Lina's POV
Today, I woke up a little disoriented and tried to make up my surroundings and what happened yesterday. Seeing our door and the doors to my room, I quickly recognized that I was lying on my couch, but I had no recollection of how I got there. My hands automatically reached for my phone that I usually put on the coffee table when I was in the living room, and then I suddenly realized it was not there. The moment I sat up, I started feeling dizzy, and my head felt like being split in two. I rubbed my eyes, trying to find my bag, and I instantly grabbed it from the ground next to the couch and took my mobile phone. First, I checked the time, it was three in the morning, and I asked myself, shit…, when did I fall asleep yesterday?
Fortunately, today is my day off since I have to attend my courses. To be honest, I would have rather stayed in bed and slept in, but it's still better than going to work and meeting Susan while my head is buzzing like wild. I tried to find out what happened by going through yesterday's events. I could clearly remember the coffee incident and my presentation. The picture of Mr. Lowell's naked upper body as he was getting undressed also seems to have ingrained itself into my brain. I can see his strong muscles vividly in front of me, and I can also vaguely remember that he had a tattoo on his left shoulder, but I didn't really recognize what it was, though it looked like thick, strong black lines. My heart started throbbing, and my cheeks blushed thinking about him. I was slowly getting lost in my thoughts about him when flashbacks from last night flashed up in my mind. He drove me home and helped me get out of the car. He even held me securely against his body while I almost collapsed in his arms as we stood in front of my door. The thought of having him so close to me made my blood rush with excitement.
I try to think further back and remember that we argued in front of the restaurant because I didn't want him to take me home, and I was really drunk. How could I… How embarrassing. I'm usually not the type of person who gets drunk while working, but how could I refuse the wine he was constantly pouring into my glass?
I hope he didn't get the wrong impression of me. At least, I also remember that we managed to go through most of the matters he wanted to clarify. He seemed to be more than happy with my choice of the restaurant.
Now that I think of it, Mr. Lowell seemed to be very well known at the restaurant, and he also seemed to get food from there frequently. He is even acquainted with Chef Dubois, so what was the point of testing the menu anyway if he probably knows the food better than I do? Ouch… my head started to buzz again. I have the feeling that I forgot something, but what could it be? The museum! We wanted to visit the party's location, but we ended up going right back home after eating. I guess we will have to make another appointment to do so. I will contact Coco about that first thing in the morning. Somehow, I felt nervous and excited at the same time when thinking about meeting Mr. Lowell again.
My tiredness and my head were starting to take a toll on me. I stood up since I wanted to get ready for bed and go to sleep for at least another hour until I had to leave in the morning.
My flatmates and their friends have probably returned from partying since their heels and bags are all over the entrance. I make my way to the bathroom and make myself ready for bed. I put Coco's clothes on my bedside to make sure I do not forget to hand them back to her tomorrow. Maybe I should drop by the company to hand her back the clothes and make another appointment with Mr. Lowell. He probably is mad at me after having to take me back home and my overall unprofessional behavior.
I lay down on my bed and tried to sleep, but all I could see was Mr. Lowell, his cold eyes, his hot body, his tender touch… How long has it been since I felt this way? I can't remember. I was never the lustful type; I always longed for a long and stable relationship like my parents had. Even though I recognize and acknowledge an attractive man, I never feel really attracted to them or lose myself in hopeless dreams of romance. But Mr. Lowell hit me like a train. My lust for a man normally ascends after exchanging profound thoughts, many dates, and a serious commitment. I guess I'm the opposite of a romantic. I never thought I would fall… or feel so attracted to a stranger. Or maybe I'm just projecting my lust into him since I've restrained myself so much lately. Ever since I arrived in Wolfsville, I've been so busy and focused on my goals that I didn't even think about a relationship of any kind.
I try to fall asleep, but my rest is disturbed by steaming hot dreams about Mr. Lowell. He looks me deep into my eyes. He is so close to me that I can feel his breath on my skin. The urge to kiss him seems unbearable, and it only gets worse when he softly brushes over my lips with his thumb. His lips are so close to me, but at the same time, they are so far no, they are unattainable. My body feels hot and cold at the same time. I'm full of lust but also feel hopeless and restless. I keep finding myself in my bed as this bitter-sweet dream plays again and again in my mind. After waking up for the fifth time, I'm worried I won't be able to have a good rest anymore.
In the morning, I woke up looking terrible, just the way I slept. I got ready and made my way to my first course early in the morning. I dropped Coco's clothes at the cleaner in order to pick them up later and hand them back to her in the office.
Even though I love studying, today, it feels like I'm merely doing my time. I'm dead tired, and my thoughts keep wandering to the dream about Mr. Lowell that kept me awake last night. I'm completely lost in my thoughts, and I can't keep up with the topic being presented by the professor. I should definitely ask Jake for his notes. He always attends this course on Monday. I opened my What's Chat app on my computer and asked him for the notes. Since I was already at it, I opened my mail account and wrote Coco a mail asking her when I could drop by. Her reply came unexpectedly fast. "Hi dear, what about grabbing something to eat? I'll pick you up in front of the museum today at six?" I quickly accepted her suggestion since she surely is busier than me. I'm relieved that I won't meet and be judged by Mr. Lowell, but deep down, I also feel disappointed.
Melissa, one of my three flatmates, was late, she took the seat next to me in the last row and sighed, "What just happened with you yesterday? You look terrible!" "I just didn't get enough sleep.", I answered her, omitting the part that I was feeling awful because I drank too much with the most gorgeous bachelor of Wolfsville. "Are you kidding me? When we came home, you were sound asleep on the couch. If I didn't know you better, I would guess you are hungover.", she replied with a smirk on her lips and a suspicious look in her eyes. I quickly tried to change the subject even though I wasn't really in the mood for a conversation, "Well, what were you three up to yesterday?" "We just went to meet some guys, nothing special," she butts in, sounding quite annoyed. I guess it didn't go as she had planned. Otherwise, she wouldn't be sitting here now.
Fortunately, my last question seems to have silenced my flatmate. The remaining time Melissa played on her laptop. At the same time, I tried to look busy studying. The course seemed to take forever to come to an end. I somehow managed to get through the next two courses and go directly home after fetching Coco's clothes from the cleaners. I set the alarm and lay down on my bed to get some rest before my meeting with Coco. I immediately doze off since I'm exhausted.