Always Then and Now

Chapter 33

HANNAH

I woke up let the next day with a killer hangover. Every time I woke up like this, I swore I'd never do it again, but every once in awhile, I seemed to forget that promise to myself, and I'd drink a little too much and end back up in this miserable cycle. I blamed Jai. He was such a bad influence.

I was so thankful that Kate had taken Emily home with her when she'd left last night. I loved that little girl more than anything, but I was pretty sure my head would split right in half if I had to move it too suddenly. Taking care of her today would have been impossible. One of the many reasons I rarely drank.

I dressed in comfy clothes—sweatpants and a Supernatural t-shirt—and threw my hair into a ponytail, then headed downstairs to make my tea. I was a little hungry, but I needed the tea first, to settle my stomach. Once it was brewed, I parked myself down on the couch and pulled out my phone.

I unlocked it, and it opened directly to the last screen I'd accessed last night—my conversation with Liam. My eyes widened as I reread the texts, feeling my face flushing with heat. What the hell had I done? I only vaguely remembered sending these texts, but I definitely hadn't remembered exactly what I'd said. Oh my God, how embarrassing! I'd been downright flirty with him!

To be fair, his texts had been flirty too, but I'd clearly started it. God, what would I say if he brought it up today when he got home? I groaned and covered my face with one hand. I felt like crap, and now, on top of that, I also felt embarrassed as all hell. This day just couldn't get any worse.

And then, as if the universe had heard my thoughts and decided to prove me wrong, a new text came through from Jai at that moment.

Jai: Hey babes, didn't wanna b the 1 to have to show you this, but I thought u should find out from a friend.

A moment later, an image came through that made my breath catch in my throat. Liam was seated at a table, looking gorgeous as ever in his fancy black tux, neatly trimmed stubble accentuating his perfect face, not a hair out of place, and next to him sat a stunning redhead. Like, absolutely gorgeous. She had her hand on his thigh and her lips attached to his ear. And was that a bit of a bulge in his pants?! He'd never mentioned her before he'd left, but I assumed she was his date. They seemed to be getting along remarkably well.

I didn't even know why I was upset; it wasn't like we were together or anything, and despite that last kiss we'd shared, he'd never given me any reason to ever believe he was into me, no matter what Jai said. He was free to—well, not date, because he'd said he didn't date. But he was free to sleep with anyone he liked. I had no claim on him.

Tell that to the ache in my heart though. I'd been trying so hard not to fall for him, my best friend, this incredible man I couldn't imagine living without. I'd tried so hard to let only platonic feelings in and to hold any romantic ones at bay.

Apparently, I'd done a terrible job of it, because just seeing this picture made my heart hurt. Knowing he'd been with this woman—and why wouldn't he? She was confident and gorgeous, with an incredible body; everything I wasn't—made me want to curl up in anguish, shut out the world and just cry.

So, of course that would be the exact moment he walked in the door. Apparently, that was how my life worked now, because why not.

He left his suitcase by the stairs and then joined me in the living room, plopping himself down on the couch next to me. "Hey Sunshine," he said, resting back against the couch and rolling his head toward me with a tired smile.

"Hey," I responded, but the word sounded stilted, even to my own ears. God, the last thing I wanted was to make this a thing. I had no right to be upset. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath, trying to clear my head.