She gave herself a mental shake. What did it matter? They weren’t together. They couldn’t be together. They’d both chosen their careers over their relationship, and that was the the way it was. Nothing else could be done.
But if she still had this kind of reaction to him, how would she survive a whole summer with him as one of her managers? She wouldn’t be able to avoid him then like she could now. Ignoring him could be considered insubordination. She let out an involuntary groan at the thought.
Daniel glanced down at her, looking over his shoulder to locate Matt, and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close in a gesture of undeniable possessiveness. She let him this time, because part of the point of coming with him was to keep Matt away. If she constantly stepped out of his hold or shrugged him off, Matt might realize it was just for show and come talk to her anyway. Plus, Daniel was a nice guy. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings or discourage him too much. She enjoyed spending time with him, and she normally liked his touch even if she didn’t crave it like she did Matt’s. If she acted like she couldn’t stand him tonight, he might take it as a wholesale rejection, and she didn’t want that.
She spent the next hour or so trying to distract herself with conversation with Daniel and people he knew at the party, mingling and meeting new people. But every few minutes she couldn’t help scanning the room for Matt. Each time she found him, he was either watching her already, or turned and looked at her just as she found him, like he could tell she was looking for him. Or he was looking for her just as often.
After Megan’s speech thanking everyone for coming, the models for their assistance, the gallery owner for hosting the show, and her professor for setting it up for her, Hannah needed to escape. She excused herself to Daniel, tossed her empty cup in the trash, and headed for the ladies’ room. She washed her hands, running cool water over her wrists, taking deep breaths, trying everything she could to keep herself together. She might have to bail soon, and Daniel seemed like he was having a good time, so she hated to cut his night short. If she got desperate, maybe Elena could come get her. She knew coming tonight would be a bad idea. Why had she let Megan talk her into it? And what was Megan thinking? Did she want to torture her? And what about Matt? Weren’t they friends? Why would she do this to him?
Deciding that she couldn’t spend any more time in the restroom without people wondering if she’d snuck out the window, she pushed those thoughts aside and opened the door.
Matt stood on the other side, leaning against the wall. He raised his head as she stepped out of the restroom, his mouth a firm line, a muscle in his jaw ticking, his blue eyes full of pain.
She froze, having barely stepped through the door. When it swung closed, it smacked into her, pushing her forward, her breath coming out in an undignified oof.
Matt caught her by the arm as she took a stumbling step. The feeling of his hand wrapped around her arm made her gasp as heat raced through her body. Dammit, how was she supposed to get over him when the most innocent contact had her reacting like this?
“Hannah?”
She looked up into his expectant face, realizing that he must’ve asked her something. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
He let out a loud exhale, almost a sigh. “Can we talk? Please?”
After a moment, she nodded. Maybe if she talked to him, they could figure out a way to coexist without bad feelings since their paths would inevitably start crossing more in about a month and a half.
His hand still on her arm, he led her to the end of the little hallway past the restrooms. Once there he let go of her and ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth a few steps up the hall and back to where she waited. He looked agitated, and she waited for him to talk.
After a few minutes, he still hadn’t said anything. She raised an eyebrow. “Matt? Did you want to talk to me about something?”
He looked at her, then at the ceiling, his hands clenched in his hair, a groan escaping from him. Dropping his hands, he speared her with his ice-blue gaze. “Are you dating Carter?”
“That’s why you dragged me back here? To ask if I’m dating someone else?” She injected as much irritation into her voice as she could, even though on the inside she got a little thrill that he was jealous.
He shook his head, and growled low in his throat. She remembered what it felt like when that growl rumbled in his chest. “Just answer the question, Hannah.”
She sighed and crossed her arms. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we’ve gone out a couple times. He’s my date for tonight.”
He growled again. “Is it serious?”
Another frustrated sigh came out of her. She didn’t want to do this. This talk was supposed to help them move forward. Devolving into a jealous argument wouldn’t do that. “Look, Matt. If this is the only thing you wanted to talk about, I’m leaving. Daniel’s waiting for me. And I don’t need to justify my dating life to you. You already made your choice.” She took a step to maneuver around him, but he moved in front of her, blocking her way out of the hall. “Let me go, Matt.” She kept her voice even, but kept her gaze trained on his chest. “Please move out of the way.”
He sighed, his chest deflating, and she raised her eyes to his face. He looked defeated. “I’m sorry,
