Page 2 of 21 Week Hiatus

“Have I told you recently that I love you,” I murmur quietly against his lips and feel his own curl into a lazy smile.

“Hm, not recently enough,” he mumbles back, his hands wandering freely over my body. “Tell me again.”

I sigh when he brushes a chaste kiss against my lips.

“I love you, Mr. Peirce.”

Logan smiles and wraps his arms around me tight. “I love you, Miss West.”

Six days later…

“You need to go in there.”

“Hell no, I went in last time, it’s your turn.”

“Han, she’s not left that bed, nor showered in almost a week. I’m concerned she’s going to become permanently emmeshed to that mattress. Okay, hear me out. I say we pick her up, kicking and screaming, and throw her ass in the shower. You grab her legs and I’ll get her arms. On three we bust in there?—”

I roll my eyes when I hear my two best friends’ hushed whispers from behind the door. “I can hear you!” I shout and their voices immediately stop. A second later the door latch clicks and the hinges squeak as they open it to walk in.

“Oh, hey, hey Bitty, you’re up.”

“Stop loitering outside my door. Leave me alone. I’m not leaving my bed, okay.” I gripe irritably and pull the covers over my head. “I don’t have anywhere to be so letmebe.”

The bed sinks as the duvet cover is drawn back exposing my swollen, tear-stained face. With a sigh I open my eyes and see Hannah seated next to me, with Venice standing alongside her, hands on hips and a matching look of sympathy on both their faces. A look I despise more than anything. I’m no fan of commiseration.

“Bitty, come on babe, you’ve been hauled up in here for almost a week. We left you alone to lick your wounds, but don’t you think it’s time to snap out of it now?”

I give Venice a sharp look, my eyebrows furrowing in frustration. “Snap out of it?” I repeat, irked, as I sit up straighter. “If it were that easy, don't you think I would have done it by now, Vee?” I seethe. “Do you think I enjoy feeling like someone reached into my chest, tore out my heart, and stomped all over it? Because I don't. I would do anything to not feel like this, but I can't control it. My heart is broken.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes and a tightness forms in my throat as my emotions overwhelm me once again. “I know okay, I’m fully aware of how ridiculous it sounds because what we had was nothing more than a fling. I mean what do I really know about him? I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks, and we’ve known all along it would go nowhere, but I fell in love with him anyway.” I confess, wiping away the tears that stream down my face. “And we blew up our lives in the process. It was all for nothing.”

Hannah sighs and shifts to sit beside me. “Oh, Sav, don’t say that,” she says, wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulder and drawing me closer until I’m cradled in her embrace. “Our souls are not bound by calendars, nor do they understand the concept of time. They simply know that being together feels right, so it doesn’t matter if you’ve known him for five minutes or five years. Your relationship meant something to you both and that’s all that matters.”

Venice climbs onto my bed and clambers over to my right side to take my other hand into hers. “Hannah’s right. I mean, I’m no whizz involving matters of the heart, because… ew. But like Han said, time plays no factor in two people falling in love. You believed in your heart that Logan was your person.”

I nod solemnly, closing my eyes to conceal the pain radiating from my heart. “I did, I really believed he was my person.” I admit, tears stinging my eyes.

Hannah's slender fingers gently stroke my hair as she speaks, her voice overflowing with kindness and empathy. “Oh bitty,” she begins, “it's obvious to anyone with half a brain that Logan is crazy about you. But I can understand where he's coming from. In his mind, he probably believes that letting you go is the best thing for you. He sees how much you're willing to sacrifice to be with him, and he doesn't want you to end up resenting him for it.” Hannah's words are like a soothing balm on my troubled heart, her touch comforting and reassuring. She continues, “It's a lot of pressure for him to handle, knowing that someone is willing to give up so much for him when he can’t offer youthe same in return. And maybe he fears that someday you might regret your decision, so he’s trying to protect you from that.” I let out a sigh and offer a small nod.

“I wouldn’t have resented him. It wasn’t his place to make that decision for me. I was okay with not getting married or having kids. A life with him would have been enough for me.” Venice snorts and shakes her head.

“Pft, please.” She says bluntly. “I'm sorry, but this needs to be said, Bitty. All you ever talked about was finding the love of your life, getting married and having a litter of womb gremlins. Logan—while he is ungodly hot—can’t give you that. He’s been there, done that, worn the t-shirt and burned it,” she states matter-of-factly, causing both Hannah and I to stare at her in surprise. Vee shrugs in response and continues. “Logan is the fantasy, he was supposed be to a fleeting, fun and wild experience for you until Mr. Right comes along and sweeps you off your feet. But you went and got yourself caught up in your feelings, got all hopped up on cock and fell in love with him.”

“Vee, please, that's not helping.” Hannah scolds gently, her eyes widening in a silent warning.

Venice interjects, “Neither is coddling her,” she continues, shifting into an upright position. “If she’s going to get over this, she needs to hear the brutal and honest truth. Sure, it's all exciting now, but think about the future. In 18 years when he's old and can't perform in bed anymore, and you're still young and wanting sex all the time... think about how that will affect your relationship, Savi?”

“Whoa, that’s not true. There’s more to a relationship than just sex, Vee.” Hannah contests.

“Of course,” Vee agrees, “But let's not pretend that it's not a huge factor. I’m just saying…”

While my two best friends bicker, I close my eyes and press my head back against the headboard and think back to the day that was the catalyst for everything going to the crapper.

Six days before…

“How long have you been fucking Logan Peirce?” Suzan questions, her eyes narrowing. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach as the last word floats past her filler injected lips. My brain freezes while I stare at her dumbfounded. “My apologies, let me rephrase. How long have you been screwing yourboyfriend’sfather?” The half full plastic cup of coffee I’m holding in my hand slips and hits the floor with a deafening thud that reverberates around the room.

My pulse thunders in my ears and my mouth goes as dry as a camel’s flip-flop while I sit there unblinking, staring at my boss dumbstruck.

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