Baccano!, Luck/Eve, consequences/morning after, "I wasn't thinking last night."
It took a moment for the reality of the situation to settler over her. But that moment was dominated by the comforting warmth of the bed. Her sleep-hazed mind let that warmth ease over her and she squirmed and reveled in its grasp.
It was only when her hand reached out and brushed bare skin that her eyes shot open. Something wasn't right. At first, she could only see a mess of dark hair and a pale back. That was bad enough. But the form soon shifted and she was confronted with a familiar profile. Many wards and phrases ran through her mind as she tried to process the situation. She could only verbalize one and, then, only at a whisper: "Oh my."
So it hadn't been a dream. As the dregs of sleep slipped further away, she wondered how she ever that that it had been. That night, she had allowed herself a single glass of champagne. She had sipped at it infrequently before setting it aside and taking off in hot pursuit. Yes, it had been she who had followed him down the deserted hallway. It had been she who had asked the first halting questions. And it had been she who, after the tensions had shifted, rose up and kissed him on the mouth. One kiss led to another and, soon, her back was against the wall and her hands were in his hair. When he broke free and breathlessly muttered something about having a room, she had nodded and agreed to go.
As she glanced out over the floor, she could see what had happened next. She could still remember their hands fumbling with the various hooks, bows, and buttons until all of their clothes were on the floor. The thought of how she was going to get back into all of that frippery almost brought forth peals of laughter. For the moment, she kept them to herself. Although she wanted to shake him awake and ask "what next", she chose to let him sleep. His presence would not help her now.
She sat up. Carefully, she lifted back the sheets and swung her legs to the side. There was a lot for her to do and she had no idea where to start. But one glance at the end table gave her a clue. Then again, it was hard for anyone to ignore a gold ring with a 20 carat diamond surrounded by small rubies. It wasn't something she loved but, like the previous night, it was something she had chosen. She grabbed the ring and slipped it back on.
A hand reached out and grabbed onto her hip. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked behind her and stared into sleepy eyes. "Good morning, Mr. Gandor."
"Morning, Eve," he said through a yawn. "I suppose you're leaving me?"
"We both knew that this moment would come."
He nodded. She looked away as his hand squeezed her hip. "Still..."
She didn't hear the rest. Her mind flashed back to the night before. She sat astride him as he held on. They had rocked in unison, each hungry for something more than the ephemeral. Her back had stiffened as she let out a halting sigh that was soon followed by one of this own. She had fallen against him and said something that she no longer chose to remember. It would just make things worse to know.
"I have obligations," she finally said.
"You know as well as I know that Mr. Granger was drunk last night. He's probably somewhere in this hotel sleeping it off." A sarcastic grin slipped from his face and he said, "He doesn't miss you right now."
"That doesn't really change anything. I still have to go."
He removed his hand and said, "Then you should go."
She sighed and pressed her hands into the mattress to hoist herself up. His hand again shot out and grabbed her left hand. She shifted back onto the bed as she watched him inspect the ring. "It's quite ostentatious...showy," he finally said, frowning.
"That it is."
"It's not like you at all."
"Perhaps not," she said as she pulled back her hand, "but could you do any better?"
He smiled and said, "I wouldn't buy you some big rocks and call it love."
"You wouldn't...and I suppose that's a start." She glanced back to the mess on the floor. She needed to go. But she slipped the ring off and placed it to the side. He sometimes made it hard for her to turn away. Still, as she sank back into the bed, she wondered why she let him do so.