OUR BABY

OUR BABY 3

ELY

Elizabeth?

A week later...

"We're going to a club to celebrate, and it's just that this semester was really hard. I can't believe we passed the History of Architecture," says Julia, my classmate whom I get along with really well.

We managed to pass thanks to Alexander Black. During his trip, he sent me everything I needed to know for the exam. The truth is that even though I spent an entire night reading books on the subject, I didn't remember even half of the information. However, he made everything much easier.

"I don't think it's a good idea," I said, looking at my outfit. I'm still wearing my office clothes.

"Come on, Ely, please. Jason will be there, and I don't want to go alone. Please, please," she says, pouting and sighing.

"Okay, but I won't stay more than an hour." I point my finger at her, and she makes a gesture of biting it.

"Okay, okay, since you're such a party pooper," she says, rolling her eyes. "Your parents aren't even home; you can come home whenever you want. But it's okay, we'll be good girls." She winks at me and takes my hand to lead me with her out of the classroom.

Our schedule is crazy. We have to take some exams at night, and we have classes on Saturdays. All of this is because of my job. Julia can study on a 'normal' schedule, but she decided that she would take the classes with me. She says that she has more time in the day.

"Take off that coat; it makes you look older. Leave your blouse on and open a couple of buttons. Show off that pair of virginal breasts," she says flirtatiously. I don't know how we're friends. We're very different.

"I won't do that, Jules." I slapped her hand, which was on my blouse. She pouts, pulling her hand away.

Half an hour later, we arrived at a club. There is a lot of movement, and I don't feel very comfortable. Jules parks her car, takes me by the hand, and stops before entering.

"What are you doing?" I ask as she opens my blouse, revealing my cleavage.

"They won't let us in if you look like that." She shows me my hair, lets it down to let it fall on my back, and puts a little lipstick on it.

"Perfect." She smiles and takes me with her.

When we arrive with the imposing man at the entrance, he stares at us and lets us in. The club is very big. It has a large bar in the middle of the dance floor and a second floor that overlooks the first. There's a private area on the way to the bathrooms.

The noise is deafening. I think an hour here is a long time.

"There's Jason," Julia says, pointing to the table where he is. She looks for some seats near his table. I don't know why she insists on calling the boy's attention. I'm sure he's not a good person, and Julia is.

"Two cocktails," she asked the bartender. I looked at her suspiciously.

"One is none, Ely. Nothing will happen if you drink once in your life. Besides, be happy. We are getting closer to ending this torture."

"I like university," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Of course you like it; you like boring things," she says, making a face of disgust.

A while later, the cocktails arrive, and Julia hands me mine while she takes a sip of hers. I tried it and was surprised by its sweet, pleasant flavor. I begin to drink it in sips while I see how Jason arrives and greets Julia, who looks excited. He speaks in her ear, and they go to the dance floor. I begin to feel a little relaxed, and the atmosphere doesn't seem so bad anymore.

I decided to go to the bathroom. I direct my steps, and it is a little difficult because there's a sea of people on the dance floor. As best I can, I get to the private area and walk towards the bathrooms of the place. I use it, and after washing my hands, I walk to leave. I took a few steps towards the dance floor, and I saw a familiar figure at the bar in the private area. He is alone, and he is swirling the amber-colored liquid in the glass. I haven't had time to thank him for his help. I think it would be better to do it at another time. Finally, I decided to continue my way to the disco.

"Elizabeth?" he asks, making me stop in my tracks.

I think my attempt to flee was in vain. With no other option, I turn around and watch as he leaves the glass on the bar and walks towards me.

"Mr. Black," I say, and he raises an eyebrow. Then I realized my mistake. "Alex," I corrected, with a blush on my face.

"I didn't imagine you frequented these places." He observed the crowded area of the club.

"I don't," I replied.

"Did you come alone?" It's obvious that he's had a few drinks, but I can still hear concern in his voice.

"No, I came with a friend. She must be somewhere." I pointed with my hand to the place where she should be. "I have to go back. Thanks for your help."

He wrinkles his brow, but then I notice that he understands what I mean.

"It was a pleasure helping you," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Let me accompany you. It's not safe for you to go alone," he comments, and before I can refuse, he takes my elbow to let me guide him. We walked back, and Julia was at the bar.

