Invisible to My First Love (Harper and Maddox) novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43 

Harper 

I woke up on the living room couch and as I sat up, I spotted a bottle of whiskey on the floor. 

Despite the slight headache, I chuckled at how I had decided to celebrate an hour after Grayson had left. I didn’t care that I was already drunk. 

When I reached for my phone and looked at the time, my eyes widened. It was already 10 in the morning and I needed to get ready and meet Aunt Patricia. 

I came to the bathroom and hummed loudly to the music blasting from my phone as I brushed my teeth, lightly bopping my head in front of the mirror. Not even the hangover could stop me. 

I was so proud of myself that I even sang for a few seconds with foam in my mouth while shaking my hips to the beat. I did it. Grayson had sat on the bed with me and the moment was perfect, but I’d chosen to resist all the urges that would lead to me smashing my lips on his. 

I’d once initiated an unforgettable night between Maddox and I when I’d told him straight to his face to come in for some hot sex, but that was different. I needed it so badly. 

While Grayson had looked like he wanted me too, I was also certain that despite the way he’d been so close, he would’ve rejected me had I moved my face closer. 

For the first time, there’d been no one to save me. It was just me and the guy I still loved so much. I did it all on my own and there wasn’t even a phone call to get in the way. 

I spat in the sink, rinsed and checked the sides of my mouth in the mirror in case I’d missed a spot. 

Then, the music suddenly stopped when my phone buzzed and I frowned as I looked over at the edge of the bathtub where I’d put it. 

I even rolled my eyes, wondering who had decided to spoil the fun for me. 

As soon as I reached for my phone and saw Maddox’s name flashing on the screen, I smiled a little. He and I had barely spoken the previous day, the last time being some time later in the afternoon. I hadn’t even told him I’d be out with Grayson. There was no need for it. 

After swiping to answer, I put him on speaker. “You just had to ruin it. The song was just getting to the good part.” 

“Ever heard of replaying a song? Yeah, you can do that,” he said bluntly. “You know, I actually got my hopes up that you’d call me again.” 

“Again?” I furrowed my eyebrows, tossing the toothbrush back into its holder. 

“Oh, yeah.” His voice was now rich with amusement. “After the way you were blowing up my phone last night with constant video chats, I thought you’d do the same after waking up.” 

1 frowned. “Wait, I called you last night?” 

He chuckled in a lazy way. “You did more than just call me.” 

“I…I don’t remember anything.” 

“Not even the part when you were showing off that bottle of whiskey while drinking it like it was just water?” 

“I…what did we talk about?” I asked. 

“We had a nice chat for several hours. You were very…expresssive. Don’t tell me you really don’t remember a thing?” He teasingly lowered his voice. 

I blinked rapidly. “You’re lying.” 

“Am I?” I could hear the smirk in his voice. “When you first called, that bottle was already half empty. You even mentioned you were celebrating something big.” 

Heat shot to my cheeks. “Did I say what it was?” 

“Don’t worry too much about that,” he teased, like he enjoyed leaving me in suspense. “All you need to know is that you were nasty in the best possible way. You don’t even realize just how much that turned me on.” 

“That’s not my problem.” 

And with that, he hung up on me. I spent the next few seconds just staring at the screen with my jaw dropped like I could see him. 

Then, I scrolled to my call history and my eyes widened. I’d called him four times between 1 AM and 4 AM, the shortest call being around thirty minutes. What the hell did I say? 

Grayson had taken real good care of me when I was drunk and I would’ve thought that he’d be the first to call that morning, but for as long as I didn’t call or text him, neither did he and I wondered what was going on with him. 

I used the bus as my car wasn’t in the best shape and was on my way to meet up with Aunt Patricia when I sent him a text. 

“Don’t tell me you’re working on a Saturday,” my message said. 

I expected the usual late replies, but it came as a surprise when I spotted the bubbles floating only a few seconds after I’d sent that message. 

“I’m not.” 

His reply felt cold, but I told myself I was just imagining it. 

“Guess what?” 

I waited, constantly watching the message thread in the hopes of seeing his reply. But a few seconds turned into a few minutes and he hadn’t even read my message. 

Aunt Patricia lived an hour away from my place and even when I got off the bus, I still hadn’t received a reply from him. 

I figured he might’ve gotten too busy and would text me back soon. 

I was supposed to meet up with Aunt Patricia at the hotel she worked at and just as I was about to take my first step up the stairs, my phone buzzed, the message from Maddox making me clutch my purse.