Chapter Twelve - 'The morning after the night before…

Waking up in an unfamiliar bed next to someone whom you don’t know very well is not for the faint hearted. Even if you have spent most of the small hours exploring each other’s anatomy in depth, everything in the cold light of morning seems clearer and more exposed. Vulnerabilities or character flaws that were disguised or dimmed under the velvet cloak of night come to light and the real test of your paramour’s genuine nature is revealed. Yours too come to think of it. She opened her eyes sleepily and rolled over, the thick crumpled sheets felt more luxurious than anything she had in her wardrobe at home. The side of the bed next to her was empty, had he gone? Blearily sitting up and leaning back against the soft pillows she could see steam from the shower billowing out from the bathroom and light streaming through the windows transforming their nocturnal cocoon back into the recognisable features of a hotel room. He emerged from the bathroom in a brilliantly white and fluffy robe. She felt a wave of unease wash over her, the distance between him and the bed seemed suddenly incredibly remote and the fact that she was naked and alone in it and he cheerily making coffee while clothed merely highlighted the difference between them. ‘Do you have to go to work?’ she blurted out. ‘Eventually’ he smiled pouring two cups of coffee and returning to face her. ‘But I can think of better things to do’ he said slipping off the robe and back into the bed…