THE MORNING AFTER

"You are finally awake," she jolted up the moment a deep low manly voice came. She sat up as her gaze flew on a man seated on an upholstered designer chaise lounge. His legs were crossed, holding a magazine in his grip. Jane scurried her gaze around the dazzling unfamiliar finery. The beauty of the room was something she couldn't fathom or explain. Her eyes casted at the beach stone polished marble wood walls complimenting the marble wood floor.

She savored the beauty of this room, her gaze returning to the man before her who lifted his marble gray eyes from the magazine to her. Her blood ran cold in her system when his gaze flew at her. Jane gulped hard when he rose to his feet, and tossed the magazine aside. He started toward her, causing her defense mechanism to kick in. She clutched the blanket tightly over her body even though she was fully clad.

Her heart picked race as he drew closer, his gaze glued on her and for some strange reason even without knowing who he was because half of his face was covered up with a nose mask, making only his eyes visible. Those marble eyes were slowly affecting her.

He leaned in, sort of peering closely to her face. She tilted her head back, still gripping onto the blanket tightly like it was her only source of defense right now.

"I see….you are back now," when he spoke up again. His voice was gentle and the low vibration from it tickled her neck, his warm breath falling on the bridge of her nose. His face was so close to hers, the only thing she could do was gulp hard in fright.

His strong manly cologne permeated her nostrils, almost making her lean her face close to him as well. His hands were trapped in his pockets as his eyes searched hers. His eyes were beautiful yet very apathetic.

"How are you feeling right now, because last night—--" He paused. His eyes harbor a little bit of amusement. Surprising her. Jane lifted a brow in confusion.

"Last night....you really went wild," he completed his sentence. Leaving her in a state of shock and confusion. Jane stared at him, perplexed. Wondering if something transpired between them last night and the frustrating part of it was, nothing was coming forth as she tried to remember. She was only struck by a heavy wave of hangover. She winced, rubbing her forehead to ease the pain.

"What are you talking about?" She queried and climbed off the bed. The cold from the floor transported all over her body the moment her bare feet touched it. He already leaned out and took his place back on the chaise lounge.

"What happened last night and how did I end up here? Where's my clothes and why am I not in my dress but in this?" She gestured at the oversize hoodie brown teenage mutants ninja turtles sweatshirt.

He kept mute, refocusing his eyes on the magazine he was reading. Jane was getting irritated at his silence when a thought shot through her.

She crossed her arms across her chest. Accusing him with her eyes.

"What did you do to me? You pervert….."

'Pervert?' He whimpered under his breath and raised his eyes from the magazine to her again. His right brow puckered in question.

"Pervert?" He repeated. "Don't you remember what happened last night and mostly, I should be calling you that."

"Huh?" She freed her arms from her chest, throwing him a surprised look. "What do you mean? Nothing happened between us and I remember being at the bar when you came along...."

She gasped when she recalled a little from last night. She called him Toro Wilson... Was she that drunk she mistook him for Toro Wilson.

"I'm sorry for last night….." She apologized. "I'm sorry if I caused you any problem last night."

"Glad, you remembered." He said. "But you have to take responsibility for the damage you caused."

"What responsibility?" She raised a brow. "Simply because I called you mistook you for my role model... because I called you Toro Wilson?" Jane furrowed her brows at him.

"Having the same eyes as him doesn't mean anything and how would I take responsibility for just mistaking you for him? I was under the influence of alcohol."

"Exactly," he asserted and tossed the magazine away once more. He stood up to his feet, taking slow meticulously toward her. Jane defended herself by taking quick steps backward, afraid of what he might do to her.

How did she end up in a stranger's house, especially one she had bumped into three times in a row and why does he cover his face all the time even in his house?

"You drank so much and you did the unthinkable... You've to take responsibility for it."

"Unthinkable—--" She arched her brow inquisitively. "What do you mean?.... Did we do it...."

"Do what?" His marble eyes had a mixture of question and surprise.

"I mean, I can't think of anything that happens between a man and a woman when one is drunk or when both are drunk but that stuff." She chewed on her lower lip, praying he wouldn't ask her to be more explicit because right now her face was already flushed with embarrassment.

She heard a low snort escape from him, averting his eyes to anything in the room.

"It seems to me, you remembered half of what happened?" He returned his protruding gaze at her again. A shiver tingle down her arms and her heart made that quick jump. He peered at her, she could literally see her reflection in those piercing eyes of his.

A minute of silence swept across them. He wasn't talking instead he was gawking at her like some strange artifact.

She cleared her throat, putting a clear distance between them. "Quick question, don't you feel sweaty?"

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel sweaty covering yourself in sweatshirts all the time and do you have to wear that nose mask even in your own house? What are you hiding? I bet you aren't that ugly to cover your face all the time."

" I really don't care about looks. I bet everyone is beautiful in their own way."

Jane knew she was just babbling but at the same time, she was curious as to know why he always had a nose mask on his face.

"Also who is Jane Anderson?"

Something glinted in his eyes when she asked that question and in that moment, she felt stupid for asking it. His gaze darkened, making her flinch under his piercing eyes.

She zipped her mouth and let out a new chuckle. "Umm I'm sorry if I caused any inconvenience to you last night. I might not remember anything but here's my number." She pulled a paper and a pen from her bag on the desk.

She scribbled down her phone number and handed it to him. He gaped at the digits she scribbled down, not making an attempt to take it. She was forced to pull his hand from his pocket and place the paper in it.

"Give me a call if I caused any damage to you, I promise I will take responsibility. And thank you for everything..." She threw him a nervous smile and whirled away from him in a hurry, grabbing her clothes from the ottoman stool beside the bed. She picked her bag and shoes.

Without sparing another minute, she dashed out of the room down the stairs. Her heel clicked on the C curved transparent stairs as she trailed her fingers on the transparent railing.

Who is he? And why does his house look like heaven on earth? Two tree pots stood at two ends of a wall. The trees accentuating the beauty of the sitting room. She might not know this man but one thing she did know was that his house was wow.

She hurried out of the house, her car wasn't on sight. Might still be at that bar. But she wouldn't stop thinking about what he said, why wouldn't he say the thing she did last night? Honestly speaking, she couldn't remember anything. Whenever she got drunk, she tend to forget everything the next morning. She brushed off the question at yhe back of her mind and wore her shoes.

Pulling the hood over her head, she folded her dress perfectly to fit in her bag. While in there, her heart was beating irrationally but now she's out in the morning light, she savored the gentle breeze caressing her face. She seemed unbothered on how she would return his clothes to him because she knew she was bound to run into him again.

She darted her eyes around the house, realizing it was a penthouse and seemed situated in middle of nowhere except surrounded by tall trees and shrubs.

Does he live alone in this massive house? She questioned, gaping at the beautiful penthouse before shrugging.

But from behind a tree trunk surrounding the penthouse, a camera seemed to be taking shots of her as she left.

●●●●●●●●●

He stared at the paper in his hand, staring at the number on the piece of paper. A couple of seconds he folded it and placed it in his pocket, letting out a tired sigh. He plopped down on his bed as his mind traveled back to yesterday night. When he carried her off the stage even though his demons fought him badly last night but he managed to get through.

But then she accused him of being a pervert? And most importantly why does he feel slightly attracted to her? From that very first day.

Toro drew in another breath and stared at his palms. A hazy memory flashed before his eyes.

A memory his hand was covered in blood. At the remembrance of that memory, his breath became shallow and his chest tightened to the point he couldn't breath.