As soon as I leave Savannah’s room, a smile fills my face. I stroll to the elevator, hoping for the best—hoping she’ll meet me for lunch. I step inside, and I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t realize how crowded the elevator is or that we stop at every floor on the way down.
By the way she was looking at me today, I think it’s highly likely she’ll join me for lunch, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up. The kiss last night was everything I’d imagined it’d be after all this time. Her soft lips pressed against mine, and she melted into me. There’s no denying the emotions that streamed through us both at that moment, and I’m sure if she wouldn’t have drunk so much, I would’ve been buried between her legs, tasting her.
She’s so fucking adorable and still so much like her old self. Just thinking about how concerned she was about the way she looked makes me smile. Savannah could be wearing a muumuu and clown makeup, and I’d think she was the sexiest woman on the planet.
I glance down at my phone as I’m walking through the lobby, and when I look up, I’m almost certain I see Veronica with her long hair pulled up into a bun walking down another hall. I only catch a glimpse of her from behind, but I shake it off. My subconscious is probably feeling guilty for ditching her last night. I make a mental note to call her later and apologize, just to be courteous, though the way she treated Savannah, I’m not sure she deserves it.
When I step outside the hotel, the warm breeze brushes over my skin. I have valet pull my truck around so I can drive home and change out of this suit. Once it’s in front of me, I climb inside, and that’s when I start second-guessing myself.
Was it a mistake to ask her to lunch? Regardless, I had to put myself out there because we have things to discuss, like her admission of lying to me. My heart aches when I think about how much she broke me and how devastated I was to lose her. I was nothing more than a skeleton of a man when I received the text that she was breaking things off. She’d met someone else and felt it was time for us to both move on with our lives instead of carry on a long-distance relationship. She was in love with whatever the fuck she said his name was and I was just a ghost of her past. At first, I thought it was a sick joke, but she was so adamant about how she’d moved on to the point where she blocked my number and ignored my every attempt to contact her.
Destroyed doesn’t quite describe the way I felt. The woman I’d loved with each inch of my being, the woman who I imagined I’d spend the rest of my life with, left me as if I’d never meant anything to her at all.
On my way home, I think about the last time I went into Pete’s Burgers. It was right after graduation and before she moved to New York. It was always our favorite spot to visit during high school. We were regulars because it was cheap and had the best damn patty melts in California. After we’d eat, Savannah would always order a strawberry milkshake and eat the cherry first.
I stare out at the road and reminisce about how beautiful she looked last night. I swallow hard, wishing eighteen-year-old me would’ve fought for her, that eighteen-year-old me wouldn’t have accepted her bullshit.
Soon I’m pulling up to my house and notice Hunter’s vehicle is still here. After I unlock the door and walk in, I see he’s sleeping on the couch fully dressed; even has his shoes on.
“What the hell?” I mutter with a chuckle. He sits up and rubs his hand over his face.
“Oh good, you’re home. Finally,” he remarks sarcastically, gazing his eyes up and down my body.
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Last time I checked, you weren’t Dad. Pretty sure I don’t have a curfew anymore.”
I immediately regret my choice of words. Hunter stiffens at the mention of our father then stands. Neither of us has a good relationship with our dad, and nothing will ever change that at this point.
“So did ya finally get her out of your system?” Hunter stretches then grabs his keys off the counter.
“Nothing happened. I told you it wouldn’t.” I shrug. “But I did ask her to go to lunch with me.” I walk to the kitchen and he follows behind me.
“I’m not dealing with this again, Hayden.” Hunter’s stance stiffens, and his mouth is in a firm line. “Enough is enough.”
I let out a huff and grab a bottle of water because I’m so damn thirsty. “Whatever you say.”
“Do you know what Veronica told me last night?” Hunter asks, crossing his arms over his chest and when I don’t respond, he continues, “That she’s in love with you. Just because a blast from the past popped up doesn’t mean you have to run back to it. Savannah’s just going to hurt you again. Nothing good will come out of this other than two old fuck buddies getting back together for one last go round.”
I turn and scowl at him. He knows we were much more than fuck buddies, but I also know what he witnessed after the breakup and how much it affected us both. “I don’t give two shits about Veronica. You already know how I feel about her. The feelings are definitely not mutual.”
“Well I hope you know what you’re doing because I refuse to sit around and watch you destroy yourself again,” he tells me before walking away.
I want to tell him how much of a hypocrite he is, considering his current situation, but I find it better not to. It won’t solve anything, and the last thing I want to do is fight with my little brother. Seconds later, I hear the front door clicking closed. Knowing he’ll get over it, I go into my bathroom, strip off the suit, and hop in the shower so I can use soap and wash my hair this time.
