Dani releases my mouth and I sit up. My stomach churns and my head throbs.
“What’s wrong?” My throat burns, dry from so much alcohol.
Dani raises her index finger to her lips and gestures to my side. Ares is sleeping next to me, lying on his stomach, his head facing away from us. The sheet is pulled up to a little above his waist. He’s shirtless, his tattoos visible, and his messy black hair points everywhere.
God, waking up next to this man is a privilege. I may be spending all the happiness of my life with this guy, but it’s worth it.
Dani brings me back to reality, shaking her hand in front of my face.
Carefully, I stand up. The mattress creaks and we both look at the Greek god, but he is in the afterworld. I get a little dizzy, and Dani holds me up, waiting for me to steady myself.
I won’t ever drink again.
I know, I said that last time. Alcohol is like an ex you haven’t gotten over. You promise not to fall again, never to try it again, but it seduces you, and you end up back where you started.
I look for the shoes I was wearing last night. They’re lying in the corner of the room, and a memory comes to mind: “Spell me, Witch!” Ares shouts as we awkwardly enter the room. He grabs me by the waist to kiss me lightly. I let out a chuckle.
“You are so drunk.”
He looks so cute with his red cheeks and narrowed eyes. Ares points his finger at me.
“You aren’t the embodiment of sobriety either.”
“Wow. . . . Embodiment. How does your intoxicated brain manage to say words like that?” Ares gives me a big smile, touching his forehead.
“My IQ is . . .”
“The highest in the county,” I finish for him. “Smart and handsome. Why are you so perfect?”
He shrugs and caresses my cheek.
“Why are you so perfect?”
And I remember in detail everything we did after that. God.
“Earth calling Raquel!”
With blood rushing to my cheeks, I snap back to reality. Dani gestures with her hand for me to follow her to the door, and I shake my head.
“I can’t just walk away and leave him like this.”
“You can explain everything later in a text message!” Dani whispers. “I need to get out of here.”
“Don’t you think he’ll feel a little used?”
Dani gives me an are-you-serious look.
“You’ll explain later, let’s go.” When I hesitate, she begs, “Please.”
“Okay.” Both of us with our shoes in hand leave the room, closing the door carefully behind us. “Now, can you explain to me what’s going on?”
Dani shakes her head. “I’ll explain on the way. Be quiet. There are a lot of people sleeping in these rooms.”
The hallway is long, with doors on both sides. I want to protest, but Dani starts walking in front of me. My eyes land on the back of her costume top and I see the label. Is it on backward?
Oh, oh, beginner’s mistake.
“Dani, did you have sex last night?”
“Shhh!” She covers my mouth and pushes me against the wall.
“Oh my God, you fucked Apolo,” I whisper, because this is gold.
“Raquel!”
“Deny it!”
Dani opens her mouth to say something and closes it again. I can’t contain my surprise.
“By the Virgin of Abs, you did!”
“First of all, that virgin doesn’t exist.” Dani furrows her brows. “And secondly, shut your mouth, Raquel. Don’t say another word.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect that,” I say, amused.
Dani grabs my arm. “Walk. Don’t make this walk of shame any worse than it already is,” she says.
“What?”
Dani rolls her eyes.
“The walk of shame. You know, the day after you fuck someone you shouldn’t. There’s a movie and everything.”
I let out a chuckle. “I knew it! I told you I gave you a month to fall for him!”
Dani gives me a murderous look.
“Get moving. It’s nine o’clock, and your mom is off her shift today at eleven.”
“Oh shit, you should have started there.”
We head down the hallway when we hear a door handle turn.
“Oh shit, shit, shit,” Dani mumbles, and we walk back and forth without knowing what to do, bumping into each other several times. Finally, we freeze and see Samy coming out of one of the rooms very carefully, with her heels in her hands as well, and her attitude very much the same as ours.
Don’t tell me that . . .