Chapter 2 2. The Morning After

The alarm clock buzzed, slicing through the comfortable haze of sleep like a blade.

Hazel's eyes snapped open, her body tangled in sheets that definitely did not belong to her. It was far more expensive than anything she owned. For a long, disorienting moment, she had no idea where she was. Then the memories of the previous night came crashing back.

Max's bored voice, "I never loved you. You were convenient."

Then the stranger's deep voice, darker eyes, hands on her waist, his mouth on her throat and the way he'd whispered ‘babygirl’ like she was something precious instead of something broken.

"Oh, God!"

Carefully, she turned her head, afraid of what she'd find. He was still asleep beside her, the soft morning light filtering through a gap in the curtains, casting sharp angles across his face. In sleep, he looked younger, almost boyish, nothing like the commanding presence from last night who had pinned her against the bed and taken her apart until she forgot her own name.

A stranger.

One-night stand.

The realization settled in her chest like a weight, pressing down until she could barely breathe. What was she thinking? Panic clawed up her throat. She never did things like this. She didn't go home with strangers from bars. She didn't let men she'd known for four hours take her apart on hotel sheets.

But after three years of being used, after watching the man she loved collapse into someone else without a shred of remorse, she had wanted one night where she could feel something other than the gaping hole in her chest and last night, this man had made her feel like maybe the pieces could fit back together. 

She needed to leave. She couldn't be here when he woke up and faced the awkward morning-after conversation, the polite exchange of numbers when neither of them would call.

Hazel slipped out of bed in silence and scanned the floor, spotting her dress crumpled near the window. Her underwear was tangled somewhere near the foot of the bed. She gathered everything in her arms, not bothering to sort through it, her eyes never leaving the rise and fall of his chest.

She wore her clothes and paused at the door, her hand on the handle. She was leaving without a goodbye. They hadn't done much talking last night either. That was the point. He hadn't moved. The sheets had slipped lower on his hips, revealing the hard line of his back, the muscles she'd traced with her fingers last night. 

Exhaling a sigh, she silently slipped into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind her with a soft click. She leaned against the wall, her heart pounding so hard she was sure someone would hear it. The hallway was empty, lined with doors that probably cost more than her monthly rent.

She didn't put her heels on until she was inside the elevator, the doors safely closed between her and the mess she'd made of her life. 

"Last night didn't happen," she whispered to her reflection in the elevator's mirrored walls.

But it happened and she had no idea how much it was about to change her life.

Hazel collapsed into the back seat of her cab, giving her address to the driver. Her body ached in places she hadn't known could ache. Every movement reminded her of him. 

Letting out a sigh, she pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Maya. It rang twice before her best friend picked up, her voice thick with sleep. "This better be an emergency."

"It is." Hazel pressed her palm against her forehead.

"You sound like someone just ran over your cat." Maya's voice was groggy but sharp. 

"I think I just ruined my life."

Maya's tone shifted immediately. "What happened? Are you okay?”

"Max cheated on me. With Alex." The words tasted like ash in her mouth.

"What?" The silence on the other end stretched for three heartbeats. "I'm going to kill him. I'm…”

"I walked in on them last night and he didn't even care. I went to surprise him after his promotion. He told me he never loved me and I was just convenient. He…”

"Oh, Hazel." Maya's voice softened completely. "I'm so sorry. Where are you? I'll come get you. We'll get drunk and watch terrible movies and…”

Hazel squeezed her eyes shut. "That's the thing. I already got drunk and I think I made a terrible mistake."

"What do you mean?"

Hazel told her about the stranger who appeared beside her out of nowhere, the drinks he bought her and the dance. “And then..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"You slept with him," she completed and it wasn’t even a question.

"Yes." The word came out small. "I don't even know him, Maya. I don't know his name or what he does or if he's married. He could be dangerous or complete psychopath. I just…”

"Was there a ring?"

"What?"

"On his finger. Was there a ring?"

Hazel thought about it. “No."

