The Unwanted Luna

GRACE | NEW YORK CITY I woke up with a sore body all over. I can still smell s*x in my room as we were going at it last night almost nonstop. I had to beg him to let me sleep for at least an hour before we did it again. Now the sun is up, and he is nowhere to be seen. I planned to cook bacon and eggs this morning and thought we could, at least, share breakfast before he left. The only thing I knew about him was his name and age. His name is Ulric Black, and he is twenty-seven years of age. I can’t believe I gave up my virginity just like that. I know what you’re thinking — that I am a weirdo for saving myself at twenty-three. Oh well, we have just had to respect our differences, don’t we? I need a hot bath but first,coffee. I only had instant coffee, so I boiled some water and took it black. No sugar. No milk. As soon as it hit my throat, I felt a little better. Then I heard my phone ring. It was my good friend, Erika Digby. She works at the coffee shop with me. Actually, she was the reason I worked until closing last night because she called in! “Digby, it’s too early.” I heard her chuckle. “Hi sweets, how was your night?” “Met a hot guy, ended up sleeping with him, and now he’s gone.” “Ooh, la la. So how was it?” “I don’t want to talk about it. Anyway, we both don’t have work today. How about we go to the thrift store and look at some new items? I need a pair of jeans.” I have been living alone for five years. My mother died when I was eighteen. Car accident. Some drunk driver didn’t hit the breaks at the stop sign and sent my mother flying. As for my father, I grew up without him, and I don’t even know his name. It’s something that I made peace with. He doesn’t want me— I don’t want him either. I survived five years on my own, and I will survive for another five, maybe ten or twenty years more. “I’m broke as s**t, but I will go with you if you treat me for lunch. I want noodles,” she said. I laughed a little. “How the hell did you become broke? We just got paid the other day.” “I treated myself to a massage and cute nails. Come on. It’s a girl thing. I am surprised you don’t even get a manicure or a pedicure!” I laughed even harder. “That’s because I have bills to pay, and I want a roof over my head, silly goose. Meet me here in my place in about an hour.” “Okay, I will see you then.” After our call ended, I prepared my bath. I put a small cup of Epsom salt, a bath bomb, and a lily of the valley foaming bath. The smell comforts me, and I don’t know why. Whenever I smelled it, it felt like I had been in a place surrounded by lily of the valley my whole life. I soaked for about thirty minutes before I rinsed myself in the shower and washed my hair. After that, I wrapped my hair on a towel and dried myself, then went to get some clothes. The spring season is almost here, and the weather can be unpredictable. I chose a mustard yellow sweater and blue jeans, put on my ankle boots, and went to dry my hair. My straight black hair has grown past my shoulders, but I don’t want to waste money on a haircut. I can still do a messy bun or a ponytail to keep my hair away from my face. After drying my hair, I debated if I should put some makeup on or keep my face bare. My eyes looked puffy from the lack of sleep, and it was Ulric’s fault. So I put on some concealer, and a little bit of eyeshadow, keeping it as natural as possible, and use the mascara for my eyebrows and lashes. Finally, I applied light lipstick to finish my look. I heard a knock on the door and heard Erika’s voice. Wow, for the time, she was not late. Usually, I have to wait for at least an hour for her to arrive. I was surprised to see her hair wet. “Do you have a hairdryer? Mine broke.” I widened the door and let her in, then shut it. “It’s at the counter.” She went to dry her hair for about fifteen minutes, and Erika finally looked like herself. “So, the apartment looks clean except for the bed. By the way, it reeks of s*x in here. How many times did you do it?” She chuckled. Too many to count, but I am not saying that out loud. Ulric was unstoppable last night. It was like one was not enough, and it made us hungry for each other even more. I rolled my eyes at her. “I am not discussing details with you.” But yes, I did tell her I’ve finally done it, but I am not going to tell her point by point. “Okay, fine. But at least tell me that you used protection.” She was saying this while I was locking the door from the outside. Oh s**t. I was not on a pill, and I clearly remember him not using a condom either. I swallowed twice. I can’t get pregnant. I am not ready, and I still have a month left for school. I was trying to count if I was fertile last night, and my mind doesn’t seem to work. I have always been regular. I shut my eyes for a moment and calmed my nerves. There’s no sense in stressing about something that has not happened yet.