Skylar woke up the following morning drunk and hungover. She quickly stood up and ran into the bathroom to vomit. She didn't know how she got to be so drunk? And why didn't Vino stop her?
She walked out of the bathroom, her eyes taking in the room, the model wallpaper on the wall. Skylar stood shocked as she forced herself to remember where she was. This wasn't her room and neither was its Vino's.
Skylar gasped as soon as she remembered Leon forcing her out of the party and Vino coming over to rescue her. Fresh tears rolled down her eyes, when Vino had walked away from her without waiting for any explanation, he had left her hanging just as Leon had done when he found out she was carrying his child. What is it with men and pregnancy? They seem to recoil as soon they find out that their woman is pregnant.
She sobbed uncontrollably as she went to lay on the bed. She didn't believe that had happened earlier. Even though she had wanted to break up with Vino, she had never wanted it to be that way. And right now, she felt empty and lifeless. She has known how much she loved Vino even though they were opposite in every way.
She searched for her phone around the room. She saw it lying between her bag and the dinner gown she was wearing yesterday. Clothes? Skylar exclaimed and turned to look at herself at the bedside mirror on the wall. She was putting on a flimsy red nightgown with a large slit at the belly button. Someone had changed her clothes. Who was that person? Skylar wondered in her mind.
She refused to believe that Leon had kidnapped her, she remembered him running away. Skylar shrugged and turned to pick her phone; she quickly dials Vino's number while praying that he picks it up. The phone rang and rang until the call ended.
Skylar tried it again, the same process was repeated before the call ended. Skylar swore under her breath as she rushed to dial the number again.
"Fuck! Please pick up the phone. I'm sorry, I can explain" Skylar mumbled to herself as tears fell down her eyes. She didn't lie to him; she had only withheld that information from him because she wanted to protect herself from being hurt again. Now, she wished she had told him right from the beginning, she wouldn't have been hurt if he had left her then unlike now.
Skylar dialled the number again, she smiled as she heard the phone click meaning someone has accepted the call, Skylar was about to speak when she heard the machine say:
"Hi! This is Vino. Leave a message for me after the tone. I will get back to you" Skylar quickly hung up when she saw that Vino had connected her to the voicemail.
She sat down reluctantly on the bed just as she heard the door lock open. Skylar became alert waiting for whosoever that was on the other side of the door to come.
Skylar relaxed as soon as she saw Paula walk in balancing a tray containing coffee, water, and a pill on one hand as she used her other hand to open the door.
She smiled as soon as she saw that Skylar was awake "Oh! Thank God, you are okay. How's the hangover?" Paula asked Skylar as she dropped the tray on the bed opposite Skylar before she went to sit on the couch waiting for Skylar's response.
"I'm okay, just a bit of a headache" Skylar replied as she moved her hands to massage her forehead gently. Paula smiled and handed Skylar the pills with a glass of water "Here, this should help with the headache".
Skylar collected it from her and used it with the water. She swallowed it before turning to look at Paula "Thank you for taking care of me. I was scared at first, waking up in an unfamiliar apartment"
"It's no problem" Paula replied as she reached out to hold Skylar's hands" And I'm sorry for bringing you here without your permission. It's just that you were so drunk last night and we didn't know where you lived." Paula continued gently.
She let out the part that they had tried calling Vino but he wouldn't pick up the phone. Which had led Paula to believe that they were having a lover's quarrel and Paula had planned to find out what had happened yesterday.
"I'm not annoyed, rather I'm grateful for your help in bringing me to your house," Skylar told Paula as she tried to dispel Paula's notion that she was annoyed with her.
She was thankful for having someone like her beside her, she wouldn't know what would have happened to her yesterday at the bar. Maybe a group of drunk boys would have gang-raped her last night.
"About yesterday, What _____"
"I'm sorry can we not talk about that '' Skylar immediately cut Paula off. She didn't want to remember yesterday. She didn't want to remember the hurtful look in Vino's eyes yesterday. She hopes it will just disappear from her memory. That was the reason she had walked into the bar last night. To forget _ but you can't always forget, right?
"I need to go see my mom today," Skylar told Paula as she stood up from the bed to gather her things and walked into the bathroom to bathe after Paula had given her the go-ahead.
Paula stood up as soon as Skylar went into the bathroom. She picked up the tray and took them to the kitchen. She instructed her house_ keeper to set the table for breakfast while she went to get a spare dress for Skylar from her wardrobe.
She arranged it on the bed, with new undies before turning to walk out of the door after folding Skylar's dinner gown in a black box and set it on the bed too.
Skylar returned into the room to see Paula was no longer in the room, rather a red mini_ length gown was waiting for her on the bed. Skylar smiled. She was grateful for Paula's help with the clothes as she dreaded wearing her dinner gown again.
