AT LENIEY'S

Leniey's room was quite furnished and well-arranged; it exuded luxury. His bed was enormous, the kind that could easily make someone sleep until nearly noon or something of the sort. The sunlight streaming in through the glassy window on his left side had awakened me. Leniey wasn't on his side of the bed, and it seemed like he hadn't slept beside me. I woke up, rubbing my eyes as the pounding in my head intensified. I felt like staying in this cozy bed for a little longer.

"Morning," Leniey greeted, interrupting my thoughts and turning my head to look at him. He was wearing black shorts that made it seem like he had just gone for a run. He also had on a white, sticky T-shirt with an Adidas label on it. I couldn't find my voice, so I simply nodded in response to his words. I must have looked quite disheveled with all the crying, the drinks I had consumed, and everything else. I knew I must have appeared really messed up. I couldn't recall much of my journey here; all I remembered was Leniey asking me about himself, the "Leniey guy." I wasn't sure if I had answered or if I had passed out. I guess I wasn't the best at handling drugs.

"I'll prepare something to help with your hangover. I've ordered breakfast. Please, rest," Leniey said in a continuous stream of English words, which would have made anyone from back home chuckle or anyone who had been in class with him. Most of his texts weren't really in proper English but more like slang, back then. He left as I contemplated all of this and so I rested my head on the cozy white pillow on this king-size bed. I wanted to think about Kelvin, but my mind simply couldn't process any of it. I wondered how he had gotten home, if he had managed to drive safely. Those were the thoughts I wanted to focus on, and I felt an urge to check my phone, though I wasn't even sure where it was. Had I left it at that wine and restaurant? But Leniey would never let me lose something while traveling together.

"Hey... wake up," Leniey's voice interrupted my slumber. The hangover was taking a firm grip on me, and with my head pounding and aching so badly, my eyes felt swollen and puffy, as if someone had thrashed me. I lazily crawled out of the bed, still in the same clothes I had worn the previous day, as Leniey handed me some tea and pills, claiming they would relieve my hangover.

"Have you seen my phone?" I inquired after finishing the drink. Leniey looked at me for a moment, and then I added, "I'm not calling him." I wasn't sure why I said those words, but I felt the need to clarify.

After a short while, he returned with both his phone and mine. He handed me mine and sat down beside me.

"How do you like... I mean, how do you feel about the place?" He asked, surveying his room as if seeing his home in a new light… in my light.

"It's good. I love the bed and the view of the sunrise. It's beautiful," I replied.

"Well, it is beautiful, I guess, but I don't know, I barely even have time to enjoy it," he said, lowering his voice to a hushed tone, although there was no need to shout, as he was right next to me.

"Oh," I responded.

"Your phone, I thought you wanted to check..." he started to say.

"No, not checking. I wasn't sure where I left it," I quickly clarified. With Leniey, it seemed we had a certain bond, a connection as if we were somehow destined for each other. We seemed to understand each other in ways that I couldn't explain.

"I know I look crazy," I chuckled a bit as my head began to clear, and I felt less like a zombie in comparison to before.

"No. You look... beautiful," he said, gazing intensely into my eyes. I wasn't in the mood for romantic gestures, so I stood up and walked through a door leading to the balcony. Below was the pool, and from this vantage point, I could see the city's towering buildings. I assumed we were on maybe the fourth floor or some higher floor, but the view was breathtaking.

"Do you like it?" Leniey asked from behind, and I nodded in response. Just then, his phone started buzzing, causing me to look at him. Maybe it was work-related; I wondered if they worked on weekends.

He answered the phone and moved away to speak privately maybe. I couldn't help but wonder if he had a girlfriend he didn't want me to know about, or perhaps it was an important contract, and he didn't want me to overhear. So, I took my phone and turned it on. I couldn't even remember when I had turned it off. I had a habit of doing so when I was drunk, a habit I had developed back in my college days. My parents often called me when I was out at a pub, typically drunk and close to passing out. Plus, during performances, I preferred to have my phone off to avoid any unwelcome disruptions. However, acting while high in a show was quite challenging, but a great feeling afterall.

After turning on my phone, a barrage of notifications flooded my screen. 'I tried calling' shoved followed with numerous messages, most from Kelvin's number. I entered my whatsapp which was full of more, and more, but Kelvin's many texts could not be ignored. They all began at midnight the previous night:

12:00 AM: "Where are you?"

12:04 AM: "Please pick up."

12:06 AM: "Angel, seriously, I want to leave."

12:10 AM: "Come on, where are you?"

12:13 AM: "I'm going to leave you, and you'll have to take the first bus. I'm really worried,  Angel. At least pick up the phone so I know you're safe."

12:17 AM: "This is the last text I'm going to send. At least text back and let me know  you're safe."

The messages continued until 5:00 AM:

"I'm staying in the hotel waiting for you in the lounge. Please reply. Love you. Please reply... please reply... please... you're scaring me."

Now, at 8:00 AM, there was another message: "Hey, where are you? I'm asking around here, and  no one knows. They say you left with Leniey... relieved you're safe, but I have to  leave. Text me his address."

"It's your boy," Leniey said, pulling me away from my phone.

"Which boy?" I asked, knowing he was referring to Kelvin.

"He wants to see you. I've already sent him my address," Leniey replied.

"No, you shouldn't have," I said with a sigh. "I don't know if I'm ready to face him after everything he said. Leniey, you heard it all." Suddenly, Leniey looked at me with eyes filled with concern and care. He stared at me intensely, and my eyes welled up with tears. I wanted to blink away the tears so badly; the last thing I wanted was for Leniey to see me in so much pain, so vulnerable, and feeling completely lost in my own world.

He pulled me into a hug, and as much as I needed it, I also knew it would only bring more pain, reminding me of everything. Tears streamed down my face as if directed to a never-ending ocean. Who would have thought that one day Leniey would be consoling me?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"You even told him your room number?" I blurted out, making him look at me with pained eyes. "I won't let him take you. I promise... I won't."

He opened the door, and Kelvin stumbled in. "He looked terrible" was the thought that crossed my mind. He had clearly been drinking all night, drowning his sorrows, while I had been here crying away mine. Kelvin looked at me, and I averted my eyes, every word he had said the previous night echoing in my mind. "Bitch," "sex" – he had been here for the sex. To him, I was nothing more than a tool for his pleasure. He had broken me in ways he couldn't see, and with that, I left for the balcony, hoping for some solitude. Maybe he should give me that. Honestly, I didn't want to see him at all. I needed space. Of course he looked terrible, I wondered how he would drive us all when he looked like that. Suddenly I could feel tears overwhelming me, I wanted him as far away from me as he could, I really needed some space of sort, I needed a lot of space. He seemed to be talking to Leniey, for I could hear the whispers, it was as if they were arguing or talking I couldn't explain, but my back was turned to them, and I was thinking,..thinking about all this.