I turn around at the thought. I don’t think I’m ready for a high school reunion tonight.
CeeCee was right. Brandon returns with drinks for both of us, and I’m so curious what their deal is.
Brandon gives me a nudge. “Stop those cogs turning in that brain of yours right now.”
“What?” I ask with a sly grin. “You and CeeCee, huh?”
“I told you, there isn’t anything there. Just some fun.”
“You are so full of shit.”
He laughs. “And so are you. Now, drink up.” He hands me my fresh gin and tonic in one hand and gives me a shot in the other.
This is too much, but then CeeCee shouts, “To Hailey! Welcome back to our daydreamer, our go-getter, and our friend!”
I shake my head back and forth, trying to fight their kindness, feeling my face go red, but I can’t stop smiling. Everyone clinks their glasses with mine clumsily, and I can’t help but laugh. CeeCee winks at me as she brings her shot glass to her lips, and I follow suit.
A chilled caramel flavor slides smoothly down my throat, and I’m greeted with the goofiest smiles from every one of my friends. My heart feels full, and my face feels warm. For a second, I feel like I belong again. Almost like I never left.
I like that we’re older now. The memories I have of when we drank before were always us sneaking bottles out of our parents’ liquor cabinets and avoiding the cops.
Times have changed, but we’re still intact… kind of.
I sigh, realizing that something is missing. We’re not complete. Especially since we all have our other halves. You could assume CeeCee would be mine, but it’s obvious she has Brandon as her other half, and Caiden was technically mine. He always had a place right under my skin, whether I wanted him there or not. He had that effect on me since we were kids. It’s a shame he’s being such a coward about—
“Well, I’ll be dammed,” I hear sputter from Brandon’s lips.
I look at him first, but all my friends are already staring at the door to the bar behind me. I’m terrified to turn around.
Brandon and the boys disperse with secret smiles back to the pool table, beers in hand.
I swallow my nerves. They must be looking at Caiden, right? What else would spark such drama?
I turn around slowly.
My eyes lock on to a guy—I’m almost not sure if it’s him—but my body knows. A vibrating hum starts in my gut and ripples like waves over the surface of my skin.
Caiden.
He walks into the bar with what seems like frantic determination. His eyebrows furrow, seeking out something, eyes darting from one side of the room to the other. My chest constricts, and I clench my fists while trying to fight for air. Five years has done him good, and I decide that maybe I should be mad at him for it. I hate that he fills out his jeans and his simple maroon thermal to near perfection. He drags his hands through his sandy-brown hair that’s been visibly kissed by the sun, and I know it’s only a matter of time until he finds what he’s looking for.
“Leave it to Caiden to say no and then do it anyway,” whispers CeeCee beside me.
I don’t think I’m supposed to hear her, but she’s right. It does sound like him. So much so that it makes his adult appearance a tiny bit more bearable.
CeeCee’s elbow jabs into my side, forcing me to look away.
“What?” I gasp.
She smiles. “You didn’t want me to talk about him before, but he’s taken, you know?”
“He’s what?”
CeeCee’s smile only grows. “But it doesn’t matter.”
I squint. So, this is how she’s going to get me to talk. “You’re right. It doesn’t. He can date whoever he wants.”
She rolls her eyes, realizing her plan to pry information has failed. She retaliates by swiftly walking back to the pool table without another word, leaving me out in the open like a defenseless gazelle. Damn her.
I think I need fresh air. I’m not running; I just need oxygen and space… and whatever. I take a large pull of liquor from my straw, slurping the last bit from beneath the ice, and set it down with a clank.
When I turn back around, Caiden is already standing there a mere five feet away. His eyes are still the color of lush trees in the middle of spring, and all I can do is stare.
He’s not smiling, but he’s not frowning either. Do I know this Caiden anymore?
He’s more like an actual man than I remember. His jaw is more pronounced, accentuating his striking features even under a layer of dark scruff.
His arms are crossed over his broad chest. I’d remember that chest; it’s not anywhere near the slimmer stature it was when we were eighteen. In the darkness, I can make out tattoos on his right arm peeking out from his long sleeve. The sight has my heart winding up like a propeller to a helicopter. The only thing I recognize are his eyes. With each second of silence, his eyes seem to chip away at me, like they always have. He’d win arguments by doing this exact thing. My lips twitch, and so do his, as if he remembers, too.
“Hi, Hailey,” he says in a dark-chocolate tone that I surely don’t remember, but my heart seems to as it jumps to my throat. “It’s been a while.”
I nod. He nods. We nod, like utter, complete strangers. It’s painful.
“I think I need another drink,” flies out of my mouth, and I move past him.
This new version of Caiden still can’t avoid his look of shock as he watches me walk toward the bar.
Sure enough, he comes jogging up to my side, and like a cosmic vacuum, he takes my breath away. I no longer think I need air; I know I do.
“Let me buy you a beer,” he says, hailing the bartender.
I shake my head, scrunching my brows together, having no idea how to handle this. “No. You. Will. Not.”
Someone snickers behind me, and I remember how much I hate small towns.
“Don’t argue, Hailey. I’m sure we’ll have more reasons to argue later, don’t you think?”
More snickers.
My gut twists, and I’m forced to look at him. He’s smiling. I sure as hell remember that smile. My mouth goes dry, and lucky for me, the bartender appears, setting two open beer bottles in front of us.
I grab for mine, needing to wet my palate. My eyes are glued to that half-smirk a little too long before swinging back to his eyes. “Thank you.”
Forcing myself to turn around, I realize I don’t have a place to run, err, I mean, go. I stroll back to the pool table.
I clutch my beer close as I approach. Brandon shoots me a supportive smirk as he leans against his pool cue. It isn’t until I see his eyes shoot behind me that I know Caiden is following. Brandon gives him raised brows of recognition. He’s apparently shocked that Caiden’s finally revealed himself. This thought angers me, and made bold by my previous drinks, I abruptly swivel around. With Caiden trailing so close behind, he nearly runs into me.
I point the tip of my beer at him, squinting with one judgmental eye. “So, were you just going to hide out until I left town?”
He at least has the decency to look contrite. This time, he glances over to our group of friends, who feel more like his group of friends now that we’re standing here. When his eyes fall back to mine, he takes a long chug of beer before responding. “Glad to see that mouth of yours hasn’t changed.”