Free Everything Unexpected by Caroline Nolan

clear of any eyeliner that’s likely to have smudged during the night. Running my fingers through my hair, I feel them get caught in tangle after tangle.
    I make my way to the couch, quickly finding my purse. I open it, thanking God for the box of Tic-Tac’s I had slipped inside. I pop one in my mouth, never so happy for that small burst of mint to hit my tongue.
    I turn to head towards the front door when I’m halted in place, face to face with a whole different kind of nightmare. A few feet away, sitting at the kitchen counter with a spoon full of cereal in the air, is Bryan. Still in last night’s clothes, his brows furrowing slightly, slowly piecing together the scene in front of him. It isn’t anything new for me to spend the night here on occasion but never have Shane and I slept in the same bed, nor have I ever come out of his room looking like I’ve just spent the night having sex. God, I hope I don’t have any visible bite marks on my skin.
    What do I say? Do I even need to say anything? No. I don’t need to justify myself to anyone, least of all Bryan. I’m just going to do nothing, say nothing, and walk out that door. Yes. That sounds good. Bryan’s mouth opens wider when his eyes move down my body. It’s embarrassingly obvious he’s recognizing the walk of shame I’m about to take. His eyes dart between the hallway leading to Shane’s bedroom then back to me.
    Before he has the chance to say anything, I charge for the door, leaving him stunned and silent behind me. All alone with his Cheerios. I don’t dare wait for the elevator. I rush to the fire exit and take the three flights of stairs down to the main floor and the safety of being outside of this apartment building. The streets are still quiet, barely anyone out, which makes sense considering how early it is on a Sunday morning. I walk the few blocks it takes to get to a busier intersection where I hope to catch a cab. My pace begins to quicken with every step, moving as fast as I can in my heels. My stomach starts to turn and I’m fairly certain it has nothing to do with all the alcohol I drank last night. Sweat forms on my neck and I know it has nothing to do with the morning sun. I keep moving, faster and faster, never having to get away from that loft as much as I do right now.
     
     
    SEVEN TEXT MESSAGES, two voicemails and an email. That’s how many times Shane has tried to get in contact with me over the last day and a half. I sit at my desk, staring at the latest text that just came through.
     

     
    He’s right. I know he’s right. I hate that he’s right.
    I am the one making everything weird by not answering his calls or texts. And I’m such a hypocrite for it. After making him promise me nothing would change, here I am hiding from him. I’m just not sure of what to say. How will it be seeing him? Will we be able to act like nothing happened? Is that even possible now that I’ve been spread out in front of him naked? Now that I’ve seen him naked? I mean, we had sex. Great sex. Which almost makes it worse. Maybe if it had been awful, it wouldn’t be so weird seeing him. It could be something we laugh at a few minutes and then forget. But sex with Shane is nothing to laugh at, and I don’t think I can forget about it.
    A knock at my office door interrupts my thoughts. Holly pokes her head in, her lips curling into a small smile. She comes in uninvited like she usually does and sits in the chair directly in front of my desk.
    “You didn’t answer my calls yesterday,” she says. “Was the hangover that bad? Eddy couldn’t even get out of bed.” She laughs.
    The answer to her question is more complicated than she could imagine.
    “Pretty fun night though,” she adds.
    I almost groan. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone yesterday. Once I got home, I peeled off my clothes and jumped in the shower. I wish I could say the hot water helped wash away all the confusion I had about that night but every time my hands ran