It Should Have Been Like This (The Revised Version)

Chapter 73: Morning After

I awoke to a gentle tap on my back. I groaned and whimpered, instinctively shrugging the hand off me. Undeterred, the person continued their ministrations, now stroking my hair soothingly. I huffed out a breath of pure annoyance, squeezing my pillow under my head in a tighter embrace and slightly shifting away from the persistent source of disturbance. My mind quickly began to stir, and I mentally cussed at whoever had dared to disturb my much-needed slumber.

Wait, what had I been dreaming about?

I snapped my eyes open, only to be greeted by a nasty, pounding headache. My mind instantly told me that the dream had been important, something I shouldn't have forgotten, but instead of helping me recapture the missing memory, the searing pain that blossomed within my skull effectively blocked out any lingering recollections.

"Fuck," I hissed under my breath, squinting my now twitching and stinging eyes. It suddenly felt as if an elephant had taken up residence on my head, the responsive and equally agonizing ache spreading throughout my body, especially at the back of my waist and thighs. I could also feel an unsettling fullness in my stomach and a deep soreness in my sex, a familiar sensation that typically followed a long night of unprotected intimacy with Rominic.

Wait, holy fuck!

I sprang into a sitting position, my bones screaming in agony as an aftermath of my sudden movement. A wave of vertigo hit me, and my throat constricted, threatening to give way to the urge to retch. I quickly cupped my mouth, desperately trying to force back the rising nausea as my entire body trembled with a mixture of panic and disorientation.

Suddenly, I felt something cold pressed against my lips. "Here, drink this," a voice urged, and without a second thought or any attempt to recognize the speaker, I obediently drank from the offered bowl.

After consuming a few sips, I forced my body to sit up properly, raking my fingers through my tousled hair, scattered all over my face.

'Wait a minute, why does it feel like I was involved in a fight last night and my opponent yanked my hair?' I mused, a frown creasing my brow. As I pondered this, I suddenly became acutely aware of the air caressing my skin, even in areas that typically remained shielded.

With my hand frozen mid-motion in my hair, I looked down at my body and blinked, my brain taking a few seconds to fully register the situation.

Once the realization dawned on me, it all fell into place—the pain in my lower region and the overall ache permeating my body. I raised my gaze to meet Rominic's, the one responsible for the considerable stress my body now had to endure, and I tried to retrace our steps, struggling to remember how we had ended up here.

The last thing I recalled was Anna and Suzanne dragging me to the karaoke, their voices easily overpowering mine. They were both far better singers than I, and I couldn't even remember if I had managed to perform well.

'Wait, karaoke? I thought it was a regular bar?' I furrowed my brows, pushing past the persistent throbbing in my head to try and piece together the fragmented memories. "Aha!" I suddenly exclaimed, snapping my fingers. It had been a karaoke bar after all. But then, how much exactly had I drunk to be unable to recall how Rominic had brought me here and how we had ended up in this compromising position.

A gentle graze on my forehead pulled me out of my ruminations. Nic tenderly swept a few stray strands of hair away from my brow, a warm, reassuring smile gracing his features. I hadn't realized that my forehead was glistening with sweat, nor that my breathing had grown ragged from the strain of trying to recollect the events of the previous night.

"Stop trying to remember, you'll only end up hurting yourself. You know you can never recall anything when you've gotten as drunk as you did last night," he murmured softly, his voice laced with concern.