"Where have you been? Ely, you can't move around this place alone; it's not safe. I'll go with you next time, okay?" she asked, before looking at my companion and going silent. She looks between him and me.

"This is Alexander Black, a partner at the company I work for," I explain, and she nods while Alex shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you. Julia Spencer," she introduces herself with a huge smile and gives me that look she gives me when she sees a handsome guy at university. "I'm glad you came. I don't want to leave her alone. I have something to do. Can you take care of her for me?" She talks to him as if she knew him, and it's embarrassing, but it's even more embarrassing that she treats me like a pet.

"Jules..."

"Sure, I can do that," Alex says, smiling. Perfect; they barely know each other, and they're already best friends.

"Drink your cocktail. I'll be right back. He doesn't look bored at all," she speaks close to my ear and winks at me. She walks away, and I see her getting where Jason is.

"I'm sorry," I apologized for my friend, and he made a gesture of okay. "I want to thank you. You were a great help during this week," I expressed, remembering all the information he sent me that I needed to pass the exam. God, can I be more boring?

I take a big sip of my drink while he shrugs.

"Helping you helped me during the trip. It was nothing. It's good to remember the time I was in college," he mentions, ordering another drink.

I nodded, taking another sip of my drink. Suddenly, I stop feeling tense, and I start to feel more comfortable in my skin, as if I were on a pink cloud like the color of my cocktail. I feel my cheeks warm, and I smile easily.

"So you come to this place often," I began, to say something that surprised me.

"Yes, here. We celebrate the closing of some deals with partners. You know, they like liquor, women," he finishes, and I nod my head more times than I should since he finds my action funny.

"What are you doing here? Come to the dance floor. I love that song." Julia takes us by the hand and leads us to the dance floor.

Without thinking twice, we start moving to the rhythm of the music. It's soft. I let my body move, letting itself go. I feel lost in his exquisite aroma. I breathe deeply, wanting to take everything I can. My hands go to his neck, and his go to my waist. I lift my face to look at him, and Alex stares at me while he smiles.

'I love the way he smiles.' I think, but his laugh makes me realize that I probably didn't think about it, and at this moment everything around me has disappeared.

"You have beautiful eyes," he says, making me open them in disbelief.

"Do I?" I asked, and he nodded without stopping to smile. We continue moving, and my head is right on his chest, where I can hear his heartbeat. Most likely dreaming, I'm going to live this dream because it won't happen again; of that, I'm sure.

Jules arrives like a hurricane and makes us drink small test tubes with a neon green liquid, which is very strong. I can't hide my expression of disgust as I drink it. The music becomes more lively, and I enjoy the here and now. Alex is in the same condition; we have a great time. I feel electricity every time our skin touches. Alex felt so close at that moment. I decided to live every second, without knowing how much it would cost me, and soon I was going to find out.

The night ends, and it is time to leave.

"Elizabeth, let's go home." Julia approaches. "I think your friend needs a ride too," she says, looking at him.

"No, I'm fine," Alex says, but I don't think he's that fine. We've had too much to drink. "I came with my driver. We can take you," he offers.

"No, I brought my car. We will go in it."

"I don't think any of us are in any condition to drive. Come on, I'll take you." He leads us by the elbow to the exit, to see a man open the door of a black van.

"Good evening, ladies," he greets us, and we respond in unison.

We climbed into the back of the car. Julia leans on my shoulder. Alex gets into the seat next to the driver. I heard Alex give him my address. He must remember it from that day he drove me home after I clumsily spilled a jug of water on him and me. It was very kind of him.

I turned my face to see Jules asleep on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, feeling a little dizzy.

After several minutes, I saw some familiar houses, and we stopped in front of mine. I start trying to wake Julia up, but she seems to have died.

"Jules," I whispered, shaking her arm. I could hear a slight moan from her. I'll make her stay with me; I can't send her home in that state.

Alex gets out of the car. I noticed him rubbing his temples as he opened the car door.

"Jules," I said a little louder, but there was no reaction. Alex signals to his driver, and he gets out of the car to take Julia in his arms.

We followed them, and I guided him to my room. He gently places her on the bed, and I tuck her in.

"I'll be there in a minute," Alex tells his driver as he leaves the house. The living room is dimly lit.

"Thanks," he says, and I hadn't realized how close we were to each other. "I haven't had fun like this in a long time."

