Stranger things happened
A/N That's the first chapter of my new story. A little bit of detective story, a little bit of romance and a little bit of humor. Hopefully, you'll like it. Anyway, you know the drill.
R&R.
I'll be waiting! ;)
Chapter 1
It all began when I woke up and found lying next to me a complete stranger. A man. «It happens all the time!» - you'd say. And I would have agreed if not for the fact that I remembered going to bed with my husband.
Yesterday we were celebrating the end of our honeymoon and drinking for our future honeymoon-like life together. I may have been a little tipsy, but that was definitely not enough for hallucination!
I woke up all by myself, no alert required. Actually, it was on vacation ever since I had been fired. Yes, a month ago I was sacked. Or, as my boss put it, 'fell the victim of redundacy'. Nevertheless, not waking up to this god-awful sound is the best thing ever happening to me. Seriously. For the first time in my life I can sleep as late as I want!
My husband, Seiya, is a genius on the quest of soul-searching. What that means is he's a musician trying to land the offer of his life while sometimes working: singing in clubs if he's lucky, bar-tendering and waiting if he's not. Mostly he worked nights and slept all day long.
So this morning promised to be no different, when I woke up in our small apartment, opened my right eye just to check my cellphone. Ten o'clock. 'I can sleep a little bit more and then make a breakfast!' I thought. Though, yeah, I rarely cooked. Ok. Almost never. But today was going to be the first day of the rest of our life together. I could make an exception. I turned to look at my sleeping husband and BA-A-AM.
I am still looking.
I feel fear taking over my whole body, twisting nerves in my stomach and decreasing the temperature. Mine or the room I am in - not sure. I close my eyes and slowly climb on my knees, counting to ten. And then I open my eyes again… still not Seiya.
The two man look a lot alike, but then they are not. This man has short hair, his body is… gorgeous, I mean god-like gorgeous. His face is so much more… aristocratic, noble. Even sleeping he looks so proud and self-assured. When I was a little girl, that's how I imagined Prince Charming or any fairy-tale prince - or hero that saves the day, for that matter. But aside from my dreams, I bet I have never met this man in my life.
Maybe I was more drunk than I thought? Oh my God! It could all have been very dramatic.
Say, Seiya was asked to work the night - wouldn't have happened for the first time - I decided to carry on celebrating and… what? Cheated on my husband?! No, definitely not. There is no chance, no amount of alcohol could make me do that.
Maybe I just wanted to help the man. I am kind like that. Maybe I found him, hungry and cold and gorg..mmm… lost, yes, lost on the street and let him spend the night in my apartment. And he just didn't feel very comfortable on the couch. It is so old and so small, after all.
Is he wearing pants? Boxers? Anything?
Slowly, I lift the blanket just to sneak a peak… OH MY GOD! He is a god!
Ok… Ok, there is an explanation. There has to be.
Terrified, I tiptoe to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. The same blond hair and cerulean eyes. Thank God at least I still look the same.
«Mmmhmmm!»
He's awake!
What do I do? What do I do? I realize I've been turning around myself chaotically and stop abruptly. My blood is definitely running cold now as I watch the man in a peephole. He rises like a dignified deity from the bed and heads to the bathroom. Stark naked. I jump from the door just as he throws it open and looks at me tenderly.
«Good morning, love!» entering the small room he pecks me on my lips. Just like Seiya always does. Then he turns on the water and grabs my husband's toothbrush. «Have you made coffee yet? I took a day off, by the way, to spend it with you. Does it make you happy?» Not paying attention to my stupor, he proceeds to the kitchen and switches on the kettle. With the said toothbrush in his mouth. I find myself following him mutely. «Make some pancakes while I take the shower?» he asks, taking the toothbrush out so that I could make out what he says. Still not interested in my response, he returns to the bathroom.
ID! To talk to him I should at least know his name. It's easier to communicate that way. I return to the bedroom to search for his clothes. And five minutes later I am almost sure it was charity. I must have found him naked. That's why I took him in. There are no clothes, except for Seiya's that is, anywhere.
