by Tara Hart
But that’s not how I remember it. That’s not how our story began at all.
Eight years earlier
Seattle was never where I saw myself—not in the long term. I was from Portland. I enjoyed the small town feel of a city that boasted little more than a million people. My father always told me, you should live in a city with the same amount of people as dollars in your bank account.
I moved to Seattle for business and thought I’d stay for five years max. The best-laid plans rarely turn out as you imagine.
In the beginning, it was hard. I had barely any friends and I wasn’t good at making them. Every interaction I had, I treated as a business transaction. I wasn’t deep, not back then. Especially in a city like Seattle, it felt like everyone knew everyone and if you hadn’t already formed part of a social circle, it was too late.
When Shaun followed me to Seattle a year later, it helped me come out of my shell. He was always getting invited to parties and when we weren’t drinking, we were eating at the latest restaurants or meeting at the trendiest coffee shops. There’s one thing Seattle does well, and that’s coffee.
It was the eve of summer, you could feel it was coming, the mood of the whole city had changed. The air smelled different. The scent of flowers and coffee forming a new scent that I referred to as Seattle Spring. You could tell the temperature was heating up for two reasons. The first was that everyone was drinking beer, even during the day and second, the chicks of Seattle were wearing fewer clothes than usual. The coats and scarves had been shelved for another year, now it was all short shorts and flip-flops.
It was a Friday evening and Shaun had scored us exclusive invites to a rooftop party in the city. I knew it was going to be one of those entirely pretentious parties with fairy lights and vertical gardens, but I forced myself to go. I didn’t do hipster well, but I’d been to enough venues to predict the crowd that would be in attendance.
I was happy to leave my office and be out of the house. I just closed a big deal with a tech startup and needed to let loose, even if it was in the presence of some wannabe social media celebrities.
The rooftop party was being hosted by one of the most famous socialites in town. She featured in all of the gossip magazines, but if you asked me her name, I couldn’t tell you.
It was one of those nights where the beer tasted that little bit better because of the heat. The fairy lights lit up the night and the warm air surrounding the party smelled like a summer salad of strawberries and pineapple. I’ve never been one for fruity drinks, but the smell of strawberry had me hankering for a daiquiri.
“Dude,” Sean shouted as soon as he saw me. He clapped me on the back, causing me to jolt upright.
“What’s up, man?” I asked.
He smiled wide. “I’ve been here all afternoon. Thought you weren’t going to make it. Let me get you a drink,” he said, ignoring the beer that I held in my hand.
I could tell he’d already had a few too many, and I didn’t need another drink, but I followed him anyway. After all, he was the only person in attendance that I knew.
Shaun was dressed in the most hideous shorts I’d ever seen. Bright blue pineapples littered across them as if they were an arts and craft project. In comparison, he made my dark blue jeans and black T-shirt look boring. Maybe I was dressed a bit stiff, but wearing color had never been my thing. I was a black, white and grey kind of guy, which usually suited my mood.
We walked over to the makeshift bar in the corner of the decked out space.
“Beer, please,” Shaun instructed.
The bartender handed me a cold one, uncapping it while I held the bottle for him.
“Cheers.” I nodded.
Sean hit me in the gut. “Jared, check her out.”
He gestured toward a tall leggy blonde sitting on a bar stool facing the city.
“Nice.” I nodded my approval, but it was the woman sitting next to her that caught my eye.
She was chatting to the blonde, her face lighting up as they talked animatedly, using her hands to emphasize her point. Her long brown hair was worn straight, her face painted with subtle hints of makeup. She dressed in short daisy dukes and a plaid shirt, showing just the right amount of cleavage.
I was mesmerized. Without sounding like a chump from a terrible nineties comedy, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
The blonde must have made a joke because the brunette flicked her hair over her shoulder as she laughed, revealing her perfect smile.
Her eyes traveled around the rooftop before settling on me.
It was a moment—our moment. I knew I hadn’t imagined it, she was looking at me too. Her cheeks now crimson, even in the dimly lit space I could see her cheeks glowing.
“Who you looking at, bro?” Sean bumped into me.
I’d forgotten he was still standing there. I was so caught up in the moment.
“The blonde?” he prodded. “You should go over there.”
I took a swig of my drink, for the first time, breaking my gaze away from Daisy Duke.
“What?” I questioned.
“Go over there,” Sean repeated. “Just drop your name and she’ll lift her skirt for you.”
I grimaced. He thought I was checking out the blonde, either way, I didn’t want to be that guy. I had never been a player, not even in my college years. My mom raised me better than that and I knew how to treat a woman right.
I watched as the blonde walked away, leaving the brunette by herself. I don’t know if it was the beer or the pressing need to get away from Shaun, but my legs were moving and before I knew it, I was standing behind her like a legit stalker.
