Part 6. Cotton Panties

Jane groggily opened her eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight filtering from the window. Covering her eyes with the back of her palm, she managed to sit up, wincing at the dull pain in her back. Her cheeks heated up as she remembered the reason behind it. The thick white duvet was the only thing covering her naked body. She pulled it till her shoulders, shifting her eyes to the side. Her mouth parted the side was empty, bedsheet wrinkled. So she didn’t imagine the last night, that’s for sure. 

Where did Tristan go? She thought just then the loud clattering sound from the washroom made her cringe. She narrowed her eyes towards the door, holding her breath as the knob jiggled harshly. What was going on? Before she could open her mouth, the door was severely pushed open, and Tristan stumbled out of the room. He had a frown on his face. 

Jane couldn’t help but gawk at him. For once, he was not wearing any blazer, but the thin shirt clinging to his skin. Also, his pants were halfway folded like he was scared of wetting them in the bottom. His hair was slicked back, the wet droplets escaping them and falling onto his shoulders. Did he only wash his hair? 

She cleared her throat, “Is everything okay?”

“I slept over!” Tristan muttered under his breath as if it was a crime. He hurried towards the dresser, raking his eyes all over as if he was searching for something. 

“Is that a problem?” Jane quietly asked, her voice rough as she pulled the duvet tighter around herself. She had never seen him panic over something before so it was new. Tristan got a little furrow in between his brows when he’s panicked. That’s something she didn’t need to know, but she does. 

Tristan scoffed, “You don’t even know the half of it!” 

Well, she would if he told her. Jane thought to herself. She didn’t want to argue and spoil the memory of their night together. The bartender quietly observed him, noticing how he tugged at his wet locks several times as he was trying to find something. 

“What are you looking for?” 

Tristan pressed his lips together, “My blazer jacket. I cannot go out without that. My shirt is almost wet!” 

As if on cue Jane immediately focused on his shirt and noticed that the mid half of the shirt was indeed wet. How did he get water on there? The thought of him in her cosy little bathroom made her bite back a smile. 

“Have you tried looking in the living room?” She questioned, raising her brows in his direction. 

“Right. I almost forgot” Tristan mumbled, immediately rushing to the living room and leaving her all alone. He did not even look back. 

She shook her head. Maybe this is what she gets for having high hopes. Jane is not the one to have one night stands. She’s been in Walsh for only like a year and went on three dates. Only one of them ended up being serious, and she had sex with him. The guy was seeing two more girls with her and didn’t tell Jane, so she dumped him. 

With Tristan, there was this instant sizzling chemistry that she couldn’t deny. Even though she tried to stay away from him, it felt impossible. Also, it didn’t help that he was Prince-like all tall, dark and handsome. It was easy for her to get lost in his charm. 

Jane felt awkward, sitting on her bed because she had no idea of one-night stand protocols. What do they do after waking up, though? Should she ask for his number? Give him her number? She had so many questions in her mind. 

With a sigh, she stared at the messy room. Her clothes were sprawled on the ground. Maybe she should start with dressing up. As she pushed her covers off, Tristan entered the room. 

Jane squeaked, hurrying to cover herself with something.

He shook his head, his eyes meeting hers “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” 

“It doesn’t matter. Turn around” She gritted her teeth, glaring back at him. 

He sighed, plopping on the bed, staring at the wall instead. Jane was quick to notice that he was dressed to the nines, the blazer sitting snugly against him. He might have found it in the living room then. She had no idea why he was lying so awkwardly on the bed, resting his head on the one hand. Wasn’t that ruining his outfit? She bit her tongue and turned around. Atleast he couldn’t see her. The bartender searched for her shirt, feeling her cheeks heat up as she remembered how they were desperate to get their clothes off. Mostly Jane felt so wanton under his touch, itching to touch him and explore his body. 

Shaking her head, she hurriedly put on her shirt, not caring for the bra because she was going to take a shower anyway. 

As the bartender looked around for panties, she noticed the cotton panties peeking out from Tristan’s arm. She felt cheeks heat up at the thought of asking him to move away. Shaking her head, Jane decided to chuck on her pants without her panties. That would be better than asking him. 

“Are you done?” He breathed his voice, borderline irritant.

“Yes, you can turn around now.” 

He sighed and sat up, “Finally! Anyways I was waiting so that I could say goodbye.”

“You’re leaving?” Jane blurted out without thinking, her eyes widening at his stare on her. She shifted on her feet as he narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Have you never done this before?” Tristan asked, a smirk on his face.

She spluttered, “What makes you say that?” 

“Just an observation.” 

Jane wanted to slap that smirk off his face. It was embarrassing that she didn’t know it but admitting that to him was humiliating. She was not ready to accept it. 

Crossing her arms against her chest, she huffed, “You need to get your eyes checked then. I have had one night stands with multiple men before. You are not that special” 

He almost winced at her words but quickly recovered, “Ouch that hurt but good for you.” 

“Whatever” She rolled her eyes as he began to step towards the door. 

Tristan turned around, “I am leaving. I’ll see you around then.” 

Her face crumbled at that. She wanted to know him, the kind of person he was out of the bar. So much for having high hopes. 

“Yeah” She meekly said, following him out of the room. 

In broad daylight, she realised how Tristan felt out of place in her tiny apartment. He was towering over her as he walked casually towards the main door. She held the door for him. 

“Have a good day!” She lamely replied as he went towards the elevator. Just then, her eyes caught her cotton panties. Jane motioned him, opening her mouth, but the doors closed before she could get her words out. 

How did she not notice them before? Jane groaned, hastily rushing out of her apartment and locking the door. She needs to catch up with Tristan before it’s too late. 

The bartender hurriedly pressed the buttons of the elevator, jumping on her feet. After a few seconds, the sound of ding echoed around the hallway. She hastily slid in and pressed the ground floor button, her fingers wrung together nervously. 

As she skipped out of the elevator, she noticed Tristan in the parking lot, trying to unlock his car. 

“Tristan!” She yelled, louder than necessary. As he turned to look at her, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. He was stunning with the rays falling on his face, almost glowing. 

Jane rushed towards him.

“What happened?” He raised his brow, pointedly staring at her. She caught a breath, raising her hand in the air.

Her lungs burned at the speed she ran. Inhaling sharply, the bartender tilted her head and motioned towards his arm. He followed her eyes only to notice the cotton material sticking to his blazer jacket. 

“Oh,” He breathed, inching to take it and at the same time, Jane grabbed at her panties. Their fingers brushed against each other. As she was close, she could smell the faint scent, and it almost made her freeze in the spot. Tristan stared at her, his smouldering eyes, making her knees weak. She parted her lips at that and quickly retrieved the material. 

“Sorry about that...” She cleared her throat, taking a step back. 

Tristan scratched his neck, awkwardly, “Did I just walk the entire way with the panties stuck to my jacket?” 

“Yeah” She breathed, trying not to laugh at the look on his face. It was no one's fault but their lack of attention. 

Tristan laughed, his whole chest vibrated with the throaty sound. It took only two seconds for Jane to follow his cue, feeling her cheeks hurt as the laughter tore through her mouth. 

“I need to get my eyes checked huh” Tristan mumbled in between the laugh and she couldn’t help but agree. 

***