Future Lover

She softly bit the top of her pen as the clock tic-tocked across from her.

Come on, come on....we went over this at some point.....

"Time's up. Please turn in your tests, with name and student number at the top."

Her heart dropped once more, only this time overly reasonable matters. She filled out the top of the pages with her details, as she always did lastly, just as her own luck ritual....and well, it'd worked so far.

She quickly turned in her sheets and exited the room, and building quickly after, making her way to the bus stop at the corner.

The sky had filled up early in the morning with nothing but grayness, and the weather reports warned about a closing rainstorm. The classic summer storm. Nature's way of reaching balance after so many suffocating hot days.

"Sophie?"

The soft female voice shook her out of her weather thoughts.

"Linda? Hi, how have you've been?" a smile popped into Sophie's pale face as she faced the petite blonde.

Linda had been her roommate during her freshman year at Berkeley City College College. They had gotten on pretty well, from what she remembered, but ended splitting up when Linda made the decision to drop out to take over the family business after her father passed away. Which meant she had to move back to her hometown, just a few miles from....

"Quite busy actually"

"Oh, what brings you here? I thought you settled back at ...."

"I did. I was just back in town to personally hand out some invites"

"Invites?"

Linda nodded reaching into her bag and pulling out a blue pastel envelope. Pulling it open, Sophie removed the pearly white card from the inside.

"A wedding? Really? Oh, wow. Congratulations!"

After a warm embrace between the two old friends, they headed to Linda's car down the street and drove to a cozy cafe shop down at the main street to catch up. Turns out the lucky guy was her old neighbor who she used to play with as a kid, till she moved out of town with her mom, once their parents divorced. She still had remained really close to her dad, and visit him frequently which was what lead him to leave his Italian restaurant in her hands once he was diagnoses with leukemia. And they had set a date for late July, at the Four Seasons Resort in Maui, Hawaii; they were paying all the traveling expenses so people wouldn't have that as an excuse to not attend the wedding.

After nearly three hours of chit-chat, they parted ways, and Sophie headed back to her apartment just a few blocks away from the cafe, and Linda set off to continue giving out her invites.
Plopping down on her couch Sophie kicked off her boots and cuddle herself with her back to the TV..
Everyone so happy with their significant other, and me just trying to survive another day.

....

Sophie´s eyes opened softly, surprised by the sudden light that flooded the room. She could have sworn she left the blinds closed.

She wasn't facing the couch anymore, in front of her there was a tall wooden closet and a matching night table.

What the...

She didn't recognized her surroundings and was starting to wonder if maybe she had pour herself some tequila before passing out on the couch.

A soft snore, made her heart stop.

Glancing over her shoulder was a shirtless thirty-ish looking guy.

She bit her tongue literally to stop herself from screaming. The feeling of a panic attack taking over her was too much, and she slowly got up from the mattress to look for a place to be alone and try to think everything thru. She locked the door after entering the in suite bathroom and laid in the bathtub holding on tight to a big white towel she found.

While holding on to the towel so tight, she started to feel pain on her finger. She released her grip and focused her attention on her right hand. This time she forgot to bite her tongue and let out a scream.

What is this, what is this, what is this?!

The doorknob began to move in an attempt of someone to open the door.

"Love, you ok in there?"

She was sure it was the voice of the guy from the bed. She got up from the bathtub and paced around the spacious tiled room.

"I'm...fine..., just a spider, I killed it. No worries..."

"Well then, open up love"

She noticed it again, a notable British accent from his words.

Who was this guy?

Where was she?

How had she gotten there?

She started the shower, and looked inside a dresser for some clothes that would fit her.

"Uh, I'm taking a shower, I'll be out in a bit"

She grabbed some clean clothes and stepped in the shower to try and think what she was supposed to do with him when she got out. Or she could just wait till he left, but this was probably his house, right? She needed to get back home.

After almost half an hour under the water,she stepped out of the shower, he probably had left the bedroom, or the house even by now. She got dressed quick in the grey sweat clothes she had grabbed previously and leaned on the bathroom door to listen for any sounds from the other side.

Nothing.

She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Seeing no one in sight, she stepped out quietly and looked for the door that lead to the rest of the house. Quietly walking in her bare feet, she made it to what she assumed was the front door and sighted in relief when she made it outside.

Guess it wasn't so hard after all.

"Sophie?!"

She heard a male voice scream out her name from the inside once she closed the door, and heart slowed down once again.

Run, just run.

She started walking fast down the sidewalk, but when she was halfway down the block she stopped.

What is this place?

This wasn't ...... there were tall buildings all around, and Chinese like symbols in all signs close by.

"Sophie? Your barefoot, and haven't even eaten anything to head out. Let's get you back inside sweetie"

She didn't protest, and let the tall and built stranger carry her back inside in his arm.