Page 29 of Catch You

“Here she is. Did you have a—fuck, what’s wrong?” She races over, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her brows pulled together as she looks over my face, trying to find signs for why I’m so upset.

I blow out a breath as I try to figure out how to answer that question. Brooke has been by my side through everything.She knows all my dark and dirty secrets, but watching it is very different to actually experiencing it. She tries to understand, but it’s hard. She can tell me all she likes that things are different now, that I’m different, but it’s hard to believe it when I can so easily fall back into old habits.

“N-nothing. I’m just regretting last night.”

“Do not tell me that he was bad in bed. That man screams sex god. If my sex-o-meter is off, I’m going to be seriously pissed.”

“No, it’s not that. He was …” Her eyes widen in excitement. “Fine. I just shouldn’t have done it.”

She moves after a second and sits on the floor with her back against the wall.

“Why not? You deserve to have some fun. And it’s not like you did it with some random guy who was only interested in one thing.”

“Didn’t I? I feel like I’ve just taken five giant steps back.”

“Harlow, stop,” she begs. “This is nothing like that. You are not that person anymore.”

“I had a one-night stand in a hotel, B.”

“You’re making it sound like you did something seedy. You didn’t. Corey wasn’t just some random guy, and he clearly didn’t just want to get his leg over and move on.”

“How’d you figure that out?” I ask, interrupting her.

“Because he was at that bar thirty minutes after I messaged him. He wanted to see you again, even though you ran out on him the night before. If he only wanted a quick roll in the sheets, I’m sure there would have been some hussy he could have picked up without the threat of being kicked to the curb once again.”

“I guess.”

“There’s no ‘I guess’ here. He wanted you. He jumped at the opportunity of a second chance.”

“But he took me to the closest hotel with only one thing in mind.”

“So? There could be a million reasons why he didn’t take you elsewhere. He might live with his mother or something.” I raise a brow at her. “Okay, yeah, he doesn’t seem like a mommy’s boy, but you never know.”

“So, what are you suggesting here, exactly?”

“I’m saying you shouldn’t write him off. Call him. See if he wants to meet up again.”

“I don’t think?—”

“Don’t forget him before you have any solid evidence. He could be the one?—”

“I highly doubt that.”

“You didn’t let me finish. He could be the one to help remind you how good men can be.”

I bark out a laugh and flick some bubbles at her when she stands and steps toward the door.

“I’m just saying, have an open mind. Everything happens for a reason. You fell into him for a reason.”

She slips from the room, leaving me with that little bit of advice to dwell on.

I sink back into the rapidly cooling water and close my eyes. My head spins with everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. I should be focusing on my aunt right now, not have my head in the clouds over some Brit with a body built for sin.

By the timeI emerge from the bathtub, the bubbles have long disappeared, and the water is uncomfortably cold.

I remove what’s left of last night’s make-up and cover myself in my favorite body lotion in an attempt to perk myself up a little before making my way back to my room.

I pull on a pair of leggings and an oversized hoodie with the intention of spending the day chilling out in front of the TV and hopefully catching up on some much-needed sleep.

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