Willow Haven

Chapter 1.

Great.

I roll away from the stranger in my bed and sigh. My birthday present: a hot guy from one of the bars my girlfriends took me to, with a nice smile and an even better body. The bed creaks loudly as I climb out, throwing on a cropped shirt over my half-naked self.

Ignoring the condom on the floor and the mess we made in a drunken passion, I walk across the room heavily. I make it a point not to be quiet, hoping he'll wake up and leave already. My roommates chat in the kitchen, organizing my favorite breakfast on the island, two obnoxious "2-1" balloons attached to our bar stools, all waiting for me.

"This is too much," I groan, climbing on one of the stools as I grab a piece of bacon from one plate. My best friend McKenzie leans across the counter to kiss my cheek.

"Happy birthday, sunshine," she beams. "Wait 'til you see what we have planned tonight -" her voice cuts off as she looks at Kristen and Mercedes, our other roomies. "Well, well, well."

"Well, what?"

"That," Mercedes laughs as she points, and they sneak glances as I turn. Bar guy walks up to us, his shirt in his hands, jogging shorts hugging nicely to his morning bulge. "¡Dios mío!"

"Hi, ladies," he smiles widely as he leans in next to me. "I had a fun time last night," he says in my ear, but I can only focus on how bad his morning breath is.

"Yeah, it was... fun. Do you need me to call an Uber, or you good?"

Shock coats his face as he looks from my roommates back to me, but they're indifferent, if not disappointed, again. They know better than to expect anything different. This is how it's always been: when guys come, they go. Just how I want it.

I turn to the girls and say, "I'm gonna shower. Kenz, can you handle this?"

McKenzie nods with a slight frown as I leave Bar guy in the kitchen, his mouth agape as he watches me walk away. I breathe easier seeing my floor spotless again, the condom no longer there. At least he cleaned up after himself; he's the better 75% of men out there.

The tile in my bathroom is cold against my feet as I undress and climb into the shower. I like the water hot at first, enough to make my light skin turn red. I scrub my body raw before I turn the shower cold, shocking my skin enough to cause goosebumps. Purple shampoo stains the walls as I rinse my blonde hair, hoping the smell of booze and smoke wash away with the remnants of last night's sexcapade.

"Poor guy was so confused," McKenzie says as she enters the bathroom and hands me my robe. "You can tell he's never been turned away. I think you broke him."

"He'll be ok," I say as I wrap the robe around me, then flip my hair into a towel. "There will be another girl tonight, guaranteed." McKenzie sighs, and my brows arch as I stare at her through the bathroom mirror. "What?"

"Nothing -"

"Kenz."

"Ava."

"McKenzie Ann -"

"Aveline Jean!"

Fifteen years of friendship grants us the privilege of a middle-name basis, and it always brings a smile to my face. My smile doesn't last long though, as it falters by how hard she glares at me. Her look of 'don't make me say it' is met with my 'speak your mind' stare.

"He's really good-looking," she begins, "and seems to be really interested in you -"

"Exactly. He had to go."

She shakes her head, her red curls bouncing with each move.

"I don't get it. How're you ever gonna let Jeremy go if you keep passing up on potential opportunities?"