Page 53 of Best Kept Secret
Great. I spin on my heel and walk to the door with Hannah following closely behind me. I glance to the living room, finding Logan’s curious gaze watching us, and when I catch the hint of a smirk ghost his lips, it takes all I have not to flip him off.
The elevator ride sucks. I should have made a run for it and taken the stairs.
As I stare straight ahead, I can feel Hannah’s gaze fixed on me, but I ignore her as best as I can, tapping my foot impatiently. When the elevator stops at ground, I make quick work of unlatching the cage and exiting before she can try to make small talk. I know I’m being immature, but I’m in panic mode. And frankly, I don’t even know why.
We meet the delivery driver outside and take the bags from him, tipping him generously, but just as I have my hand on the door to walk back inside, I’m stopped.
“Millie, can we talk?”
I huff an exasperated breath, as if I’ve never been more put out in my life. Rolling my eyes, I turn to face her. “Sure.”
Hannah licks her lips, seemingly considering her words. “It really wasn’t… what it looked like,” she says. “That morning… when you?—”
I hold a hand up, silencing her. “Trust me. It’s burned into my retinas. We really don’t need to rehash the details.”
She snaps her mouth shut, looking down at the ground a moment, and when I see her shoulders fall a touch, I feel a nagging tinge of guilt tug low in my belly. I roll my eyes at myself, relenting. “Look, let’s just?—”
“I’ve been having an affair with a married man.”
My mouth hangs open at her rushed confession that’s left lingering in the air between us, and all I keep thinking is how I knew she couldn’t be as perfect as she made her life out to be on social media. Man, since when did I become such a vindictive bitch?
“I didn’tknowhe was married,” Hannah adds quickly, eyes wide and full of innocence, face fraught with sincerity, and I snap my big fat mouth shut.
“He told me he and his wife were separated. He told me it was…complicated. He told me everything he knew I wanted to hear. Everything he could tell me so it wouldn’t seem weird that he wanted to keep our relationship on the downlow.” She breathes hard and fast, and I’m worried she’s about to spiral over the edge.
I take a step closer, touching her arm and forcing her to look at me. “Hey, it’s okay. Breathe.”
She does as I say, taking a few deep breaths in through her nose, and I rub my hand up and down her arm, soothingly.
“Logan saw me one night, with…him.” I can tell by the look in her eyes that the man she’s talking about is not being named for a reason. I’m sure I don’t know him. I don’t know anyone in this city. But there’s got to be a reason she’s not telling me, so I decide not to question her.
“Logan confronted me the very next day, and I confessed. Told him we were together and that it was all new and, because of everything with his soon-to-be ex-wife, we needed to keep it under wraps. This wasbeforeI found out the truth.” Hannah grins through her despondence. “Logan’s a really good listener.”
I can’t help but smile because she’s right. Logan’s the best listener.
“When I found out the truth abouthim…” Another knowing look. “I was a mess. I had no one. And I called Logan because I was stranded, and he came to get me without me even asking him to.” She smiles again, even despite the tears glistening in her eyes. “He brought me back to his apartment, gave me his jersey to sleep in, fed me, made me hot chocolate…” With a suddenly wry smirk she holds up a hand. “Forewarning—it’s thismoon milkstuff, and he drinks it every night but it’s fucking disgusting. If he ever offers it to you, do yourself a favor and say hell no.”
I can’t help but laugh at that because I’ve seen the box of Moon Milk sitting on the countertop next to the coffee machine.
With a sniffle, Hannah smiles, wiping her damp cheeks with the back of her hand. “That was the night before you were due to fly out here to visit him. After everything that happened, Logan sat up with me, and he tried to get me to talk to him, but… I just wasn’t ready to talk. So, instead,hetalked. About you. Forhours.” She emphasizes the word, her eyes bugging, and I can’t help but laugh again. “Like, for so long, I’m pretty sure I ended up falling asleep. No offense.”
“None taken.” I press my lips together, biting back a smile.
“The next morning, I was just about to get dressed and order an Uber when there was a knock on the door and—” She indicates me.
“It was me,” I whisper, suddenly taken back to that exact moment and hating myself a little. The way I looked at her,glaredat her, standing there with her bed hair, wearing Logan’s jersey like some puck bunny. And literally hours after findingout the man she was seeing was a dirty, rotten, cheating son of a bitch, that she was the other woman by default. I feel sick. “I’m—God, I’m so sorry, Hannah.”
Hannah shakes her head. “No. Don’t say sorry. I get it. It looked…bad. I absolutely would have reacted the exact same way. In fact, I probably would’ve thrown something.” She looks away in thought for a moment, brows drawn together. “I guess I’m kind of like my father that way.”
I smile, looking her up and down. “And what about… theguy?”
Hannah’s face pales. “No one can find out, Millie.Ever.” She shakes her head vehemently, eyes wide, full of fear and fresh tears as she looks at me. “The only people who know are him, me, and Logan. God, if his wife ever—” An unexpected sob bubbles its way up the back of her throat, and she covers her mouth with her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I fucking hate myself.”
“Hey!” I place the food bags onto the ground, hesitating before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close. She comes willingly, her arms holding me just as tight as she cries into the crook of my neck. “It isnotyour fault.”
“I should have known!” she cries, pulling away enough to meet my eyes. “I was too fucking dumb to see it for what it really was. I’msostupid. I always have been.”
“No, you’renot,” I say firmly, imploring her with a steady gaze. “Don’t say that.”
