Deserving | ✔

Chapter 18

I wake up to the pain in my head. Its like Satan is dancing inside there.

"Jesus!" I quip as I sit up on my bed.

My bed?

Nope.

This looks like a queen sized bed and it's covered with red blankets. And tons of pillows.

It's definitely not my bed.

I get up and find myself in just my boxers.

Shit.

"What have you done, Phil?" I curse myself and put on the shirt and pants which were crippled on the rag.

I hear a humming outside the room and I walk towards the sound.

I see a girl in her pajamas cooking in the kitchen.

"Um... excuse me? Hello?" I say as I prepare for the worst of karma I caused during my drunken state.

"Good morning Phillip!" Leril says as sweet as possible.

Wait, Leril?

"No... no... this is not happening," I mutter as I hit my head to refresh some of my memory.

You're an asshole, Phillip.

I don't remember anything except the fact that I kissed Stephanie last night.

How is that possible?

Oh fuck! That was Leril, wasn't it?

You're the biggest asshole in the world, Phillip. No wonder Daniel calls you that.

"No! Noooooo! Geez, not at all!" Leril says, bringing me out of my trance.

"No?" I ask, unable to look at her.

"No way in hell! I met you in that bar. You were drunk as hell. You thought I was Stephanie. You kissed me. And then you passed out. I brought you to my home because it's closer to the bar and I made you sleep on my guest room. I have no idea how you got out of your clothes but when I checked of you were awake an hour ago, you were naked except for a pair of boxers."

I gulp and place my hands on my head.

"I'm so sorry, Leril," I say as if that could unwind everything.

"No, no formalities. Coffee?"

I look up at her and say, "Don't you prefer tea?"

She smiles. "You are definitely sober."

I put on a small smile and nod before I walk out of the kitchen and into the living room.

I'm the biggest asshole ever. I kissed someone else other than Stephanie. I kissed Leril! Daniel was right, I don't value Stephanie at all. If I had, I would have not done all this. I'll never forgive myself for this.

I gulp the guilt formed in my throat and press the back of my palms against my forehead.

"Hey," Leril says, "You were drunk. Don't be too hard on yourself."

I nod and try to divert myself and so I look around.

It's a small apartment but it's good enough for a single person. I pause.

I know nothing about Leril. Of course, I don't have to know anything about her, but she knows some stuff about me. It's mandatory I return the favor.

I turn around and look at the photo frames. Bingo!

There are just five photos in there. One when she was so small that a woman, who's definitely her mom, is holding her in her arms; the other, a five year old version of her with her mom by her side. Her mom's pregnant in that picture. The other three pictures are of her in prom, graduation and in front of Interpol head office. All three are pictures with only herself and no one else.