Skylar walked down the stairs after she had picked up her bag and helped Paula to tidy up the guest room.
"She saw the Ernestos in the dining room preparing to have breakfast "Good morning, Mr. Ernesto" Skylar greeted him with a polite smile on her face. She felt embarrassed that Mr. Ernesto must have seen her drunk and passed out last night. How unprofessional of her.
"Good morning, Miss Evans. I trust you had a nice sleep, right?" Mr. Ernesto responded with a smile on his face as he glanced through the morning paper in his hands.
"Yes, thank you, Sir" Skylar answered, as she turned to smile at Paula who waves her to a chair across from her.
Skylar settled down on the chair and joined the Ernestos for breakfast. Though she would have loved to leave immediately after bathing it would seem rude to them if she had rejected breakfast.
She and Paula exchanged small talks in between meals. Skylar was thankful that she never brought up the conversation about last night again.
Paula escorted her to the car and asked the driver to drop her off at the office where Skylar was parked last night. Skylar picked up her car and drove to her mom's place after thanking Ernesto's driver.
Skylar pulled the car over at her mom's shop. She was surprised to see that the shop was locked. Even though it was the weekend, her mom usually opens since it was close to her house. It only means she wasn't feeling alright.
Skylar stepped out of the car. She locked the door and turned to take the tiny lane to her mother's house which was not far from her shop.
Skylar paused as soon as she saw a white Bugatti parked at one corner of the house. She had never seen anyone with that kind of car before, she was shocked her mom was entertaining rich visitors. Skylar wondered if they were her mom's clients.
She shrugged and stepped onto the porch. She rang the bell and waited for her mother to come open the door.
The door opened almost immediately but instead of her mom; Skylar was enveloped in a tight embrace before she could acknowledge the person in the room.
"I miss you very much! I've been going crazy looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" Vino exclaimed gently as he relaxed in her arms.
He thought he would die when he went over to her house this morning only to be told by the security guard that she hasn't returned home since yesterday. He was scared that her psycho ex-boyfriend must have taken her away. He had immediately driven over to her mom's place who was equally worried about her.
"Vino I _____" Skylar coughed in his arms as she tried to free herself from his tight embrace.
"I can't breathe" Vino immediately let go of her as he ushers her into the house. Her mother was coming down the stairs with a photo album in her hands. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw Skylar in the room with Vino.
"Skylar?" Her mom called to her walking hurriedly to meet her
"Mom" Skylar replied as she ran to hug her mother. She knew her mother was worried about her but she was still shocked with having to meet Vino here. She thought he was annoyed with her then what is he was doing in her mom's house?
"Where have you been? I've been worried about you when Vino said he couldn't get in touch with you" Mrs. Evans said as she let go of her daughter to look at her all over searching for any bruises or pain.
"I'm fine mom" Skylar replied, rolling her eyes at her mom over protectiveness as she turned to glare at Vino, if he had picked up his calls, he wouldn't need to make her mother worry.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, I was at a friend's place last night," Skylar told her mom as she followed her into the sitting room with Vino closely following behind them.
"It's alright" Mrs. Evans replied as she turned to study her daughter. Her eyes were red and her face looked swollen. She had probably cried herself to sleep last night.
"Vino had explained all that had happened last night to me. I'm sorry that you had to see that Leon boy again but I hope you'll be able to conquer this too" Mrs. Evans told her daughter who nodded. She was more thankful that she didn't need to explain all that happened. She couldn't bring herself to think about that again.
"I will leave the two of you to sort out your differences but remember every relationship should be built on trust and love" With that Mrs. Evans stepped out of the room giving her daughter privacy.
Skylar sighed as she turned to look at Vino after her mother had left the room. She was conscious of what she had done which led her to apologize to Vino.
"I'm sorry," They both told each other simultaneously. Skylar smiled as she watches Vino, it was the first smile on her face after last night
"You go first" They both responded together again before they burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry" Skylar called gently after she had recovered from laughing too hard "I should have explained everything after we met"
"No. It's not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have walked out angrily last night. I should have waited to hear your explanation." Vino pushed to correct her. He can't have her feeling guilty after everything she had to go through in the hands of her ex-boyfriend.
Her mother had told him everything because she was scared that he was going to leave her daughter but Vino was not going anywhere after listening to her story, he had come to love her more. She was strong enough to have endured all of that alone.
Skylar smiled and hugged Vino as he pecked her lightly on her forehead comforting her. Skylar pulled out of his embrace and turned to pick up the fallen photo album to show Vino her baby picture which earned laughter from Vino.
They were so excited that they couldn't see Mrs. Evans who had slipped back into the room. She was excited to see them together laughing and enjoying each other's company again.