I have every intention of going straight to the bar. I really do but somehow, I veer to the left and end up walking right by and down the hallway towards the bathrooms and Hannah. I would follow her right in there but boundaries and all. While I wait, I look at all the Polaroid pictures of the bar patrons that have been pinned to the walls over the years. There are a lot of memories on this wall, and I wonder if there are any of Hannah.
A few minutes go by, the door opens, and a group of giggling women appear eyeing me up speculatively as they pass. I promise I’m not a creep lurking by the bathrooms. I continue to lean against the wall across from the door, so I don’t miss her.
Hannah walks out and meets my eyes with surprise. Her hair is now tied back into a high ponytail and her lip gloss has been reapplied. God, she’s so beautiful, even in this poorly lit hallway.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, looking from me towards the entrance and back again.
“Waiting for you.” I take a step forward, crowding her back against the wall.
“Why?” Her green eyes search mine in confusion.
“I just wanna talk.” I rest my right hand on the wall beside her head and lean in.
She smells so good, like the pomegranate and citrus bubble bath she used to love so much.
“Not now, Logan. You have been drinking and I’m on a date.”
She looks away, avoiding further eye contact with me. Can’t have that. With my hand cupping her cheek, I guide her so she can meet my eyes. For a fleeting moment I feel her lean into my touch as her eyes drop to my lips and back again.
“Do you still love him?” I blurt out without thinking.
Way to destroy a moment moron.
“What?” she asks, shaking her head in confusion. “Who, Danny? Not that it’s any of your concern, but we are just friends.”
“Friends that fuck?” I can’t help myself, I have no filter, and I need to know.
She jerks away from my hand like I slapped her, her green eyes now wide.
“Logan! Who I sleep with is none of your business,” she whisper yells, looking around to see if anyone is watching.
She places her hands on my chest, slowly gathering the fabric of my shirt before releasing it to push me away. My skin heats and tingles with awareness.
“Is he staying at your place tonight?” I question.
Apparently, I want to hurt my own feelings.
“What’s your problem? I don’t even recognize you anymore, Logan. I remember the boy you once were, but I don’t know the man you have become. The tattoos, the motorcycle, how youlook, how you smell. This is all too much.” She ducks out from underneath my arm.
I turn to face her again resisting the urge to pull her back to me.
“We both grew up, Hannah, but you can’t tell me that your heart doesn’t recognize mine. That you don’t feel the pull between us. Please don’t leave with him.”
I’m not afraid to beg. I can’t stand the thought of her spending the night with that guy.
“You are unbelievable. How dare you waltz back into my life like no time has passed and have the audacity to make demands. I don’t owe you anything.” She points a finger in my face as she steps away.
“I don’t even know why you care?”
“I never stopped caring, Hannah,” I confess, stepping towards her, trying to close the distance.
“Well, you had a funny way of showing it.” Shaking her head, she turns and walks away.
I watch her weave through the crowd to the dance floor where her friends are dancing to Burn it to the Ground by Nickelback. She joins seamlessly into the choreography like our conversation never even happened.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The entire time I am dancing with my friends, I can feel Logan watching me. Every time he leaves the table and walks up to the bar for yet another drink, I track his movements. He’s beginning to lean hard to the right, but that’s not my problem. He shouldn’t have any hold over me after all this time.