Maya was quiet for a long moment. "Was he good to you at least? And was he hot?"

Hazel couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "Maya."

"I'm serious. If you're going to have a one-night stand after catching your fiancé with his best friend, the guy better have been worth it."

Hazel's face flushed. She thought about the way he'd whispered ‘beautiful’ against her skin. "Yes," she admitted. "He was."

"Then stop beating yourself up." Maya's voice hardened with conviction. "Max used you for three years. You had one night to forget what that bastard did to you. That doesn't make you a bad person.”

"I never do things like this." Hazel pressed her fingers to her eyes. 

"I know." Maya's voice gentled. "That's why you needed to.”

"You don't think I'm stupid?"

"I think you're heartbroken and you're being way too hard on yourself. Now get home, take a shower and pretend last night never happened. You don't have to see him again." 

Hazel nodded, even though Maya couldn't see her. "Right.” She checked the time on her phone and her stomach dropped. "I'm late for work."

"And Hazel?" Maya's voice hardened. "Fuck Max. He never deserved you."

“Yeah!” 

"I love you. It's going to be okay."

She ended the call just as the cab pulled up to her building. She paid the driver and climbed out. Hazel kicked off her heels and started stripping off last night's dress. She stood under the shower longer than necessary, letting the hot water pound against her.

But she couldn't wash away the beautiful memory of last night.

Hazel pulled on a crisp white blouse and a navy pencil skirt. She applied minimal makeup and twisted her hair into a bun. For a moment, she looked almost normal like the Hazel from two days ago, the one who believed she was about to marry the love of her life.

Sigh!

She grabbed her work bag, checked for her things and pulled the apartment door open where Mrs. Patterson stood, one hand raised to knock.

Hazel stumbled back a step. "Mrs. Patterson. You scared me."

Her landlady was a stout woman in her sixties.

"Hazel." Her smile was thin. "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

"I'm running late for work, actually. Can we…"

"This will only take a moment." The older woman pulled an envelope. "I've been trying to reach you for three days. I received your notice about vacating the apartment at the end of the month. I just need confirmation on the exact date so I can schedule the cleaning crew."

Panic flickered in Hazel's chest. She'd been avoiding calls, too wrapped up in planning the wedding she didn't know wasn't happening. "I'm sorry?" she heard herself say.

Mrs. Patterson's brow furrowed. "The notice you gave me. You're moving out at the end of the month. I assumed you'd already found somewhere else to go, what with the wedding coming up." She paused. "The wedding is still happening, isn't it?"

Hazel's fingers tightened around her bag strap until her knuckles went white. She had given up this apartment because she was supposed to be someone's wife. She had packed boxes, sorted through fifteen years of memories, told her landlord she was leaving and now she had nowhere to go.

"No," she said finally. Her voice sounded very far away. "The wedding isn't happening."

Mrs. Patterson's expression flickered. For a moment, something that might have been sympathy crossed her face. But she was a practical woman and practical women didn't let sentiment get in the way of business.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But the notice stands, Hazel. I've already lined up new tenants for the first of next month. You'll need to be out by the thirty-first. That gives you five days."

"Five days?" Hazel's voice cracked. "I… I need more time. Please. I just found out about… I don't have anywhere to…"

"That's not my problem, Hazel. The paperwork. I need it signed by tomorrow and the keys by Friday evening. I'm sorry about your wedding," Mrs. Patterson added, not sounding sorry at all. "But business is business."

"I understand," she managed.

Mrs. Patterson nodded once. "I'll leave you to it, then. Good luck, Hazel."

She turned and walked down the hallway. Hazel watched her go, frozen in her own doorway. She looked down at the envelope in her hands and felt the last thread of control slip through her fingers. She had been so sure that her life was finally beginning. Now she had no fiancé, no home and no plan.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the doorframe. She had no idea what came next and for the first time in her life, Hazel Thomas had absolutely nothing to hold on to. The silence wrapped around her like a shroud.