Ava stared at Claire's name for a long moment before she finally allowed herself to reply. Her fingers felt heavier than they should have, like even typing required more strength than she currently possessed.
Ava: I'm so sorry for replying late. Yesterday got a little overwhelming and I wasn't really on my phone.
She reread the message three times before sending it. It was neutral and harmless, It didn't reveal the way her head still felt foggy or how her body ached in unfamiliar places.
The reply came faster than she expected.
Claire: Oh thank God. I thought maybe I'd done something wrong.
Ava frowned slightly. Wrong?
Ava: Why would you think that?
A few seconds passed before a reply came in
Claire: I don't know. You left kind of suddenly last night. I thought maybe you were upset or something.
Ava swallowed. She hadn't even said goodbye properly. One minute she had been at Liam's place, trying to convince herself everything felt normal. The next minute Claire had walked in, bright smile, easy familiarity, and Ava's chest had tightened so sharply she couldn't breathe.
She had left because she needed air. That was all.
At least, that was what she told herself.
Ava: No, I wasn't upset. I just wasn't feeling great.
That part wasn't entirely a lie.
Claire: Okay. I was worried.
Ava didn't know what to say to that. Claire being worried about her felt strange. New.
Then another message came through.
Claire: Actually, I wanted to ask you something.
Ava leaned back into her couch cushions, staring at the ceiling as if it could somehow prepare her for whatever was coming next.
Ava: What's up?
There was a short pause before Claire replied.
Claire: Liam's birthday is coming up. I want to get him something meaningful. Since you've known him forever, I thought maybe you'd have an idea?
The words settled heavily in Ava's chest.
His birthday, of course, how could she forget?
She closed her eyes briefly. She knew what he liked. She knew the stupid little things he pretended didn't matter but secretly cherished. She knew the songs that still made him nostalgic, the hoodie he refused to throw away, the way he collected random trinkets from places that meant something to him.She knew him.
And suddenly that knowledge felt like something she wasn't entitled to anymore.
Ava: That's… nice of you.
It was all she could manage at first.
Claire: I just want it to be special. Something he'll remember.
Ava's throat tightened.He'll remember.
She typed slowly.
Ava: I'll think about it and get back to you.
Claire: Thank you. Really. It means a lot.
Ava placed her phone face-down on the coffee table and exhaled slowly.
Her mind was already spinning. The hotel room. The stranger. The weight of everything she couldn't quite piece together. And now this??
She picked up her phone again before she could overthink it and opened Liam's chat.
Two missed calls from last night.
One message.
Liam: Did you get home okay?
Her chest softened at that. It was so simple. So him, then she typed.
Ava: Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry I didn't answer. I wasn't really checking my phone.
He responded almost immediately.
Liam: I tried calling twice. Where was your phone?
Ava stared at the question, her stomach tightening. On a nightstand in a hotel room she didn't recognize.She swallowed.
Ava: In my bag, I guess. I didn't hear it.
There was a pause before his next message came in.
Liam: You sure you're okay?
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Was she? Her body still felt unfamiliar. Her thoughts fragmented. The memory of waking up beside someone whose name she barely knew.
Ava: Yeah. I'm good.
Three dots appeared again.
Liam: Claire texted you, right?
Her brows furrowed.
Ava: Yeah. She did.
A few seconds passed.
Liam: She asked me for your number a few days ago. Said she wanted to talk to you about something. I gave it to her. I hope that's okay.
There it was, a small, quiet shift.He hadn't told her before.He hadn't thought to.
And that shouldn't hurt. It shouldn't mean anything. Claire was his girlfriend.
But something about the casualness of it made Ava's chest ache.
Ava: It's fine. I don't mind.
She stared at the message after sending it, wondering why the word fine had become her default shield.
Liam: Okay. I just didn't want you thinking I was giving out your number randomly.
Ava let out a small breath. He still cared what she thought.That made it worse.
They exchanged a few more neutral messages—about nothing important, about how he had stayed up late after she left, about how Claire had been excited about something she wouldn't reveal.
Eventually, Ava ended the conversation.
Ava: I should go shower. I'll talk to you later.
She didn't wait for his reply.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
And with nothing else to distract her, the memories began to return.
The bar had been louder than she remembered.
The lights blurred into streaks of color, music vibrating through her chest as if it was trying to shake something loose inside her. She had gone there because she didn't want to think. Because sitting alone in her apartment after leaving Liam's place had felt unbearable.