“Hi,” I said, my voice all of a sudden croaky.
I took a swig of beer and swished it in my mouth.
“Hi,” I said once more.
She swiveled around on her stool until she was looking at me. Her hair framed her face perfectly. She was even more beautiful up close.
“Are you here alone?” I asked like it wasn’t the worst pick-up line ever.
She laughed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Her laugh was soft and sweet, and I detected the slightest bit of flirtation.
“I’m here with friends.” She pointed toward a group of girls a few feet away.
I looked in their direction, but I wasn’t seeing any of their faces, everything was a blur at that moment. All I could see was the girl sitting before me.
“Are you here alone?” she asked in return.
She smiled as she waited for me to answer, but I couldn’t form a sentence. She made me nervous. Chicks never made me nervous.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Do you want me to get you a glass of water?”
I shook the fogginess from my brain. “No,” I croaked. “I’m here with a friend.”
She nodded to be polite.
“Are you new to Seattle?” she asked.
It must have been obvious.
“I’m from Portland. I’ve been here for a year,” I said. “It still feels new.”
“How are you liking it?” she asked, seeming genuinely interested in hearing my response. This chick was cool, she had substance which I liked.
“I miss home,” I told her honestly.
She looked annoyed like I offended her.
“I didn’t mean that it’s a bad place, I just...” I started apologetically.
She laughed again—that same intoxicating laugh.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” She smiled.
I took a long mouthful of beer, hoping it would calm my nerves.
“What do you do for a living?” I asked because I’m good at small talk—real good.
“I run a gallery in the city,” she said. “Paintings and sculptures mainly. Some photography too.”
It suited her to a tee. I could imagine her admiring paintings while everyone else admired her.
“What do you do here in Seattle?” she asked.
I hesitated because when you
first meet someone you don’t want them to see you as a walking, talking dollar sign.
“I own a small business,” I told her. “Nothing too exciting.”
It was a white lie that I hoped to correct later if she agreed to see me again. That was a big if.
“Well, I’m sure it’s exciting for you. After all, you spend the majority of your time at work. You should love what you do.”
I nodded my head, agreeing with her. She was charming. Everything she said had an underlying tone of sass and kindness.
She looked toward her friends, her eyes trailing over to the group of tall, mini skirt clad women. She looked different to them. They looked like posers and she didn’t look nearly as polished.
“I better get back to my friends,” she said. “But it was really nice to meet you.” She ended the statement with a giggle as if to say it was anything but nice. In fact, I’m sure she thought it was the most awkward encounter ever.
She held out her hand for me to shake. I waited for an awfully long time before taking it. Her skin was soft and her fingers felt warm against mine.
She pulled her hand out of my grasp before I was ready to let her go.
“Bye.” She stood from her seat and brushed past me, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she walked. She smelled like cherries.
“Wait,” I said a little too loudly, causing her to turn around immediately. I was creeping her out, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I’d been in Seattle for a little over a year and I hadn’t met one girl who remotely sparked my interest until now.
“I don’t even know your name,” I said, my tone only slightly desperate.
Her expression softened instantly, a slight smirk settling on her plump, pink lips.
She held her left hand in the air, waving her fingers around in my line of vision, but I didn’t immediately understand her meaning.
“I’m engaged,” she said finally, pointing to the large rock on her finger.
She shrugged, her lips set in a line. She turned around and walked over to her friends. I watched her for a moment longer, settled in a delirious daze.
And after that, she was gone.
She looks stunned, her cheeks flushed as if she’s embarrassed.
“How do you even remember that?” Savannah asks, her smile reaching her eyes. “I haven’t thought about that in years.”
I rub my palms against the outside of my thighs, my skin suddenly clammy. Remembering that night always brings my emotions brimming to the surface, thinking about what could have been.
“Jared that was so many years ago,” she says while shaking her head. “So much has happened since then.”
“Not for me.” My voice breaks. “I think about that night more often than I care to admit.”
She tilts her head, she’s intrigued. “Why?”
It’s this naive kind of trait that irritates me about Savannah. How could someone so smart be so completely and utterly clueless?
I shuffle myself up the bed, sitting with my back against the wall. Our feet touch and the soft feel of her skin against mine causes me to smile.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” I shake my head. “I wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you. I wanted you to be mine after the first time I spoke with you, but you were taken and I knew I would spend the rest of my life wondering what it would be like to make you mine.”
She stops moving, the smile that was upon her lips now replaced by a frown. It’s as if I’m looking at a still-life photo. I hear my blood whooshing through my veins as I stare at her. Even now she makes my heart rate intensify.
“Then why…” She looks down at her hands that she laces together, the same way she does every time she gets nervous. “Then why did you go home with her?”
Chapter 21
“Then why did you go home with her?”
It’s a question and an accusation all in one. She wants to know the answer to the question that I’ve asked myself every day for eight years.
