I’m a shield, and I’ll gladly be that for her, but that’s all I am.
He shakes his head. “Not what I mean, Hayes.” He looks at me pointedly. “That girl won’t stop looking at the door, but I think she’s only waiting for one of her stalkers to walk through it.”
“Funny.” I smile sarcastically, and he laughs. “Any thoughts from you?” I ask Nathan mockingly.
“No,” he states bluntly.
“Great.” I down my beer and toss it back into the bucket. “I need something stronger.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Liv
The base thrums in my chest, pushing me to dance more, sing louder. Anything to drown out the battle between my heart and my head.
I shouldn’t be concerned with matters of the heart this soon after ending an engagement, but the truth is that my feelings for Elliot waned a long time ago. I liked that it wasn’t hard to be away from him.
I never wanted to risk another catastrophic heartbreak. Which is why Hayes being back in my life has turned everything upside down.
My brain tells me that I can’t trust him. He broke me once. He’ll do it again. My heart can’t stop beating for him.
Even now, I imagine I see him in a mass of people. I squeeze my eyes shut, tipping my face towards the ceiling and submerse myself in the music. I don’t need Hayes.
I don’t need men.
I’ll be okay.
An arm slips around my waist, jerking me out of the forced musical retreat in my head, making me gasp.
“It’s just me,” Natalie says. She must’ve just gotten here. “I’m going to the bar. Want anything?”
“Anything with tequila.”
“Sweet or strong?” She asks, backing towards the bar. It draws my attention over her head, and I blink a few times to clear my vision…Is that?
“Both,” I breathe, spinning away from her.
Thea registers my face immediately, closing the gap between us. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.”
“Who?” She asks, startled.
“Hayes.”
“Oh,” she sighs in relief. “I thought you meant your stalker.”
“I don’t know who my stalker is.”
“I know, I thought it was just some lawyer hunch or something.”
“Do you think he’s seen me?”
She peeks around my shoulder towards the bar. “Mmm, probably not.”
I whip my head around to check where he is, and he’s looking directly at me. Our eyes connect, and my breath escapes me.
“Yeah, sorry, he definitely sees you.” She rubs my arm. “Go talk to him.”
