With You

She checked under the comforter. She hadn't gone completely undressed. Half-clothed, wearing her underwear and a brasserie, that would suffice for now. It'd work for now. And fortunately, she'd been covered by his comforter, although she reckoned that wasn't too sanitary.

She covered the upper half of her body, more aware of what she was dressed in and the environment she'd slept in than before.

The question that remained, though, was how she made it here in the first place. She'd remembered being drunk, but mere bits of what happened last night remained.

She was panicking, Nicholas muttered something under his breath.

She asked the first question that came to her mind, "Wait, we didn't…"

"We didn't actually do…"

'Don't you dare finish your sentence,' she told herself.

She watched Nicholas closely.

Nicholas chuckled softly.

Sophia gulped nervously.

"I can't believe we did..." Sophia hid her head in her hands, her back propped up by pillows. Nicholas' pillows. On Nicholas' bed. Where he slept. Every night.

She blinked. A soft red tint crept up her smooth cheeks.

She hadn't noticed she was on Nicholas' bed till that very same moment. She'd realized she was in Nicholas' quarters, but she hadn't noticed all the other details.

For some reason, she hadn't gotten the urge to gag at the thought of being on Nicholas' bed. Odd.

"How did this manage to happen?" Sophia asked, staring at Nicholas.

Nicholas scoffed.

"Why would I want to… with you especially, in the first place?" Nicholas asked, amused at her nervousness and how she was swift to assume what actually transpired.

Sophia blinked in confusion.

Her mind was still in the midst of piecing things together.

"So we didn't… do the dirty?" She asked hopefully.

Nicholas stared at her with a blank expression.

"Of course we didn't."

"And honestly, perish the thought."

"Besides, you'd have to be likable for me to actually take interest in you," Nicholas said.

Sophia crossed her arms.

"I'll have you know I'm extremely likable," she said defensively, pursing her lips.

"And, if we didn't do what I assumed we did, how did I end up here?"

"Partially clothed and in your bed, under your comforter, might I add?" Sophia added unhelpfully.

Nicholas had a mischievous grin on his devilishly handsome face.

"You don't remember?" He questioned, clearly amused by her questions.

Sophia had a feeling of acrimony.

"Remember what?" Sophia asked, unaware and blissfully oblivious. If only she knew.

Nicholas had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"So, you don't remember after all," he said, smirking.

Sophia turned bright red. She glowered at Nicholas.

"As I asked before, remember what?" Sophia asked repeatedly, getting more and more curious by the mere second.

Nicholas took a seat, basking in Sophia's curiosity whilst he himself was having a lovely time watching her be left confused and dazed with little to no memory of what'd happened last night.

Of course, it was fortunate she didn't have any recollection of what happened since that would've been extremely disastrous.

Nicholas took a seat on his lounge chair, crossing his legs.

"What, so you don't remember insisting to sleep in my quarters together with me?"

"I tried getting you to your quarters or any spare quarters in the palace multiple times," he reasoned.

"But nonetheless, drunk you insisted we sleep in my quarters."

"And how you ended up in my bed," Nicholas started.

"You simply complained regarding how my quarters were freezing cold before wrapping yourself with the comforter."

"And after a short couple of minutes, you started to whine about how my quarters were scorching hot."

"Afterwards, you threw the comforter away, and that was the moment you ripped off your dress, fling your purse across my quarters, and threw your jewellery to the floor before monopolizing the bed. My bed."

Sophia mouthed the word, 'sicko.'

"With that, you also complimented my looks, called me 'hotstuff' the entire night."

Sophia's eyes widened.

"I did that?"

Nicholas nodded, to her surprise.

"Wow," Sophia said in astonishment.

"Drunk me has more gall than sober me," Sophia said in some sort of amazement, despite the fact she was all panicky on the inside.

A question came to her mind.

"Quick question, did I do anything foolish during the soiree?"

"Hold on, how did I leave the soiree in the first place?" Sophia added.

Nicholas had an indescribable emotion on his face. Something Sophia couldn't make out.

Sophia, out of nervousness, said, "Never mind."

"I rather not know," she admitted.

Nicholas snickered, 'If only she knew,' he muttered under his breath.

Sophia decided it was enough time she'd spent in Nicholas' room.

"Alright, enough of this nonsense chat," she said, wrapping herself in Nicholas' comforter.

"You're going to leave, in that?" Nicholas asked expectantly.

"What do you want me to do, leave wearing your clothes?"

Nicholas looked her up and down.

"It's either my clothes or you leaving wrapped in three hundred thread-count."

He added quite unhelpfully, "What do you think others might think, the palace staff or god forbid..."

He gasped theatrically, "Julia, Louis or Clarisse."

Sophia sneered.

"Do I look like someone who cares about what others think of me?" She asked.

Nicholas retorted, "I can already picture it."

"Beldovian duchess sneaking out of a certain someone's room, wearing what?" He said.

Sophia inhaled sharply.

"Fine."

Nicholas didn't seem too surprised she reconsidered, seeing as it was that or g, opening his drawer to find suitable clothing.

"Here," he handed it to her.

"The bathroom is that way," he gestured to the bathroom.

Sophia glared at him, took the clothes and rushed to the bathroom.

She quickly changed, before she exited the bathroom.

On her way out, she spotted Nicholas seated on a lounge chair.

She pointed at him.

"I, will deal with you after this horrid hangover's over," Sophia said.

"Mark my words, Ambrose," she said.

He muttered, "Kind of liked you better when you were drunk," whilst Sophia was putting her heels she'd used to the soiree on.

"I HEARD THAT," Sophia retorted thunderously.

Nicholas muttered, 'You were supposed to," right before Sophia left his quarters.