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During the flight, I had stayed equally close-lipped, eventually closing my eyes and pretending to nap to dodge more conversation. I wasn’t proud of myself, but I needed to think, or rather, stop thinking about anyone but Alex.
We deplaned, and I practically sprinted for the bathroom, never before having been so happy to have only packed a carry-on bag. I tucked into a stall, locked the door, and pulled my cellphone out of my pocket.
“Sabrina,” I said once my friend had picked up her phone, “I did something. Two somethings, really.”
“Brooke? Are you okay? What did you do?”
I took a breath. “I slept with Alex.”
“You slept with—”
“And I got engaged.”
“Engaged? To—”
“To Liam.” I waited, but there was only silence. “S? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” she said.
“I don’t know what to do. Alex and I spent the most amazing night together. He loves me, and I love him, but then when I told Liam everything, he said he still wanted to be with me and...”
“And?”
“And now I’m hyperventilating in an airport bathroom.”
“Can I ask a question?”
“Yes.”
“If you love Alex, why did you say ‘yes’ to Liam?”
“I—” I closed my eyes, trying to hone in on the answer to the question smacking against my head like a hammer. Finally, I said, “Because I’d made a commitment to Liam, and I cheated on him, and I needed it to make it right.”
Saying the words stopped the clanging in my head, but it was quickly replaced by a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Brooke,” Sabrina began. “I understand why you would feel obligated, and I’m not condoning cheating, but you were honest about it and, from the sounds of it, caught off-guard. But that’s no reason to marry someone.”
“I know, I—”
“Do you love Liam like he loves you?”
I exhaled. “No.”
“Then I think you know what you have to do.”
I did, but the thought of it still terrified me. “He’s going to hate me.”
“He seems like a pretty level-headed guy. He might be hurt, but I don’t think he’d hate you for being honest about your feelings. And if he does, then he does.” I nodded, willing myself to accept that. “Call me anytime, okay? I’m here.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I hung up the call and tucked my phone back into my purse. After washing my hands and splashing a little water on my face, I re-emerged from the bathroom to find Liam waiting for me. His eyes met mine, and his face immediately fell.
* * *
I raced out of the airport like I was on fire. Liam had taken the news as well as could be expected. It helped that he knew what I was going to say before I’d even said it. After at least threeare-you-sures,he took a deep breath, kissed me on the cheek, and asked if I was okay to get back to my place. I left his side and didn’t look back.
My mind raced as I inched forward in the line to get a cab, debating whether or not I should go home or march right back into the airport, buy a ticket to New York, and get on the first plane available. I wanted so badly to do the latter, but how could I just show up there? And what, knock on the door to Alex andLeah’sapartment? I had no idea what had transpired on their trip home. I had no way of knowing where Alex even was. So I decided to go home first, take a breath, and rationally try to figure out my next move.
