Page 146 of Bridesmaid By Chance
There are too many feelings to label.
This moment, this is life-changing.
Chapter Twenty-One
SLOANE
The sound of the hotel door closing wakes me from my slumber. It takes a few seconds, but I blink my eyes open, letting them adjust to the light pouring in from the gauzy curtains where the sun is radiating a glow across the room. I shift my body, twisting toward the other side of the bed, looking for Hudson, but when I come up short, I sit up taller, feeling a wave of pain push through me.
Fuck, that hurts.
I glance around the room, looking for any sign of Hudson. When I can’t see him, I let the blankets fall from my chest and reach for my shirt that for some reason is not on the edge of the bed. I slip it on over my head and head straight for the bathroom where I spend a few minutes brushing my teeth and using the bathroom.
When I’m washing my hands, I glance in the mirror, and I’m stunned when I find a lightly colored bruise traveling down the column of my neck. Shocked, I lift my shirt and look over the rest of my chest, taking in the marks that mar my skin.
Hudson was here.
Flashbacks to last night flit through my mind as I let my shirt down. I knew things would be different with him, but I never thought they would be like that. I never thought I’d feel a sense of being protected as he claimed me, marked me, possessively took control of me. He didn’t shy away from what he wanted, what I wanted. He didn’t hold back or treatme like I couldn’t handle a more intense experience. It was as if he saw me as his equal for the first time, like he fully respected me, and that’s a feeling I can’t ever forget.
I straighten out my hair before heading to the living room, where I glance around, looking for him, but I come up short. Disappointment washes through me. Concern. Fear.
He left.
It’s a red flag, a man disappearing after the night we shared. They should never leave and make you feel alone, lost, like you might have done something wrong. And yet I take a seat on the couch, attempting to tell myself that everything is okay.
That he’s not running off.
That he’s not regretting the night before.
That maybe he went for a jog or a workout…or that he needs to call his brother because he thinks this was the biggest mistake of his life, and now, he doesn’t know how to handle it.
I walk back to the bedroom and slip on a pair of pajama bottoms, then return to the living room. I check the terrace, just in case I missed him out there, but nope, he’s gone, and he took his phone with him.
No doubt he’s making the call.
He’s probably trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. Looking for help, assistance, anything to make him feel better about his choices.
I sit back on the couch and pull my legs into my chest as tears start to well in my eyes.
This is stupid. You shouldn’t be crying over this. You said you weren’t going to get invested, and here you are…investing.
No, you will not sit here and be sad.
I stand from the couch and find my sandals.
If anything, I’m allowing myself to be sad, but I will have coffee and a croissant while I’m sad.
I change out of my clothes in the bedroom—goodbye pajama pants Ihad on for a minute—and switch into leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I pull on socks over my leggings and go to the bathroom, where I throw my hair up into a messy bun, pulling two strands from the side to frame my face.
Pleased, I snag my phone from the nightstand and head out of the hotel room to the elevator. I’m the kind of girl that keeps everything on her phone, credit cards, mobile hotel key. If I ever lost my phone, I’d be lost myself.
I half expect to see Hudson in the hallway for some reason, but when I don’t, I keep my head held high.You’re fine.
Everything is fine.
This is what he was afraid of, attachment.So get it together, Sloane.
When the elevator doors open, I get in and press the lobby button before leaning against the wall.
