Page 3 of Versions Of Us

He pushes a scotch on the rocks down the bar in my direction. “On the house.”

“Thanks, Dylan.”

I swirl the glass, gazing into the amber-coloured liquid, watching as golden hues bounce off the clear-cut glass under the tavern’s overhead lights.

Old Tommy, the town drunk, sits hunched over at the other end of the bar. I hear Dylan tell him it’s time to call it a night and quite frankly, I’m surprised he’s made it this late before being refused service.

Dylan treats him with kindness and respect, and I admire him for that. Henley used to take a much more aggressive approach to Old Tommy.

I silently reprimand myself for allowing him to circulate in my thought process yet again. No matter what I do, everything seems to revolve back to him.

Alex Henley.

The guy whose absence has left a hollowness between my ribs, an ache that burns in my lungs. Every moment spent with him that graces my memory hurts, serving only as reminders that the life we could have had together will never be.

We used to run this town. And now I hate how empty it feels without him in it.

I’ve spent months searching for a distraction, anything to take my mind off his abandonment. But the human mind is a twisted thing, and sometimes we long for nothing but the one thing we can’t have.

Even if it’s the very thing that’s hurt us.

I wish I didn’t miss his stubborn, overprotective personality. I wish my thoughts weren’t constantly led to wonder about his whereabouts and what he might be doing. But most of all, I wish I knew the truth about why he up and left this town with no real explanation.

And why he leftme.

Because the truth is, he doesn’t deserve any of my longing. He isn’t worthy of the way my heart flutters foolishly when I hear his name. He doesn’t deserve me, and he sure didn’t deserve the patience I wasted waiting for him to become the version of himself that I needed him to be.

I throw the glass back and down the bittersweet liquid, feeling the flare of warmth it sends through me, like a fireball igniting from within.

I haven’t always been this self-assured. His leaving broke me in a new way. I’d wallowed in self-pity for a while. Screamed and cried at the unfairness of it all, reduced to a pathetic puddle of caramel honey macadamia ice-cream on his kitchen floor.

But enough is enough.

I can’t live like this anymore.

I slam the glass back down on the bar and it lands with a loud clunk.

Alex Henley doesn’t get to destroy me. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

And heaven help him if I ever lay eyes on him again.

Chapter 1

KRISTEN

“You what?” I stare dumbfounded, wondering if – and if I’m being honest with myself, hoping – I’ve heard correctly.

“We’re engaged?” Liv replies. There’s a question within her tone, although there’s no mistaking the glint of joy in her eyes.

“You guys are getting married?” I’m genuinely excited as I gape in awe upon my two best friends.

Liv nods, hesitantly at first, as though unsure of whether her announcement will be met with positivity. But when she sees the smile spread across my face, her evident excitement is irrepressible. She holds out her left hand to me, her ring finger adorned with a single elegant diamond on a dainty gold band. It’s beautiful, simple. It’s the embodiment of Liv herself. It glistens as the dim tavern lights catch on it.

“Oh my god! It’s gorgeous!” I gush.

“It’s a little big but we’re going to see the jeweller in Little Bay tomorrow about having it resized.”

Liv retracts her hand, not taking her eyes from the ring until EJ’s hand reaches up to cup her cheek. Her head swivels in his direction and he lays a kiss on her lips.

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