Tear In My Heart ✔️

The world was a drum solo inside my skull. Jackhammers hammered, cymbals crashed, and somewhere, a tiny German orchestra seemed to be having a very angry rehearsal. My eyes peeled open, then slammed shut, assaulted by a sunbeam that felt like a spotlight on my naked shame. A faint, mouth-watering aroma of bacon and eggs drifted through the unfamiliar air, a cruel taunt to my churning stomach. I groaned, slinging an arm over my eyes, trying to remember anything from last night, anything at all.

Bits and pieces flashed: Jessie? Anna? No, I turned them down. The Night Vixen. Drinks. So many drinks. Dancing. A tall, lean figure. A dark smudge where a face should be. Was it Ryan Reynolds? God, I hoped not. The thought of embarrassing myself in front of him, messy drunk, made me wince.

My room had hardwood floors. This was carpet. Soft, plush. Cream-colored walls instead of my navy blue. Abstract art instead of soccer posters. Panic should be setting in, but it wasn't. My eyes landed on a nightstand: ibuprofen, water, and a note. 'Thought this would help- Madison ;)'. Madison? A girl? I peeked under the sheets. Still in my briefs, thank God. But the disturbed sheets to my left confirmed it: someone had been here. And my pants were in the middle of the room. My shirt? Gone.

Suddenly, a crash. A string of male curses. Both alarming and intriguing. I grabbed the water bottle, my makeshift weapon, and followed the sound. Through a modern apartment, into a kitchen. A sculpted back, tattooed arms. He was picking up broken plate shards. "I swear to God if I break another plate this month..." he trailed off, standing, and then our eyes met. Green and brown, mischievous and soft. Madison. And he was a guy.