Everyone has baggage, but it's certainly not Selina's job to carry it for them.
*****
Radio talk show host Selina Locke was just looking for a peaceful summer in sunny Barcelona, but...
( — carole king; american singer-songwriter who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at the brill building and later as a solo artist. )
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SELINA WAKES UP WITH A POUNDING HEADACHE.
It takes her a few moments to remember where she is and why she's so sore, but, as memories from last night flood into her brain and she realizes there's an actual arm wrapped around her waist, she remembers. Her cheeks even grow hot just by thinking about it because, after all, it's not every day that someone wakes up with Remus freaking Rossi sleeping peacefully beside them.
It's not every day that someone wakes up next to him after having slept with him.
She tries to not think about how that mere thought makes her sound like one of his delusional, obsessed fans, but it's still quite astounding to her that he even bothered to look twice at her and go through the trouble of getting to know her. Not everyone is as lucky as her, not just because she slept with him, but because she has gotten to know the real him—the man behind the mask, the man behind the grinning face on the streets and paparazzi pictures.
It's like getting to know both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Smiling to herself, she slides out of bed as carefully as she possibly can without waking him up, even though he sighs in his sleep as his hand falls to the mattress. She's going back to bed in just a few minutes, but there are a few things she wants to do first.
First of all, she needs to brush her teeth. Her morning breath isn't the greatest, especially after an entire day of drinking.
Secondly, Ethan was kind enough to leave some pajamas in her room for Remus to wear, but didn't dare to enter it again to drop by a change of clothes, so she needs to pick them up from their laundry room, as one typically would.
Everything about this morning feels incredibly nostalgic for some reason. Her head is throbbing in the exact same way it was that night in Barcelona and Remus, once again, had too much to drink, meaning he won't wake up that much better. She's praying he won't spit his orange juice all over her again, as that's one memory she'd very much like to erase from her brain, but she supposes it could be worse.
They even had that adorable heart to heart conversation in the hotel lobby. That was nice.
Selina is perfectly content to return to bed once she's taken care of everything. Her breath no longer smells like a dead animal, Remus has fresh, clean clothes to wear, and he's still fast asleep, even with her snuggled up to his chest.
