Light. Small fragments of it trickle in through my bedroom window, the sun making its best effort to disturb my peace. The shade barely holds back the intensity of a day that’s started without warning.

My attempt to crawl back to the peaceful corner of my mind is interrupted by the pounding in my head — a reminder of the mistakes I made last night.

I stretch my arms and feel one tighten around my side — another reminder of those mistakes.

“Fuck,” I mumble.

Between the light pulsing through the window, the relentless pounding in my head, and the stranger sleeping next to me, that peaceful corner of my mind feels further and further away.

“Mmm,” the stranger growls as he pulls me close to his muscular chest and somehow I find a moment of peace. 

I rest my chin on his chest and look at his face. His strong, dark features are peaceful as he effortlessly maintains the kind of unconsciousness I wish I could reach.

Something in that peace pulls me back to that corner of my mind that was just moments ago out of reach.