Forever Mine

by Kennedy Fox

  Looking down, I realize I’m only in my bra and panties and try to remember when I took off my dress. After stumbling my way out of the ballroom, my mind goes a little fuzzy.

  It’s not until I hear the sound of the faucet squeak and water shut off that I realize the shower was running. Donny has some explaining to do. Probably brought that bartender back to his room last night, and now he’s trying to hide—again.

  Blinking, I try to clear my mind, and suddenly, the bathroom door opens as memories of kissing Hayden surface. Oh my God.

  Please let that kiss all be a dream. Otherwise, I made a complete fool of myself, and I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from that.

  “You’re awake.”

  My eyes widen as I recognize that voice. It sends shivers right between my legs.

  Definitely not Donny’s.

  If we kissed last night, and I’m only in my underwear and he’s still here, does that mean we… No. Right?

  My thoughts linger as I finally look over and see Hayden standing in the bathroom doorway. In a low as fuck towel, dripping wet. My gaze follows the water drops dripping from his hair all the way down his chest and abs. I swallow when I see his happy trail from his belly button to where it disappears below his towel.

  When he clears his throat, I realize I was gawking.

  “If I’m actually awake and not dreaming, then I’m wondering what you’re doing here…” I manage to finally speak.

  He raises his brows when my tight grip on the sheet releases and exposes my bra. Shit.

  I’m a fucking mess. I quickly pull it back up and squeeze my eyes shut.

  “You feeling okay?”

  I open my eyes and suck in a breath. He steps forward with a hand out and presses his palm against my cheek. “You’re flushed.”

  No shit.

  I swallow, looking up at him. “I think I drank a bit too much last night,” I admit.

  Hayden’s arm drops as he chuckles, and I immediately miss his touch. “You could say that.”

  Looking down, I wonder if he took off my dress or if I did.

  “So if you’re still here and I’m half naked and you’re all the way naked…” I ramble, frustrated that I can’t get the damn words out. “Does that mean we…uh, you know. Slept together?”

  “Well actually, I slept on the couch.” He points at the sofa that’s clearly too small for him.

  “You had sex with me and then slept on the couch?” I blurt out. I probably half-ass kicked him out in my drunken stupor. Or did something else pathetic. “Shit. Never mind. I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.

  “I don’t know. I can’t really remember.” I chew on my lower lip and need this to just be over. “Well, I remember the kiss. But anything after that is kinda fuzzy,” I shamefully admit, not making eye contact, and burying my face in my palms.

  Feeling the bed dip, I look up and see Hayden sitting in front of me with an amused look on his too perfect face.

  “Sav, we didn’t have sex last night, but we shared one hell of an amazing kiss. That’s it, though. We kissed, you threw up, I put you to bed. I slept on the couch so I could keep an eye on you in case you got sick again. That’s all. Then when I woke up, I took a shower.”

  “Oh my God.” I drop my head into my hands. I puked last night with him in here. I hate myself right now. Hayden sees me for the first time in ten years, and this is what I do? Fuuuuck.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Sav. Your puking was very ladylike. Almost no chunks.”

  I burst out laughing and meet his eyes. He was always good at taking me by surprise. Doesn’t stop the flood of embarrassment, though.

  “Well, for whatever it’s worth, thank you. I’m sure taking care of me was the last thing on your agenda, considering you had a date and all,” I say, immediately regretting that last part. I need to stop talking.

  Before Hayden responds, his phone starts ringing, but he doesn’t even flinch.

  “It wasn’t any trouble at all. It’s made me realized how much I’ve really missed you. We used to do everything together.” He flashes me a kind smile, and it adds another knife to my heart for what I did to him.

  “I know. We were inseparable.” I sigh, not sure I can mentally go down memory lane right now. Chewing on my lower lip, I allow my gaze to focus on his bare chest and stomach. He most definitely didn’t look like that in high school. He was fit and played football, but now he’s thick and hairy. According to the throbbing between my legs, I like it. A lot.