Thoughts of Savannah invade my mind, and I know I need to get her out of my head in case she writes me off again, and I’m left to pick up the pieces. Though other parts of my body don’t get the message. My cock’s rock hard, and I grip it, stroking, thinking about her perfect tits and curvy body. I think about placing her perky pink nipple in my mouth and her sucking my dick until I can’t take it anymore. With her name on my lips, I nearly lose my balance when the orgasm rips through me so quickly I don’t even expect it. I release a deep groan, trying to steady myself as I explode in my palm.
“Fuck,” I mutter, trying to gain control. I stand under the stream of water as I try to catch my breath and clear my damn head. Once I’m calm, I step out of the shower and get dressed. I glance at the time on my phone and see a text message from Savannah.
My heart drops because I know how she is or, rather, how she was, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she texted me to let me down. With a racing heart, I unlock my phone, open the message she sent right before I stepped in the shower, and grin like an idiot.
“She said yes!” I yell out to no one. I’m so happy, I feel like I’ve won the goddamn lottery. I wonder if stopping and getting her flowers before is too over the top. I’m not trying to scare her away, for fuck’s sake. Because it’s just lunch, I decide against it. Knowing I need to calm down and mentally prepare to be around her, I take a shot of whiskey and think back to what Hunter said. The feelings I had for Savannah never faded, and when we broke up, she left a permanent hole in my heart. That space has always been reserved for her, even if she never intends on filling it again. I have to remind myself not to go into this with any expectations, but the fact she said yes and how she acted last night give me hope that these old feelings aren’t one-sided.
After ten minutes of contemplating exactly what I’m going to say to her today, I decide to leave and head back to the hotel. It’s a good twenty-five minutes away with traffic, and I have enough time to really think everything over by the time I hand my keys to the valet. I can’t stop grinning as I step onto the elevator and take it up to her room. Savannah was right; it’s slow as hell. Eventually, it stops at her floor, and I take a deep breath and walk to her door then knock.
I wait a few seconds before knocking again. I stand and wait for a few minutes then call her. Maybe she fell asleep? I hang up and redial her number, but this time, I’m sent straight to voicemail.
It’s confirmation she’s not coming.
Savannah must’ve gotten cold feet and ditched me.
The realization punches me in the gut, and I think back to anything that would’ve caused her to cancel. The rejection I felt when she broke up with me comes rushing back again, and it stings. I’ve been ignored by her before but this—it’s like she poured salt in a reopened wound. Instead of camping outside her door, I pull my phone out of my pocket and walk to the elevator as I text her.
Hayden: I’m here. Waited almost ten minutes at your door. Considering you’ve rejected my call, I assume you don’t want to do lunch. It took years for me to get over you and work through the heartache that practically destroyed me. You didn’t have to agree to meet up with me if you didn’t intend to. You could’ve told me no. I’ve endured worse pain than that before from you.
I read over the message one time before I hit send, lock my phone, and step onto the elevator. I’m so fucking aggravated that I can’t think straight. I’m shocked honestly because of how she acted this morning toward me. Maybe the realization that she admitted to lying to me hit her, and it was too much? Fuck, I don’t know. I could come up a million scenarios.
Once in the lobby, I run my fingers through my hair and contemplate what to do next. I could sit at the bar and wait to run into her and confront her face to face or just walk away for good. I want to tell her exactly how I feel, but I know the best thing for me to do is leave, as hard as it is. I have too many unspoken words. Letting out a huff, I pull the valet number from my pocket and wait for them to pull my truck around.
Just as the valet opens the door for me, and I get inside, I get a call and blood rushes to my head as I rush to pull it from my pocket. Hoping it’s Savannah, I’m disappointed when I see Veronica’s name flash across the screen. Instead of avoiding her, I answer as I pull out of the parking lot onto the highway.
“Hey baby,” she purrs as soon as she hears my voice.
I try to force a smile, so I don’t sound as aggravated as I am. It’s not fair to her. “Hey. I’m really sorry about last night and all of that. I was going to call you.”
She chuckles. “It’s okay. I forgive you. I just wish you would’ve been the one to take me home last night. So what are you doing right now?”
I focus on the road, trying to figure out why Savannah would do this to me. “Driving home.”
“I’m heading back to my place now. Had to run some errands real quick. Why don’t you come over?” Veronica asks in her seductive tone that I know all too well.
I contemplate her invitation for a moment and find myself taking the exit toward her place. After last night and everything that’s happened, I feel as if I owe her as much. After a few seconds, I think back to what Hunter said today, and it helps me to make up my mind.
“I’m on my way there,” I tell her, matter-of-factly.
“Good, baby. I’ll be waiting for you.”