung over. Any attraction I had for you disappeared the moment I opened my eyes and saw your face."

I smacked his chest and ignored his laughter. "Shut up."

"So friends?" Cole asked once his amusement died down.

I smiled and nodded. "Friends."

"Come on, let's get up," he said suddenly and threw the sheet off our heads.

"Cole!" I screamed when the light flashed in my sensitive eyes.

"You're such a freaking cry-baby." I heard the bedroom door open followed by footsteps in the hallway but I was too dead tired to move. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck.

"Here," Cole said a few minutes later and threw something at me.

"I liked you better when you weren't such an ass," I said as I sat up to take whatever he threw at me off my face. It was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that was most likely his.

"A pair of boots are at the foot of the bed," he added as he wandered into his closet.

"Yeah, I don't know how I feel about wearing your one-night stand's clothes Cole."