She had ordered something strong. Then something stronger.
She remembered laughing at something the bartender said, even though she couldn't recall the joke.
And then—
A shadow fell across the counter.
She had looked up slowly.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't trying too hard.
He simply stood there, composed, observing her like he was assessing something.
"Are you celebrating or escaping?" he had asked.
His voice had been calm, steady, almost too controlled.
She had blinked at him, trying to focus.
"Does it matter?" She asked
"It usually does." He replied
She had let out a small, careless laugh. "Then I guess I'm escaping."
He had nodded once, as if that made sense.
She didn't remember inviting him to sit beside her. She didn't remember agreeing to talk. But she remembered the way he listened when she rambled, the way he didn't interrupt, didn't try to impress her.
At some point, the room had begun to spin.
She remembered gripping the edge of the counter.
"You should slow down," he had said quietly.
"I'm fine." She snapped
She wasn't.
The next clear memory was the cool night air hitting her face as she stepped outside.
Then darkness.
When she surfaced again, it wasn't fully conscious.
She remembered movement. The steady rumble of a car engine. The faint scent of leather and something distinctly masculine.
Her head had been resting against something firm. She blinked slowly.
He was in the driver's seat.
Hands steady on the wheel. Jaw tight. Eyes forward.
"You passed out," he said without looking at her.
Her voice had felt thick. "Where…?"
"I wasn't going to leave you there."
She had tried to sit up straighter but dizziness forced her back.The car came to a stop. A hotel entrance, an extremely fancy one that she never thought she could ever step into. Bright lights.
He stepped out first, walked around, opened her door. She remembered the way his hand supported her back. Not invasive. Just secure.
Inside the hotel, everything had been soft lighting and quiet floors.
She remembered leaning into him slightly because her legs wouldn't cooperate.
Inside the room, he had set her down gently on the edge of the bed.
"You should sleep," he had said.
She had blinked up at him.
And that was when it happened.
The blur shifted.
The sharpness of his features softened.
The angle of his jaw became familiar.
His eyes looked warmer.
Liam.
She saw Liam.
Her chest cracked open.
"You stayed," she murmured.
His brows had drawn together slightly.
"What?"
"I thought you wouldn't."
He stepped closer, concern flickering across his face.
"I'm not going anywhere."
And maybe he meant in that moment.
But she heard something else.
She reached for him first.
Her fingers curled into his shirt.
He stilled.
"You're not fully sober," he warned quietly.
But she was already leaning forward.
Already closing the space.
Her lips brushed his—not gently, not hesitant. It was messy. Emotional. Fueled by things she had buried for too long.
He froze for half a second.
Then his hand moved to her waist.
Firm, Steady, Grounding.
The kiss deepened, not rushed but intense, like he was trying to understand what she was feeling. Like he was trying to decipher why she clung to him the way she did.
She whispered Liam's name.
She was sure of it.
His body tensed beneath her hands.
But he didn't stop her.
Instead, he lifted her carefully, guiding her further onto the bed.
The room felt smaller and warmer.
Her fingers traced his shoulders, her thoughts tangled between past and present. Every time she looked at him, she saw someone else.
Someone she had loved quietly for years.
Someone she had never confessed to.
When he kissed her again, slower this time, she responded without thinking. Without questioning. It felt like closure. It felt like desperation. It felt like everything she had never said.
And somewhere between soft sheets and tangled breaths, between vulnerability and blurred reality, she gave herself away.
Ava's eyes snapped open on her couch.
Her breathing was uneven.
The memory was clearer now.
Too clear.
She had said Liam's name.
She was almost certain.
Heat crept up her neck.
What must he have thought?
She didn't even know his name.
She remembered his face now, though. The sharpness of it. The intensity in his gaze. The way he had looked at her not like she was easy, not like she was disposable, but like she was something unexpected.
In the midst of her thoughts her phone buzzed again, making her flinch.
This time it was Claire.
Claire: Don't forget to think about the gift idea! I'm counting on you.
Ava stared at the message.
Counting on you?
Everyone seemed to be counting on her lately and she wasn't even sure she could count on herself.
She locked her phone and let her head fall back against the couch.
Somewhere in the city, a man she barely knew might be waking up, realizing she was gone.
And she had no idea what he might be thinking. Her only hope is that they never cross paths again