Page 7

Chapter Seven

I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, I ended up back at Liam’s for the second night in a row, looking far worse for wear after another emotionally traumatizing day.

Something inside me had broken, shattering whatever delusional hope I’d been clinging to about the possibility of Dave and me getting back together.

I’d been stupid to think he would regret it. To think we’d be fine once we saw each other again. I went in with hope in my heart and a grand speech prepared until I saw him.

And her.

In our bed, sleeping.

I nearly threw up.

And what’s worse? He didn’t even know I was there. The two of them slept through the whole thing, even though the sound of my heart shattering should’ve been loud enough to wake the neighborhood.

With tears streaming down my face, I took off, not bothering to grab any of my stuff. All I wanted was to get out of there as fast as humanly possible and never go back.

I sat in my car, sobbing, my heart threatening to burst free from the chest that caged it, while I called the only person I could. At once, Maggie swooped in with a plan. Which is how I ended up calling out of work, driving to her house, and crying on her couch while we watched romcoms all day.

She didn’t try to offer me any advice or words of comfort. She knew I wasn’t ready for that yet. Instead, we sat in comfortable silence as the September sky turned to night, and I realized that I really needed a plan now that everything between Dave and me was officially dead.

“Thank you so much for today, Maggie.” I looked over at her from where she sat beside me on the couch, frowning down at her phone as she typed away. “I think I should probably head out now.”

Her head snapped up in concern, “What? Where are you going?”

“As much as it sucks,” I said, heaving a huge sigh. “I think I just have to go to my mom’s.”

“No way, Cass,” she said in a tone of absolute finality, reminding me of her older brother. “You’re not going back there.”

“Well, I can’t exactly stay here.” I forced out a laugh, looking around at her small, cramped apartment that was already filled with her mom’s bags. “Shouldn’t your mom be here soon, anyway?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Maggie shook her head. “She’ll love you.”

“And I love you for offering, but there’s no way the three of us can live here in this space for any prolonged amount of time without going crazy,” I said honestly. “And besides, I’m used to my mom. It’s nothing I haven’t already lived through. It’s not like I have any other options.”

“Well,” she said, biting her lip as she looked down at her phone and back up at me. “That’s not necessarily true.”

I raised a brow, inviting her to continue.

“Liam told me to bring you back there.”

“What?” I choked out incredulously. “Why would he say that?”

Maggie snorted and shrugged. “I honestly couldn’t tell you.”

“No way.” I shook my head. “I’m not invading his space like that. He already told me he prefers living alone.”

“I know my brother, ,” Maggie said, her green eyes that looked so much like her brother’s locking onto mine. “He wouldn’t offer it if he didn’t mean it.”

I groaned in frustration, covering my eyes from the cruel reality in front of me. There was no easy solution to this problem. No matter where I went, I’d be a burden to someone.

“Come on, Cass,” she coaxed, pulling my hands away from my face. “It’s not forever. I’ll help you look for apartments every day.”

“Rooms,” I corrected. “I need to rent a room. There’s no apartment in this city I can afford on my own.”

“Right,” she amended. “We’ll find you the cutest little place with the nicest roommate we can find. Okay?”

I twirled a loose piece of hair, mulling over the options in front of me. I hadn’t lived with my mom for six years, and going back would be torture. Not to mention, it would be me trying to take care of her when I wasn’t even sure I was capable of taking care of myself right then.

If Liam was offering, it would mean my own space. I could keep out of his way, out of sight, and out of mind.

“Okay,” I agreed with an exhale.

It might not be the best option, but it was definitely the most comfortable. And if he was offering, it must mean he didn’t entirely hate me.

“Good,” Maggie said, grinning at me, “because I get the feeling Liam would’ve been pissed if he got home and found out that I didn’t bring you over. He’s bossy like that. First child syndrome, you know?”

And that’s how I found myself on his couch instead of Maggie’s, curled up in the near dark of his apartment, where the only light came from the muted glow of the TV and the city’s neon reflections streaming through the massive arched windows.

“What am I going to do, Mags?” I groaned in exasperation. “My life is like a cosmic joke from the universe. My boyfriend dumped me. I’m staying at your brother’s house, a guy I don’t even know, and I have no idea what I’m going to do next. I don’t even have any of my stuff.”

“One step at a time,” Maggie said, sitting beside me, partially for moral support but mostly because I was nervous to be alone in her brother’s house. “I’ll get your stuff tomorrow and drop it here while you’re at work. And like I said, we’ll find the perfect place for you. Okay?”

“Thanks, Mags,” I said, feeling a few pieces of my heart slip back into place at the way she was absolutely rearranging her life to help me out. She and her brother. “Where is Liam anyway?”

I bit my lip nervously, feeling like our next meeting would be too awkward to handle. I’d left this morning confident that it was the last of his generosity I’d have to take, only to be back on his couch the very same night.

“At practice,” she explained, throwing popcorn in her mouth, distracted by the episode of Friends we were watching.

“Practice for what?”

“Hockey,” she responded immediately, eyes still glued to the TV.

“What, is he in a community league or something?”

Maggie’s head snapped toward me, looking over in bewilderment before she burst into a fit of giggles.

“What?” she asked through laughter.

“What?” I echoed, confused about where the humor was in my question.

“Did you just ask if my brother, Liam Brynn, played community hockey?” Her laughter only grew as tears formed in her eyes.

I stared at her blankly, not really sure how to respond when I was clearly missing some important context.

“!” She gasped, startled when she realized I was completely out of the loop of whatever she thought I should know. “Are you serious right now?”

“Uh.” I stared at her guiltily, “yeah?”

“Liam plays center for the Harbor Wolves,” she said slowly as if talking through something with a small child. “I thought you knew.”

My face paled, and my eyes looked over the apartment in a new light. All those comments I’d made about how into hockey he was rang in my mind. Humiliation washed through me in waves.

“No, no, no.” I groaned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you knew! Why do you think I invited you to all those hockey games?”

“We live in the city! Everyone goes to the Harbor Wolves games!” I said, frantically searching the cushions for my phone.

“This is too good.” Maggie snorted. “What are you doing?”

“Googling your brother!” I screeched as my thumbs typed his name into the search engine.

Sure enough, his face came up instantly. Pictures of him on the ice, in the locker room. Always decked out in the Harbor Wolves uniform and hockey gear. I couldn’t believe it.

Stunned, I scrolled helplessly until articles were popping up about him, showing that not only was he a famous hockey player but apparently a highly sought-after one by women everywhere.

I could’ve guessed the latter just by looking at him. With his dark hair, tall stature, and those green eyes that felt borderline inappropriate to swoon over, considering Maggie had the same ones, I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone more attractive.

But the hockey thing? That was definitely news to me.

“No wonder he likes his privacy!” I shouted. “He probably thinks I’m some crazy fan who’s trying to spy on him or something!”

“What…” Maggie said in a feigned voice, “Noooo.”

I raised my brow at her, fixing her with a stare.

“Okay, yes.” She sighed, coming clean. “That was the reason for his initial hesitation, but I wasn’t lying tonight. He really did want you to come back. Insisted on it, in fact.”

I found it hard to believe but didn’t say anything. I knew there was some element of him feeling sorry for me at play, but since I didn’t have any other viable options, it wasn’t worth talking about.

The night drew on, and nine o’clock turned to ten when Maggie stood to leave, asking if I’d be okay on my own. I assured her I would. I had my Friends with me, after all. She smiled and told me she’d see me tomorrow and left.

Somewhere between episodes, I drifted off to sleep, right there on the couch, looking out at the comforting city lights that reminded me I wasn’t entirely alone in the world.