Page 114 of Finding Jess

But instead, a much more familiar face looked back.

Liz stood there in an outfit similar to her own, except the blazer she wore was a creamy white.

“Oh,” Liz said, surprise adorning her features.

Sam blinked, staring at her as her mind went completely blank.

A beat of uneasy silence passed between them as Liz stepped fully through the doorway, looking just as uncomfortable as Sam felt.

“Uh—what..” Sam trailed off, not entirely sure that she should be the one questioning why she was there.

Liz smiled in a painfully awkward way that told her that question would’ve been expected. “Um,” she started, glancing cautiously around the empty area. “Is Jess here?”

Sam stared at her, dumbfounded. “Yeah,” she said slowly, drawing the word out into a question.

Liz nodded as she glanced down at the ground, her throat bobbing as she swallowed.

“She’s with Scarlett,” Sam continued, not caring to dull the edge in her words.

Liz nodded, sucking in a deep breath. “Right. Yeah, of course.”

Sam watched her closely, examining the way she uncharacteristically fiddled with her hands.

“Did she ask you to come, or..” Sam left the rest of the question hanging in the air, already halfway knowing the answer. Because she knew that if she did, Jess would’ve told her.

Liz frowned, her eyes lingering on the floor for an extra second before looking back up at her. “No,” she said quietly.

Sam cocked her head, waiting for an explanation.

Liz released a deep breath. “She—she hasn’t called me back. And I—I just—I need to talk to her. So we can figure things out. We need to—”

“And you thought this was the best time to do that?” Sam cut in, her jaw clenching involuntarily.

Liz’s eyes tightened a fraction, as if ready to shoot back with some biting words of her own.

But then she looked away. And that challenging look in her eyes morphed into one that resembled embarrassment—or maybe even shame.

A look she’d never seen on her before.

And selfishly, that gave her a small hint of satisfaction.

“I know,” Liz whispered, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. “I know it’s stupid. I just—” she paused, mouth open as she shook her head, then tilted it back as if trying to keep tears from falling. “I messed up.”

When she lowered her head again, the tears Sam had suspected were clear in her eyes.

“I didn’t think—” she stopped, shaking her head again as she blew out a frustrated breath. “We’ve been off and on again so many times before, I just assumed this time wouldn’t be any different. I thought we’d just, I don’t know, take time apart for a few weeks and then get back together, just like before.”

“So you thought it would be a better idea to show up unannounced at her best friend’s wedding?” Sam asked, utterly failing to keep the cutting tone out of her words.

Liz shot her a dangerous glare. “You wouldn’t get it,” she huffed. “You’re—you.”

The corners of Sam’s eyes tightened, her head tilting slightly. “What does that mean?”

Liz let barked out a laugh that seemed to hold more irritation than humor. “You’reSamHayes,” she said, waving a hand in the air as she looked her up and down. “Everyone’s favorite. The one who never screws up.” She shook her head, letting out a disgusted puff of air.

Sam pulled her head back a fraction.

“My friends always loved you. My parents loved you. And now even my damn girlfriend—” she paused, shaking her head as she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You get everything handed to you. While I work my ass off, and still I have to show up here just to get—” she stopped again, clamping her mouth shut as her jaw flickered—anger rolling off of her in waves.

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