  “I better get dressed,” he finally says, standing, and I blink out of my stupor. Pretty sure there’s drool dripping down my chin from studying every inch of his body. And he watched me do it. Great. “I was thinking if you aren’t doing anything later, we could meet up for lunch?”

  “Uh…” I try to think of my plans for the day which are pretty lax. I’m supposed to pop in and see my parents sometime this weekend, but I can do that anytime.

  “Just think about it,” he interrupts. “Figured we should talk about what you said last night. In fact, we have a lot to talk about.” Hayden winks, then walks to the bathroom. He shuts the door, and my mind runs a million miles per hour trying to remember what bonehead thing I could’ve said to him.

  Deciding I should get dressed as well, I dig around in my suitcase for something comfortable. I slip on some athletic shorts and a tank top then take a look in the mirror above the desk and gasp aloud.

  “Oh my God,” I mutter to myself. My dark hair is disheveled. Mascara is smeared under my eyes. My lipstick is half rubbed off. I look like a hooker from a back alley on her worst night. How the hell was he even looking at me with a straight face?

  The moment Hayden walks out in his black slacks and button-up shirt from last night, I barge past him until I’m in the bathroom and shut the door closed.

  “Uh…you alright, Sav?” He knocks twice.

  “Yes, I just need to clean up a little,” I rush out.

  He chuckles on the other side, and my heart leaps. God, I love his laugh. It’s so manly now. And deep.

  “You look fine, Savannah,” he says through the door, and I hate that even after all this time, he can read me like a book.

  “Just give me a few minutes,” I say. After I pee and clean my face and fix the bird’s nest on my head, I count to five and then walk out with whatever dignity I have left.

  Hayden’s on the bed, sitting casually and comfortable as if being here isn’t making him the least bit nervous.

  “You could’ve warned me,” I say, breaking the silence.

  Hayden sits upright and arches a brow. “About what?”

  “That I looked like Helena Greve on prom night,” I say, taking a seat on the opposite end of the bed.

  His head falls back on his shoulders, and a loud roar of laughter escapes him. When our eyes meet again, I’m smiling and laughing along with him.

  “I don’t want to put you on the spot about meeting up for lunch but think about it and let me know?” he asks. “I don’t know how long you’re here, but I have a few days off so—”

  “I don’t leave until Tuesday. Took a couple of extra days so I could visit my family,” I say, feeling guilty that I don’t see them as much as I want. Though they understand my schedule between practice and shows, I still feel bad about it.

  “Well, why don’t you just text or call me—” He pauses. “Do you still have my number?”

  “As long as you haven’t changed it, then yes I do,” I admit, shamelessly. Now he knows I kept it all this damn time.

  “Uh, yeah. Same number. Different phone, though.” He holds up his iPhone, and we both laugh.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I had a pink Razr our senior year,” I say, smiling and feeling the awkward tension slowly burn away.

  “Oh, right. We had to T9 text back then,” he says. “Kids these days don’t know the struggle it took to write a sentence.”

  “That’s for sure,” I reply, biti
ng my bottom lip. I want to mount him like a grizzly bear, and the fact my feelings from ten years ago can easily surface with one conversation tells me just how much trouble I really am in.

  “I should get home and change out of these clothes,” he says, walking toward the door. I follow to escort him out.

  “Yeah, I need to shower the alcohol out of my pores.” I grimace as soon as the words fall out of my mouth. I’m a professional actor; I should know how to control my thoughts and not say the first thing that comes to mind.

  Hayden opens the door and immediately turns around to face me. “For what it’s worth, it was really great to see you. I know we didn’t say goodbye on the best terms, but I often wondered about you. It’s nice seeing how well you’re doing.”

  His words have butterflies leaping in my stomach. He shouldn't be this nice to me. He should hate me. He shouldn’t want anything to do with me after the way I left him.

  “It was really great seeing you too, Hayden. I’m glad everything worked out for your career. I can tell it makes you really happy.”

