𝐌𝐘 𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄 // 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖

"Mm," I groan, the sun seeping through the window hitting directly into my eyes.

The bed I was entangled on was unfamiliar, and the oversized shirt on my body sure as hell wasn't there before.

"Good morning" I jolt suddenly, turning to the voice which stood in the doorway.

Steve leaned against the doorway, a cup of coffee in hand. His smirk made my stomach drop, as if there was something he wasn't telling me. Like why the hell I was in his bed and shirt?

"Uh, good morning" An awkward silence filled the room, the anxiety only creeping up into my chest. I was smart, I knew to always stay sober if I did something like this. I would've remembered if I slept with Steve. Right?

"We didn't sleep together" Without even realizing I sighed in relief, letting my body relax. "If that's what you were worrying about"

"Heh, sorry. Wait then why am I in your shirt?"

"The whiskey kicked in and you were trying to get your dress off so I helped you into the shirt. I didn't do anything" Steve came over to the bed, sitting down beside me.

My cheeks were flushed at the thought of me in a drunken haze in front of Steve, everything else I said and did was nothing but a mystery to me. I better not have embarrassed myself any more than I already knew.

"Well, thank you" I smile, resting my head on Steve's shoulder. We sat in what was now a comfortable silence, nothing more than the soft chatter outside. And I of course just had to ruin that. "So...about last night. When I left-"

"I'm sorry I started asking about your cousin. That was a stupid thing to do"

"O-Oh. I was just about to apologize to you and say I overreacted" I giggle, getting up from my seat with a kiss on Steve's cheek. "Do you have a phone I could use? I need to check in with some people before I go pick up my car at the bar"

"In the living room"

"Thank you!" I leave to the small table which held said phone, dialling a number I knew might bite me in the ass.

"Marina" Pachos voice, though filled with anger, left a sense of relief in me. As much as I hated what he did and how much he prioritized it, I could never hate him. He was the only family I had, and even though he was too overprotective at times, I knew I had him to thank for nothing bad ever happening to me. And our arguments never did last long, whether it be when we were children fighting over stupid meaningless things or adults who don't want our lives to be controlled by one another. "Where are you?"

"Well good morning to you too" I scoff, sitting down on the edge of the couch. "I'm...at a friend's place. Mia's actually. You know she told me about a nice job offer here, it's got perks and a good community"

"You already have a job. Here in Cali" I knew it would be a long shot convincing Pacho to let me move out here for work, but at the end of the day, I was an adult who could make my own decisions. Even if that meant moving away from my only family.

"I'm going for an interview later today" My voice held a stern tone, hoping that would mask my true feelings of sadness. "I can be a pediatrician here, not working for some men who think that I'm up for their flirting on a day-to-day basis. I went to school to work with kids, Pacho. Working with them is all I ever wanted to do and I was happy at the hospital I was working at before moving in with you. Even if the neighbourhood wasn't the best and gang members were popping up left and right, I didn't care. Those kids were amazing and so were my coworkers, it wasn't like being in high school and bullied all over again. The hospital I'm at right now is torture, Pacho, and I really only started working there because you wanted me close to protect me. I'm sorry"