I swallowed hard, seeing the pink of his lips so close to mine. I begin to feel a burning heat like the one I felt every time I had him close at the club, and when his hand goes up to my cheek, the warmth I perceive makes me notice that he is in the same condition.

He touches my lower lip with his thumb, making it open a little. I have lost common sense, and my senses are at their maximum, but I barely know what I do. My tongue ran over his finger in a movement I could not control, making a hoarse sound come out of his throat. My eyes go to his, and without delay, his mouth possesses mine—a desperate kiss.

He sticks me to him, bringing our bodies closer if that is possible. A large dose of adrenaline runs through my veins, and it is the first time that my impulses won me over in this way. I don't want to stop. His kiss was full of passion and desire.

My hands ran over his strong back while his ran over my legs. I don't know at what moment we arrived at a room. I only know that it is not mine because there is no one in the bed.

I would never imagine that Alexander Black would kiss me one day. I always saw it as an impossible thing; however, here he is, leaving short kisses on my chin. His fingers loosen the buttons of my shirt while he returns to my lips.

If I am dreaming, I don't want to wake up. I don't want the magic to end. Little by little, our clothes began to fall one by one. Our skins are exposed, and he takes me to bed with great delicacy. I know what I want to happen with him, even if tomorrow I wake up and everything turns out to be a fantasy. I don't have to ask him to be gentle because each touch, each caress is as if he fears breaking me. And in that way, we become one, again and again, until the night begins to disappear.

I wake up with a strong light bothering my eyes. I open them slowly to find the rays of the sun entering through the window. My God, how much did I drink? I sat up in bed, taking my head in my hands. I went down to rub my face. I feel horrible; my head is spinning. I feel nauseous. I recount what happened the night before. I see myself dancing with Alex, and from there, everything goes blurry. The blanket that covers me falls from my chest, and I feel cold, which makes me notice my state of nakedness. Instinctively, I cover my breasts with a blanket. I hold the air in my lungs when I feel something move next to me. Jules? I slept naked with Julia. I covered my face again and turned to see my friend. What were we thinking that we decided to sleep without clothes?

My heart stops when I see Alex in the bed next to me. It can't be. It can't be. It can't be. I grab a blanket from the foot of the bed and cover myself. I quickly got out and felt a sharp pain in my center. I stand like a statue, looking at the bed and Alex sleeping peacefully in it. I decided to leave the room. I couldn't stand the embarrassment of him seeing me when he woke up. I walk to leave, but I stop abruptly when I see a condom package on the floor. I lean down to take it. Along with that, I take all my clothes, and I leave like a soul that the devil is after, from the guest room of my house.

I arrived at my room, almost out of breath. I closed the door behind me. I can't believe this is happening. I try to remember when I decided to give myself to Alex, but there's nothing in my head. Surely, if someone knocked on me right now, the emptiness would be heard.

I see Jules still dead in my bed. I decided to take a shower, hoping that maybe the memories would come back, but nothing happened. I put on black yoga pants, a white sweater, and my white converse. Luckily, we didn't have classes today, although we surely would have missed them. I sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall. I had never drunk alcohol before, and I never will again. I have crossed the line.

Feeling my mouth dry, I decided to go down to the kitchen. I leave the room, fearing to find him. My breathing feels labored. When I get to the kitchen, I lean on the table, trying to control my lungs. I drink a glass of water and some painkillers. I decided to sit at the table, covering my face with my hands. I shook my head, unable to believe what was happening. I stayed like that for I don't know how long.

"Good morning," his deep voice greets me, and my body tenses up to the max. I feel unable to look at him. I fill myself with courage and uncover my face, although I still don't dare to look at him.

"Good morning," I replied, looking at the table.

"I'm sorry I stayed at your house. It must have been a nightmare." I sensed his steps getting closer.

"What?" I thought as I lifted my face. His hair looks disheveled. He is carrying his jacket in his hands. His white shirt is folded up to his elbows, and the buttons on his chest are open. If I didn't have this mess in my head, I would say that he looks very attractive that way.

"Excuse me?" I asked, not fully understanding his words.

"Yes, Elizabeth. I'm sorry. I don't know when it seemed like a good idea to stay at your house. You must forgive me. The truth is that I don't remember anything. I'm sorry if I caused you any inconvenience."

The words get stuck in my throat. He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember me. I feel a tightness in my chest. Instinctively, I touched my lips.

He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember what happened between us a few hours ago.