The Intern: Enemies To Lovers

I needed to do something with my hands, so I gripped the cold ledge of the window. “And you did that without considering the repercussions of your lie? What it could do to me? How it could make me feel?” I saw the beer that I’d deserted and grabbed it, chugging what was left.

“We’re going to get back to that, but first, I need to address one of your points-that you think I stood you up, that you weren’t worthy of a good-bye, that my mouth was covered in Madison’s lipstick. Who the fuck is Madison, Hannah?”All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

She looked at me like she didn’t recognize me, and then she leaned to one side, retrieving her phone from her back pocket. She scrolled until she found what she wanted and pointed the screen at me. “That’s Madison, and that’s her lipstick all over your mouth.”

I stared at the selfie of myself and some chick, the memory from that moment coming back to me. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”

I laughed, the anger erupting, and I went into the kitchen and grabbed another beer from the fridge, returning to the couch I’d originally sat on. The beer hissed as I twisted off the cap, the cold liquid not nearly enough to take this feeling away.

“You think I abandoned you at the bar? You think I left you for Madison?” My voice growled as I added, “You think I fucking kissed her?”

Her head gave a slight nod.

“That’s not what happened, Hannah.” I sighed so loud that my goddamn chest vibrated. “Not even close.”

She looked at me like a fucking deer in headlights, her hands covering her mouth. “Then, what happened?”

“I stood in that goddamn alley, waiting for you, Hannah. After ten minutes, I didn’t think you were coming back. Maybe you had gotten sidetracked, maybe you had run into someone-something had happened. So, I went to the parking lot and got into my car, and I drove around to the front of the bar, where I waited another ten minutes for you. But even then, I didn’t give up. You know what I did?”

I moved to the end of the couch, set the beer on the floor, and crossed my arms over my chest, clenching my fingers together. “I left my car and went into the bar and looked for you. And when I couldn’t find you, I went to the bar next door to look for you there since I’d overheard some of your classmates saying they were going there. That’s where I ran into your little friend. I wasn’t even two steps through the fucking door when she pounced on me, wanting to buy me a drink and take a picture together. The picture happened; the drink did not. I searched that entire bar, too, and when I didn’t find you, I left and drove home.”

My hand rubbed across my lips as I recalled the night in question, when I’d gone into my bathroom to brush my teeth and ended up scrubbing my mouth with a towel to get the color off my lips. “The lipstick you saw, that was yours, Hannah. Not Madison’s.”

“Declan …” Her voice wasn’t any louder than a whisper. “I …” With her elbows resting on her knees, her hands clasped between them, her head fell. “I’m sorry. I …”

“You’re sorry about what? That you misjudged the situation? That you jumped to conclusions? That you created a scenario that hadn’t fucking occurred? For what? To make your life easier? To avoid addressing the truth? Please tell me. I’m dying to hear.”

She pressed her palms together, resting the tips of her fingers against the center of her chin. “I called Oaklyn as soon as I left the alley and went inside the bar. When we finally hung up, I looked for you everywhere. I thought you’d left.” She shook her head, recounting the events of that night the same way I had. “I couldn’t find you, Declan.”

“I was there.”

“I’m so sorry-”

“And then you lied to me.” My arms dropped, my hands holding the leather cushion. “You looked me in the fucking eyes, and you lied.”

She covered her face for a brief second, but it did nothing to stop the flow of tears. “I’m not proud of that. I wish I hadn’t lied. I wish I could go back.” She wiped her cheeks. “I wish so many things right now.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

She took several seconds to answer. “I don’t know.” She swallowed.

I picked up the beer, pushed myself off the couch, and walked to the table, holding the back of one of the chairs. “Hannah-”

“Listen to me, Declan. Things haven’t been easy between us, and I’m not using that as an excuse. I’m just speaking the truth. You went from hating me, yelling at me, to trying to sleep with me. I didn’t-”

“Just stop, Hannah. I’m so fucking angry right now; I can’t even see straight.” I was squeezing the wooden frame of the chair so hard that I couldn’t believe it hadn’t splintered.

“What happened between us after you lied is irrelevant. It’s completely dismissible. You were selfish. You acted like a jealous teenager. You didn’t give a fuck about how your lie could affect me. But you know what surprises me most about this conversation? That you want to be a litigator, and a massive part of your job is studying evidence and drawing a factual conclusion. You know what you did the moment after you walked out of the alley? You assumed a bunch of bullshit.” I dragged my teeth across my lip. Again and again. “And not a word of that bullshit was correct.”

She drew in some air, her chin quivering. “Madison sent a photo to our law group, and your lips were covered in the same color lipstick she was wearing. Madison has a reputation for sleeping with everyone. She’s been with professors, mentors-hell, she even slept with Dominick at one point. When I looked for you, you were gone, nowhere to be found. That’s the evidence I had, that’s the way I pieced it all together, and that’s the conclusion I drew. Maybe I got it all wrong, but it felt like I was right at the time.”

Every point she had made only caused me to be more furious.

Because she was thinking like a litigator.

Because she was quick with her words, coming right back at me with that fucking mouth.

“You still fucking lied.”

She paced to the windows and back to the chair. “What was I supposed to say when I walked through your door? Oh, hi, Declan. Remember me, the girl you fucked in the alley right before you left me to go take selfies with a whore? And was I supposed to say that to my new boss? On my first day of work?” She stopped walking and looked at me. “You know, you’re so quick to point your finger at me, but what about you?”

“I can’t wait to hear this. What about me, Hannah?”

“When I asked you if I’d done anything inappropriate, you said no. You had plenty of opportunities to tell me we’d had sex. But you didn’t. You said nothing about it. You withheld your own evidence.” She lowered her voice as she said, “What’s your excuse, Declan?”

My brows rose so fucking high. “You’re saying I lied?”

“I’m saying we’re both at fault here, so don’t stand there and look at me like I’m the only one who’s guilty.”

She had some fucking nerve.