At first, I loved Selina and that’s why I married her, but the real sparks were with Savannah. I was certain she didn’t feel the same way.
The romance with Selina fizzled and it became something else—a relationship of convenience.
“Answer me, Jared.” Savannah brings my attention back to her. “If you were so struck by me that night, why did you go home with Selina?”
Until now, I thought Savannah knew the truth, but obviously, she doesn’t have a clue.
The real story is complicated.
Eight Years Earlier
I sat on a stool looking out to the city. The view was wasted on me, wallowing in my own self-pity. The brunette had rejected me and it knocked me for a six. The only chick to pique my interest in months and she was taken.
I swirled the straw in my daiquiri before sucking up another mouthful.
“You’re on the hard stuff?” Shaun seemed amused by my drink of choice.
I grunted because that’s the only response I could form.
Shaun pulled up a pew, exhaling as he sat by my side. “What happened with the brunette?”
He’d been watching us talk. Of course, he had. Shaun was observant if nothing else.
“Nothing. She wasn’t interested.”
“Too bad, man.” Sean clapped me on the back.
Downing the rest of my drink in one long gulp, I placed the glass on the narrow wooden table. There was a small candle in a glass canister, flickering every other second. I licked my thumb and forefinger and extinguished the flame in one second flat. I wasn’t in the mood for romantic candlelight.
I moved from my stool, swaying slightly as I walked.
“I’m outta here, man.”
Shaun moved a hand to try and steady me, but I shrugged him off. “You all good, dude?”
I was many things, but a pussy wasn’t one of them. I knew how to hold my drink and put myself to bed. I relied on no one.
“I’m cool.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
If I was being honest with myself, I was trashed. Mixing beer with spirits hadn’t helped my cause.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, man,” I told Sean.
When I turned and headed for the door, I made sure I didn’t stumble. I walked confidently and with purpose, long strides got me to the door fast and when I swung it open, the short wait for the elevator was my only other obstacle.
Thank goodness the building wasn’t a walk up because that would have proven difficult in my state.
There was one other person waiting for the lift, a brunette dressed in all black with bright red stilettos. I stood behind her, leaving enough room between us to not come across as creepy.
The elevator chimed and I waited for red shoes to enter before me. I was a gentleman if nothing else.
She turned around to look at me, her red lips curving into a smile as she offered me a courteous nod.
I stumbled. Not from the alcohol, but from the sight of her standing before me.
I furrowed my brow in confusion. “You changed your clothes.”
“Excuse me?” She screwed up her nose.
The doors began to slide, but red shoes stepped forward, stopping the doors from shutting me out.
“Are you getting in or what?” she asked, her arm pushing the doors apart.
I nodded my head as I stepped inside the, making sure I left some space between us. I swallowed roughly as I waited for the ride to be over. Who knew descending twenty floors could take so long, but being contained in a small space with someone you found uber attractive made the ride seem endless.
I was breathing heavily and I was aware of it, which made me breathe even heavier.
“What did you mean,” she asked, the subtle smirk still on her lips. “That I’ve changed my clothes?”
“You changed what you were wearing,” I said without looking at her.
She scoffed. “No, I didn’t.”
I turned my body to look at her just as the doors started to slid
e open.
She held my gaze with little effort.
I was sure it was the same girl. Positive. I would remember those green eyes for months after tonight, no matter how much I’d had to drink.
“Don’t be coy,” I said. “I know it’s you.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy. We’ve never met.”
She turned her back on me, her hair whipping through the air as if she were in a shampoo commercial.
“Besides.” She peered over her shoulder. “That’s the worst pick up line ever.”
I stifled a laugh and looked to the ground. She was sassy that’s for sure.
I walked straight past her, out of the elevator and onto the street. The cars sped past as I searched the road for a free taxi.
I heard her heels crunch the concrete behind me, but I pretended I didn’t hear her approach. It took two of her steps to equal one of mine.
She tugged on my arm gently and when I looked down at her she was standing adorably with her hands on her hips.
“I was talking to you,” she said. “You don’t have to be such a dick.”
I scoffed. “I’m a dick? You’re the one who’s pretending we’ve never met.”
I pulled away from her, holding my arm out to catch the attention of a vacant cab. He slammed on his brakes just in time. I opened the door and looked behind me. Red shoes was still standing at the curb, looking lost. What kind of gentleman would I be to leave her standing there alone?
“You want this cab?” I shouted at her.
She still had her hands on her hips, but her expression had softened.
She walked over slowly, making me and the cab wait.
“Hurry up,” the driver grunted from the front seat.
I dug my hand in my pocket and pulled out a twenty.
“Wait.” I threw the note into the front seat. He crunched the bill as he folded it in two and shoved it into his pocket. That would shut him up for a few more minutes.
