Chapter 6
Kennedy
When I woke up, there was sunlight streaming in through the window. For a few moments, I was disoriented and unsure of where I was. I knew I wasn’t in my own bed.
Then, images of the previous night flashed through my mind.
The bar. The girls. Nico in his tight cotton t-shirt. His apartment. The sweaty hot sex!
I sat up, looking around with a heaving chest. Nico was nowhere in sight and I was in his room. This had to be his bedroom, even though I didn’t remember actually seeing it before. How had I landed up here?
There was a dull aching throb at the back of my head. I had too much to drink.
The last thing I remembered was Nico and I in his living room. We’d both partially dressed into our clothes…well, sort of. I was still in my lingerie.
Nico brought me more beers, while he drank his whisky. I was flushed in the afterglow of that sexual experience. My biggest teenage fantasy had just come true. Most surprising of all, Nico still wanted me there in his apartment. For some reason, he wasn’t in a rush to send me off.
I didn’t know Nico that well, but from the impression I had of him—I always thought he would be a one-night-stand kinda guy. Not the kind who wanted to talk to the girl after he had sex with her.
Maybe it was different because we used to know each other in school? Or vaguely know each other.
We’d spent some time talking. I remembered laughing a lot, discussing old mutual friends from school. We spoke about that house party, and how embarrassed I’d gotten when he kissed me. That was what I remembered.
I couldn’t recall how or when I’d drifted off to sleep. Had he carried me here to his bedroom? That was definitely what it looked like.
I looked over and saw his side of the bed. It seemed like someone had been sleeping there. I reached for it, and I could feel the warmth. He’d been lying there not too long ago. Was he still in the apartment?
“Hello?” I called out, pulling the covers up high over my body. In the light of day, I was more self-conscious than I’d been the night before. There was no reply. It seemed like I was all alone here.
“Nico?” I tried again, but I heard nothing.
Had he just left his apartment with me sleeping in his bed? It was a Sunday morning, what work could he possibly have?
I swung my legs over the bed and that was when my eyes fell on the note. It was lying neatly on my leather jacket on the floor.
I picked it up and read it breathlessly.
Hi. Sorry I had to leave in a rush. Business beckoned. If you’re up for it, we could have dinner tonight? Luigi’s downtown makes a mean seafood linguine.
I read the note again and again. There was nothing too personal about it. Nothing that would betray that Nico and I had extremely hot sex the night before. It could have been a note to a friend.
Nonetheless, to me it spelt that he wanted to see me again.
I had a smile on my face as I changed into my clothes. I used his bathroom to wash my face and tidy up before leaving the apartment. He hadn’t left me any instructions, so I just shut the door behind me.
I’d called for an Uber already and as I made my way downstairs, I texted Ava.
Drop everything you’re doing and meet me at the Mall. I need a new dress for a hot date tonight!
***
Ava was flicking through the dresses on the rack. We’d been to several stores already and I still hadn’t found the perfect dress. The one I wanted to wear tonight to Luigi’s.
“And you met this guy at the bar last night?” she asked.
I hadn’t given her too many details. Most importantly, I’d left out the part that the guy in question was also someone she would recognize. Everyone in school knew Nico Rossi. He was the guy all the girls wanted to be with. The one who ignored all their advances.
I’d never even told Ava about the kiss. I didn’t think she would believe me and besides, I was too ashamed. How was I supposed to explain that he didn’t have sex with me because he wanted to go on a date first? And then he’d mysteriously disappeared. That would have sounded like a story too farfetched for even Ava to buy.
“Yeah, exactly. Anyway, the point is that we had the hottest sex!” I exclaimed, picking out a beige lacey cocktail dress. I put it back on the rack immediately after. I needed this dress to stand out.
Ava was watching me keenly. She’d never seen me this excited about a date before.
“How hot was the sex exactly? I mean, look at you. You’re blushing right now!” Ava said, placing a hand on her slender hip.
I knew I was blushing. My cheeks were burning up. I was tempted to tell her who it was. That it was our high school hottie-Nico Rossi. That I’d slept in his bed the previous night.
Even though Ava was my best friend and I usually told her everything, I hesitated to tell her about Nico. For some reason, I wanted it to remain a secret a little longer. It was exciting to think that nobody else knew who I was sleeping with. Besides, I was pretty certain that nothing would come of it.
Maybe dinner tonight was just a way for him to make up for the dinner he’d missed six years ago. I was sure that Nico was not the relationship sort of guy. This wasn’t going to lead to anything serious.
And then what would Ava think of me?
“I’ve never seen you fuss over a dress before!” she declared, when I pulled out a classic black dress.
I took it to the full-length mirror in the store and stood in front of it. I was holding the dress to myself, while Ava stood behind me.
“What do you think of this?” I asked her.
Ava met my eyes in the mirror.
“Kenni, you’re ignoring my questions. I’m trying to get you to spit it out. Is this guy special?”
I whipped around to her, beginning to feel frustrated. Yes, Nico was special, because he was straight out of my teenage dreams. But it was nothing more than that. We were keeping it casual…not that there was anything going on between us in the first place.
“What are you talking about? I’m just going on a date with a guy I met last night! You go on dates like every night of the week!”
“Exactly! And when you go for a date, you don’t spend more than a minute deciding what to wear,” Ava snapped. I scoffed, rolled my eyes and looked away from her.
“All I’m saying is that there’s nothing wrong with admitting that this guy is special somehow. I’m going to be happy for you if he is,” she had thrown her arms around my neck now and was hugging me tightly.
We were still in front of the mirror, she was holding me and we swayed together. I had the dress held to my body. It was a lovely dress, but simple. I still wasn’t sure what to wear tonight.
“It’s just a date, Ava. It’s our first one…I don’t even know what it is. You know me, I just want to keep things light and casual,” I replied to her finally.
Ava sighed and peeled herself off me.
“Suit yourself. You are only hurting you, by not admitting that maybe this guy’s struck a chord,” she declared.
I watched as she walked back down the aisle of clothes and pulled out a silk navy cocktail dress.
“This one. This is what you should wear,” Ava said, holding up the dress.
It was perfect, it was beautiful. I knew I needed Ava for this!
I smiled as I snatched the dress away from her and stepped into the trial room. As I put on the dress, I was thinking about Nico again.
I wasn’t sure what was making me keep him a secret from my best friend. Maybe it was because I’d never told her about the kiss from six years ago? Whatever it was, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret for too long.
If I slept with Nico again, I would have to tell Ava. I just wasn’t sure how she would react to it. Nico had been gone from our lives for a long time.