When the water stops, I realize I am wearing nothing but a frilly nightgown, honeymoon special. I need to change. Hurriedly, I put on a t-shirt and jeans and make a messy ponytail.
«Where are my pancakes?» I hear the man's hurt but still sexy-as-hell husky voice. But I will not let that fact influence me.
Making as furious face as I can manage, I enter the kitchen and glare at the stranger. «What's your name?» He's wearing Seiya's sweatpants and nothing more. I am lucky enough to look at his perfectly sculptured chest. He catches my wandering eye and smirks, cocky bastard.
«Like what you see, sunshine?»
«Your name!»
The grin widens and suddenly he's standing so close to me, I can feel the heat of his body and the smell of his shampoo. Seiya's shampoo. He pecks me on my cheeks and says: «My name's Seiya, beautiful. And you are?»
Damn. They are namesakes. That's soooo baaaad.
«I am Serena. Where are your clothes?» I feel so guilty. It's all my fault. I bet he doesn't even know I am married.
«My clothes?» he's confused. Why's he confused? His eyes are so deep blue. Why am I married?
«Yeah, you were wearing something, right?»
«When?» And they say I am the queen of stupid questions.
This was definitely charity. Gorgeous naked man, obviously with some problems in the sphere of mental health. I could not help myself. «Yesterday, when we met, what were you wearing?» I said slowly, so that it was easier to understand me.
«Yesterday, when I kissed you goodnight, I realized that I should not have let you drink the second glass of wine. You are such a lightweight! Ok, I get it, you don't want to cook for me even today. I'll do it myself.» He opens the fridge as if it's his property and searches for something. My guess? The ingredients for the pancakes.
«No, no! I am sorry, I must have failed to let you know, I am married. And my husband is about to get back from work.»
«Your husband is about to die! That's how hungry he is! Come on, Sere! Just feed me, then we can make love and then go see a movie! The chick flick you begged me to watch with you?»
«Seems like we speak different languages! Do you think I am your wife?!»
«Do I thi… Sere, hey, Sere, are you ok? I shouldn't have let you drink at all!»
Did I drink again with him? He's right, he shouldn't have. But he's the crazy one, not me!
«How long have we known each other?»
«Well, let's see. The honeymoon month and then two weeks before the wedding… That's 44 days. Yeah, I am good at everything! Ain't you lucky?»
That's it!
«AREN'T I LUCKY? GET OUT! YOU ARE NOT MY HUSBAND!»
«Ok, you are great at pulling my leg. Now sit and drink coffee, eat pancakes. And be generally happy.»
«Pulling your leg?»
«Well, to begin with, you refuse to remember me. That's pretty sad!» He sits down and - at last - takes a huge bite of the pancake he's made all by himself.
«You are not Seiya Kou! My husband is 28 and he's a singer!»
«And he's sitting right in front of you…»
«You look nothing like him!»
He smirks and… «Too bad for him.»
«CONCEITED JERK! GET OUT!» this is me, asking nicely.
«Yes, ma'am!»
He rises from the chair, washes the dishes and proceeds to the bedroom. There he opens the closet doors and within no time I see him wearing Seiya's khakis and the blue shirt I ironed for him yesterday. And surprisingly it fits, even though this man is obviously wider in shoulders and overall has a much more impressive physique.
«You are wearing my husband's clothes!»
«Oh, yeah! And yesterday I made love to his wife, slept next to her, brushed teeth with his toothbrush and ate food from his fridge. I am such a pig!» the sarcasm in his voice leaves me defenseless. Silently, I approach him and check his pockets. I can let him have the clothes, but I have to get the ID back. There it is.
Satisfied, I take a look at it and almost faint. The name, date of birth - everything is as it should be, as it used to be. Except for the photo. It's not Seiya. It's that…that… bastard. And I am scared out of my mind again; millions of possibilities fly in my head, but none of them make sense.
«Ok, give them back so that I could go and buy the tickets, Sere.» Again not waiting for my answer, he pecks me on my lips, takes the car keys from the desk and leaves, shutting the door quietly.
One thing is painfully clear: I am in trouble.