Chapter 3. Strange Feeling

The bright moonlight entered through the slightly open window gap in Karina's room. Her previously closed eyes slowly moved as if disturbed by the light that penetrated her deep sleep. Her body wriggled as she felt the night breeze hitting her skin exposed by her lifted nightgown.

"Did I forget to close the window again?" muttered Karina in her sleep.

Feeling more and more disturbed, Karina finally woke up from her deep sleep and headed towards the half-open window in her room, then closed it tightly and returned to her bed. The drowsiness she felt slowly disappeared as she tried to fall asleep again and enjoy her beautiful dreams.

Karina's eyes finally opened completely. She stared at the ceiling of her room where she had been living for the past 5 years. Suddenly, Karina's breath began to race and her heart beat faster. She got up from her bed again, but this time she left her room and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, in an effort to make her heart beat normally again.

Slowly, Karina touched every corner of the kitchen, took a glass, walked towards the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of mineral water from inside. Her breath was still racing and now her hands were starting to shake for no reason. Karina pulled a chair from the dining table and sat on it. She drank the mineral water that she had just poured until it was finished, pressing her temples that felt dizzy.

"What's happening to me? Why is my body acting so strange like this?" muttered Karina as she poured water into her glass again and drank it.

As the last sip went down her throat, Karina's mind suddenly brought her back to a memory about a month ago. It was a memory that she was reluctant to remember. The night when Karina foolishly decided to lose her virginity to a stranger who seemed rich in her eyes.

Karina doesn't remember much when she finally did it in the midst of her rejection and ignorance about the world of sex. What is clear is that she woke up in the morning naked and only covered with a white blanket with a little bloodstain from her virginity.

Karina smiled as she remembered the incident, "The man even left $500 for me. Damn! Does he think I'm a prostitute?" Karina complained in her heart.

Of course, Karina didn't fully tell Selena about the incident. She was sure that her friend would look for the man and could even kill him right away if she knew that her friend was labeled as a prostitute.

"Watch out if I meet that man again! I will kill him!" Karina muttered while squeezing the glass in her hand in anger.

Fortunately, the glass Karina used was made of thick glass, so it wouldn't easily break even if it fell from the table.

After feeling better, Karina returned to her room and continued her sleep as usual. Just as her eyes closed for 5 minutes, her stomach started to disturb her sleep again. It's as if her body didn't accept the fact that Karina had to rest and continue sleeping.

"Huump!" Karina immediately woke up and covered her mouth with both hands as she felt something coming out from her stomach.

Quickly, Karina ran out of her room and headed to the bathroom. Her body immediately bent over in front of a toilet bowl and she emptied the contents of her stomach into it.

Not only once, but Karina even threw up multiple times until she felt weak. When she felt like there was nothing left to come out of her stomach, Karina quickly flushed the toilet and sat on it.

The living room light turned on, a sign that Selena, who was previously asleep, finally woke up upon hearing the noisy sound from the bathroom. The bathroom door opened again, and Selena saw Karina sitting weakly on the toilet bowl, looking pale and exhausted, causing Selena's eyes to widen in shock.

"Karina! Are you okay? What happened?" Selena asked with concern.

Selena immediately approached Karina and touched her forehead. Karina's face was covered in sweat, and Selena became more worried about her friend.

"Let's go to the living room. Let me get you some cold water." Selena invited and helped Karina walk out of the bathroom, then sat her on the sofa in the living room.

As Selena had just said, she fetched some cold water for Karina, "Drink this first." Selena instructed, pointing the glass of cold water towards Karina and helping her drink it.

Karina drank the water given by Selena and leaned back on the sofa.

"Are you sick? But your body temperature seems fine. Should we go to the doctor for a check-up?" Selena asked with a worried expression on her face.

"No need. Maybe it's just my acid reflux acting up. Besides, it's only 2 a.m. Which doctor would be willing to accept patients at this hour?" Karina asked.

Selena didn't care. If she had to find a doctor, she would do it now even if it meant going to the end of the earth.

Karina's body still felt weak, as if all the energy in her body had been drained along with all the contents of her stomach that she had just thrown up.

While Selena's concern for Karina, she suddenly remembered something that made her curious.

"When was the last time you had your period?" Selena asked.

Karina was shocked to hear Selena's question and statement.

"What?" Karina asked back, afraid that she misheard Selena's question or that Selena was asking a stupid question.

Selena looked at Karina carefully and became serious. "Did you have sex with that guy using protection? You said you were going out with a guy that night! You also came back in the morning with the same clothes. I saw everything through the security camera in front of the house." Selena said.

Karina's expression changed and she suddenly remembered something, "Oh, that night..." she muttered.

Karina realized that the man she was with that night didn't use any protection. Although she didn't understand much about sexual intercourse, Karina was not as naive as people thought. She knew about contraceptives such as condoms that are commonly used by couples before having sexual intercourse.

But that night, Karina remembers clearly that the stranger didn't use it.

Karina furrowed her brow, "Shit!" she muttered as she recalled the events of that night.

In a semi-conscious state, Karina did it with a stranger who wore a Ralex watch on his right wrist. Even in the midst of her drunkenness, Karina still remembers the extraordinary sensation caused by the man, which she had never imagined before.

Karina's body was lifted up to the sky and swayed with every touch from the man.

"So, did you use a condom or not?" Selena asked bluntly.

Karina looked at Selena and shook her head, "I don't think so..."