This is the story of your red right ankle,
And how it came to meet your leg.
And how the muscle bone and sinews tangled,
And how the skin was softly shed.
And how it whispered,
"Oh, adhere to me for we are bound by symmetry
And whatever differences our lives have been
We together make a limb."
This is the story of your red right ankle.
Red Right Ankle by The Decemberists
The sunlight viciously shone through Sarah's window, reprimanding her for sleeping so late. Shielding her eyes, she looked at the clock on her bedside table; 11:45am. Shit. Sarah shot out of bed, only to be greeted by a pounding headache and an overwhelming wave of nausea.
"Wonderful. Just wonderful, Sarah. Great job," she sarcastically said to herself. She had a little over an hour to finish, er, start her article for the local paper and get it to the editor. Even though it was only a side job, she depended on it to pay her rent for the month. She groaned and walked to the bathroom to get an Advil for her unbearable hangover.
Swallowing the pill, she gripped the sink and closed her eyes. Sighing, she tried to recall the events that transpired the night before. Killian. Ruby. Karaoke? Graham. Then what? She shook her head and ran her fingers through her long tangled hair. "I smell like a bar rat and my hair is literally a bird's nest." She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror to take in her whole appearance. Her make-up was smeared all over her face and she looked like hell. She quickly washed her face and threw her hair into a ponytail. "Let's get to work."
After a grueling 45 minutes of throwing together an article, she put on some yoga pants, a sweatshirt, and some lip gloss (just for good measure). Grabbing her laptop, purse, and keys, she ran out the door to deliver her story.
*Check my profile for the link to Sarah's outfit*
The sound of something falling off the dresser woke Killian with a start. He quickly rolled over in bed to investigate, only to find Ruby looking through his things. She smiled sheepishly as her gaze met his, knowing that she'd been caught in the act. She coughed lightly and looked away, "Uh, good morning! Sorry, I was just looking for my ..." she trailed off, grabbing her dress from the end of the bed. "... dress," she finished.
Killian cocked an eyebrow at her, trying to piece together the night before. Sarah. Dancing. Ruby. Sarah and Graham. Ruby? His eyes opened wide once realization hit him. "Good morning, Ruby. Uh, sorry I slept so late. Are you hungry or anything?" he tried to mask his shock/regret. "I was actually going to head home and shower. As much as I love the smell of you, I should wash my hair and stuff," she smiled, biting her lip.
"Oh right, absolutely. I'll drive you home," Killian fumbled out of bed quickly, glad for any excuse to take her home. He needed some alone time to process his thoughts.
Sarah dropped off her article to Mr. Glass just in time and decided that she deserved a relaxing rest of her day. Tucking her laptop safely in her car, she grabbed her cell phone and her coffee and started to walk towards the beach. The water always seemed to bring her inner peace and after last night, she had a couple things to mull over.
Once she hit the water's edge, she sat down in the sand and let her feet get swallowed by the tide. Sipping her coffee, she let out a sigh that seemed to hold all of her feelings. She figured that Ruby probably needed some time to cool off. As close as they were, Sarah didn't mess with her when she was mad; especially not when she was jealous. She knew that Ruby's whole night was based around seducing Killian and she had a good feeling that Ruby had succeeded. So she couldn't stay mad at her forever, right? She got what she wanted! She got whatever Sarah wanted. Wait, no. Did Sarah actually want Killian? The thought had never really occurred to her. Sure, he was attractive. And witty. And charming. And sexy. And that body ... Oh god, no. She couldn't let herself fall for him. Sex would be one thing but to actually like him would be quite another.
Sarah tsked herself for letting her train of thought run rampant. Killian was ... Killian. She barely knew him and as far as she could tell, he was a man of many desires with no strings attached. She couldn't emotionally afford to fall for him. She'd been down that "bad-boy" road before and as much as she wanted to deny it, she was too scared to let anyone else in.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she looked out to sea for answers that weren't there. Lost in her daydream, she didn't hear anyone approach her.
"Oy lass, you're in my spot!" Sarah turned around slowly at the sound of his voice. Speak of the devil.
After dropping Ruby off, a surprisingly difficult task, Killian parked in his spot at his place and decided to go for a walk on the beach. The salty air had a calming effect for him and he definitely could use it. After a couple of minutes, he noticed someone sitting at the water's edge. Walking closer, he could make out the petite figure of a young woman and had an inkling of who it might be.
"Oy lass, you're in my spot!" he spoke, startling the girl slightly. She slowly turned to face him and he was not disappointed; he'd know those eyes anywhere.
"Afternoon, sailor. Walking off a wicked hangover, are we?" she smirked at him.
"Actually, yes. It was quite a night and I'm afraid I'm not proud of most of my actions. What about you? Ponderin' world peace or are ye also suffering?" he retaliated, taking a seat next to Sarah.
"Unlike you, I don't have a whole lot to regret... considering I can't remember much."
"I had a reminder this morning, otherwise we'd be in the same boat, love." Killian sighed and looked out into the water. For some reason, he felt guilty even making eye contact with Sarah.
"Ahh, so then I should assume that Ruby isn't mad at me anymore? I bet that was a night to remember ..." she trailed off, trying hard to sound indifferent.
"I wish I could agree, but I have no recollection of anything after you 'nd Graham-" he stopped himself and cringed. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he had seen them together and cared enough to remember it.
"Hah. Yeah. Unlike you, I woke up alone and there was no indication that anything fun had transpired. Graham must have just taken me straight home, not that I blame 'im. I was in over my head 'nd that couldn't have been very attractive to watch." she smiled, laughing at herself.
Her words rang through his ears over and over before he could muster up a response. He, again, felt the weight of his "mistake" last night and it seemed heavier than before. Now Sarah knew that Ruby stayed the night and she wasn't an idiot; she'd put two and two together. Why did he care so much what she thought? He was only trying to lure her to his bed.
"It was a ... hazy night for everyone. I know that I lost track of my actions-" he started
Sarah's laugh interrupted him. "Yeah, you were pretty gone by the time I even got there. You seemed to be enjoying yourself though. Quite the dancer, you are!"
"Gods, did I dance?" he groaned and put his head in his hands laughing. He suddenly smirked at Sarah, his head still hung low and his eyebrow cocked seductively. "Did it go something like this?"
Killian stood up and grabbed Sarah's hand. She laughed and tried to stand but her legs gave out on her.
"Ouch! Ugh, my feet feel like they're frozen!" She cried out, looking at her bright red feet. She didn't even realize how cold the water was and her feet had been submerged for well over an hour.
"Love, what were you thinking?! C'mere-" he said as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around Sarah's feet and started to rub them to create more heat.
Sarah was shivering, the cold starting to affect her entire body. Through chattering teeth, she started, "Th-thanks Ki-ki-killian. My ca-car is ju-just over th-there ..."
"Sarah, stop. You can't walk, let alone drive. My place is just down there ... We'll warm ya up a bit first, love."
Without hesitation, Killian wrapped Sarah in his arms and carried her bridal style, huddled in his jacket, back to his apartment.
They both couldn't help the smile that crept onto their faces.
