Now that I knew how bad hangovers were, not to mention the bitter taste of beer, I wondered why people loved the stuff so much. Since I was going back home soon, I was done with it shortly.
Wait. I’m forgetting something, aren’t I?
How did I get back to my room last night?
I opened my eyes, only to wince and squint. There was light coming in from a set of open curtains, and it felt like getting stabbed in both my eyes and my brain. With another groan, I brought the covers over my head and curled up, forgetting about whatever had me worried before.
Then, I must have fallen asleep, or just blanked out, for some time, because when I woke up again, I could hear sounds. Like, close to me. My head had calmed down a little, and I knew better than to try and move too quickly, so I slowly tugged down the covers so I could see, and my eyes went wide.
“Who are you?” I whispered, quietly starting to freak out in my head.
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed. He had his legs crossed and was leaning an elbow on his knee. There was a mug in one hand, and he was holding his phone with the other.
When he turned around, and I saw his face, last night’s events came back to me, the parts I’d forgotten, at least.
He smirked down at me. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten me, Klara. That breaks my heart, you know?”
I frowned at his mock hurt look because his eyes were laughing at me.
“No, I know who you are,” I muttered.
At least he kept his voice quiet.
“Would you like some painkillers?” he offered. “And a glass of water? I figured you’d need them, lucky for you I packed some for this trip.”
“Because you knew you’d get hung over?” I guessed.
He nodded, though his expression looked strange, and a little unhappy.
“Stay where you are. I’ll get them for you.”
He set his mug down on the nightstand. I stayed mostly under the covers as I watched him move around the room. He pulled a suitcase from the closet and fumbled inside the top pocket. Then he opened the second door into the room, leaving the door open. It was the bathroom, and from where I was lying, I could see him. He rinsed out a glass, then poured water into it, and brought both to me.
Probably did it that way so I would see he wasn’t trying to drug me.
I decided it was time to get up, even though I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet. I couldn’t take the painkillers lying down. Still, when I moved, my head throbbed, but I made sure to move carefully. I noticed the light in the room wasn’t as bright as before, too, and saw the curtains were partially closed. I managed to sit all the way up, before I realized it, my eyes widening.
Crap!
“Why don’t I have clothes on?” I asked.
I’d raised my voice a little, and it had my head throbbing again, but I ignored it as best I could as I raised the sheets to cover my chest. I did note with some relief that I at least had my bra and panties still on, so I wasn’t completely naked, but still.
He laughed. “Sure,” he said dismissively. “Are you going to take these or not? Does your head feel okay? You did insist you weren’t drunk last night…”
I scowled at him. It was a bit of a struggle to keep the sheets covering me and reach for the glass and meds at the same time. Too far, and the covers would slip, but he wasn't nice about this either, holding the stuff just out of reach. I gave him a particularly scathing glare, and he chuckled as he finally moved close enough for me to grab them.
The meds were still in their box, and it was ibuprofen. In the back of my head, I couldn’t help hearing my mom’s caution about too much of the drug being detrimental to your health. I was pretty familiar with them since they were what I used… during that time of the month.
I was wild, but still, I hesitated.
“Don’t you have Tylenol? Or even an aspirin?”
His eyebrows jumped up. “Oh, if you plan on having hangovers regularly, or even occasionally, those are drugs you’d like to avoid. They might help a headache, but they’ll give you other problems. Just take them.”
I frowned.
Well, what am I hesitating for, anyway? So what if they mess something up inside me? I’m already messed up.