  He briefly brushes a hand over his mouth and beard, then brings his eyes back to mine. “Not so sure about that.” Hayden gives me a faint smile, and before I can ask him what he means, he continues, “Let me know, okay?”

  “Sure.” I smile and nod, and then just like that, he walks out.

  The door shuts behind him, and as I sit down on the bed, I relive the entire morning in my mind. Waking up, seeing him in my room, his words, his laughter, the way he looked at me—it all made me realize how much I truly miss him.

  Meeting for lunch is a bad idea.

  It’ll only open old wounds.

  Painful memories.

  I decide to text Donny and ask for his opinion.

  After I scold him first, of course.

  Savannah: Wanna explain why I woke up with Hayden in my room this morning?

  Donny: Ooh, in your bed? Tell me allllllll the details, girl.

  Savannah: No, not in my bed! What the hell happened to you last night?

  Donny: I was gettin’ my flirt on and Boy Toy said he was taking you back to your room. Should I have said no?

  I groan, hearing his sassy voice in my head as I read his texts.

  Savannah: Considering I acted like a total fool, I should knee you in the junk. But he also took care of me when I puked and could barely stand.

  Donny: Always the sweetheart. *heart-eyes emoji*

  Savannah: Exactly. He should be bitter and angry with me, though.

  Donny: It’s been 10 years, babe. I’m sure he’s not mad about that anymore.

  Savannah: Well, he wants to go to lunch and “catch up.” Idk what to do?

  Donny: Why is that even a question? GO! Plus, girl gotsta eat!

  I laugh, shaking my head at his ridiculousness.

  Savannah: I mean, it could just be two friends catching up, right? We’ll be in a public area and lunch setting, so it won’t mean anything.

  Donny: That’s it, girl. Keep telling yourself that.

  “Ugh.” I groan, sending him a middle-finger emoji in response.

  What’s the harm?

  “Screw it,” I mutter and pace the room. “It’s just lunch. We’re adults. No reason this has to be weird.”

  After my little pep talk, I sit on the edge of the bed and start a new text message.

  Savannah: Okay, let’s do lunch. Just let me know where you want to meet, and I can Uber there.

  The three little dots appear, and my stomach tightens, waiting for his response.

  Hayden: I’ll pick you up. How about one?

  I look at the time. That gives me a couple of hours to shower and look human again.

  Savannah: Okay, sounds good. Meet you in the lobby.

  Hayden: I’ll come to your door, Sav. I’m a gentleman ;)

  Those damn butterflies reappear, and I know I’m so fucking doomed.

  I take a nice, hot shower and even shave my legs, only because I plan on wearing a sundress. It’s a pleasant summer day and has nothing to do with the fact that I’m seeing Hayden or so I tell myself.

  Once I’m dressed, I blow dry my hair. It’s so thick it takes at least forty minutes to thoroughly dry. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, so I do a side braid and let it rest over my left shoulder. I put on makeup but just the bare basics. Foundation, mascara, colored lip balm. I have to wear heavy makeup on stage, so I typically don’t like to wear too much in everyday situations.

  Looking at myself in the mirror, I contemplate if I’m dressed up enough or if I’m overdone. Shit. I’m overthinking this too much.

  I shake my hands out, trying to calm myself down. He should be here soon, and I don’t want to answer the door sweating.

  A moment later, there’s a knock on the door, and I freeze. Crap! He’s early, by nearly thirty minutes.

  “Coming!” I shout, searching for my purse. Dammit, where’d I put that thing?

  Another knock.

  Okay, geez. I whip open the door and my heart lodges in my throat.

  “Veronica.” The air escapes my lungs the moment I see her face.

  “Listen, Savannah.” She steps closer.

  What the fuck is she doing here? Better yet, how’d she even know which room I was staying in?

  “You need to stay away from Hayden.” She purses her lips, narrowing her eyes at me. “I’m not going to tell you twice.”

  Chapter Six

  Hayden

  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.

&nb
sp; 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.”