I woke up with the biggest headache of my life. I was never going to drink again. That was a lie.
I blinked several times and, honestly, I didn't recognize the place. I wasn't in my room. I was definitely not in my room, not by a long shot. This room was big—very big—and smelled of sea breeze. The decor was in shades of gray, while my room is a light brown.
I was in the bed, and when I got up, I realized it sat right in the middle of the room. There were two doors here, one on the left and one on the right; I assumed they were the bathroom and possibly a walk-in closet. I got out of bed and saw a painkiller and a glass of water on the nightstand. I didn't hesitate to drink it so that sharp pain would stop.
I sat back on the bed and tried to remember last night.
I went out with Weza, we went to a club where we met Damon, and then I think I saw Mart. Weza and Dame disappeared, and I stayed there alone until a stranger arrived. I remember he was handsome, and he kept talking to me until probably the time I left—meaning, we left. I remember getting into a car, and after that, I don't remember anything else.
Am I in this stranger's house? My God, was I kidnapped? What was I thinking, getting into a black car at night with a stranger? Have I gone crazy? It's not possible. If Lia knew, my God, I would be dead, torn into little pieces, and thoroughly burned. No, no—and if my mother knew? I should definitely start thinking of ways to flee the country.
What was his name again? Something with a B... Bráulio? Bernardo? Brandon?
I thought for a few brief seconds, and the name popped into my head like a lightbulb. Bruno.
Right at the moment I remembered his name, I heard a knock on the door, and then it opened. A Bruno with damp curls and a radiant smile entered the room and closed the door.
"Good morning," he said as he approached and sat on the bed.
"Mmm, good morning," I said, making space for him since he sat down close to me.
"How is your head?"
"Good, the painkiller did me a lot of good, thank you," I said with a brief smile.
"Do you... Mmm... remember me?" he asked, looking a bit hesitant.
"Yes, Brunozinho, I remember very well," I said, smiling at the stupid nickname I had come up with for him.
"Don't call me that. Everything about me is big," he said with the biggest smile in the world.
"Don't men always say that to impress?" I asked provocatively.
"Want to confirm?" he replied in the same tone.
"How about another day?" We laughed for a good while, and then I asked, "Why am I not at home?"
"Well, you are at home—at my house," he said jokingly.
"Yes, but I mean, why aren't I at my house?"
"Well, I asked where you lived when we got in the car and you said you wanted to go to your friend Weza's house. When I was about to ask where that was, you fell asleep. I tried in vain to wake you up, but it didn't happen. Since we couldn't stay in the car forever, I brought you to my place."
Well, yes—minus the question I didn't hear—the story is exactly as I remember it before falling asleep.
"Thank you. It was very kind of you to bring a stranger home. You were very, very thoughtful."
"We talked for two hours; I couldn't just leave you there," he said with a serious expression.
"Still, I was a complete stranger. Can you imagine if I had planned all that? Pretended to be drunk just to attack you when you wanted to take me home? Or if I tried to kill you or something? What if... what if..."
"Are you a bit paranoid?" he laughed.
"Honestly, I don't even know how I got into your car. I was definitely drunk."
"Just don't worry too much about it."
"Thank you," I said, and I don't know why, but I blushed.
"Don't thank me. What do you think about going downstairs to eat?"
Suddenly, my stomach made a loud noise; I really was hungry.
"I guess that's a yes, right?"
"Yes, but could I use the bathroom first?"
"Be my guest. There are some clothes—comfortable ones, I think—in the closet in case you want to change. Afterward, you just have to go down the stairs."
"Thank you once again," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. It seemed like a lie, but he actually blushed.
"Don't thank me," he said, and with a wide smile, he left the room, closing the door.
I finished my shower and put on a simple, comfortable floral dress I found in the closet. I took my phone off the charger where I assume Bruno had left it, and as soon as I turned it on, I was shocked.
10 missed calls from Weza.
7 missed calls from Lia.
5 missed calls from Dame.
And four missed calls from the last person I thought would call me: Chace, my boyfriend.
I turned the phone off again, put it in my bag on the chair near the closet, and opened the bedroom door. I really was hungry.
I went down the stairs cautiously because the house was huge and beautiful—everything was so wonderful, modern, and sophisticated. As I descended, I heard unfamiliar voices, which meant he didn't live alone.
Is his girlfriend here? I thought about going back upstairs, but the smell of coffee and milk spoke louder; I was starving.
I continued down to the bottom and found myself in a hallway with four passages: one to the left, one to the right, one in front of me, and another behind the stairs. I followed my instinct, took the path in front of me, and came out into a very large and beautiful room. I believe it was the living room. I stood there lost, looking at the smallest details that made up that room, when a voice pulled me out of my admiration.
"Theoany." I turned and saw Bruno, now with dry curls and different clothes; I guess he hadn't showered when he came upstairs earlier.
"Thanks for showing up, I think I got lost. This house is... huge."
When I finished speaking, I looked at a Bruno who didn't seem to be "there," even though he was.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, and still, he didn't seem to respond. "Bruno!" I said, pinching his arm.
"Oh, sorry... mm... I... Is that dress comfortable?" he asked, completely flustered.
"Yes, thank you very much," I said, spinning around so he could see.
"Okay, let's go." He pulled me, but not through the same hallway I came from. We went through a door and reached a wonderful kitchen.
When we entered, the voices stopped. I was behind Bruno, so naturally, I didn't see anyone, but judging by the voices, there were at least three people here. Men.
"Well, people, this is Theoany, a friend," he said as he pulled me from behind him. I saw the kitchen, which was marvelous, even more so than the living room. And also three extremely handsome guys. Not that I would betray Chace or that I didn't think he was handsome—he is, he has a breathtaking beauty—even though in these last few months he has become a complete idiot. He's a beautiful idiot, and regardless of everything, I love him.
But beauties like the ones I was seeing now had to be acknowledged. I was lost for a moment until I snapped out of my trance.
"Pleasure, I'm Dakota Stuart, Bruno's brother." The first beauty introduced himself; he had a nose piercing and a tattoo on his arm, which I noticed because he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
"Uh, hello. Theoany." I extended my hand and shook his, and he was warm—or at least he felt warm at that moment.
Then came the second one, about the same height as Dakota, only this one wore glasses and had green eyes and messy hair. He was simply beautiful.
"A pleasure, Theoany. Edward Lawrence, Bruno's brother."
"The pleasure is all mine," I said, giving my best smile.
Until it faded when the third one approached me and gave me a hug. He was the definition of... of... there aren't even words. Blue eyes, wavy light brown hair, very rosy lips—not to mention he had the best smile of all time. Unlike Dakota, he had a piercing in his bottom lip.
"Kyle Stuart, Bruno's brother." He smiled.
"Pleasure," I said, stunned to my core.
"Pleasure only in bed."
"I don't doubt that," I murmured softly and turned to Bruno, who had a devilish smile on his face.
"What?" I asked.
"Come on, let's eat." He pulled me amidst the suggestive looks of his brothers, and we sat at the table where they were.
This is going to be interesting.