Chapter 2

Okay, when I put it like that, it's no wonder Sascha's jaw hit the floor. It was true, Justin Hart's father did get my mother pregnant, but there was more to the story than that.

First, she wasn't really my mother. I knew that I was adopted from the moment I could comprehend the news. Knowing this seemed to make her leaving hurt more than knowing she wasn't my real mother. She had chosen me and then tossed me aside the moment a better offer came along. I considered her my mother, and when she finally gave birth to a daughter of her own, I felt like I'd been replaced. Which brings me to the next part of the story. Caroline lost the right to be called mother when she cheated on my dad with his oldest friend. The day she told us she was pregnant was the worst of my dad's life. He couldn't have children. It was the reason they chose to adopt in the first place.

I hadn't just lost my mother that day, my dad had lost his wife and best friend, too.

These memories flowed through my mind as I stood there watching Justin in all his tall, dark and handsome glory. He represented the fracture of my family. By no fault of his own, of course, but still. Caroline had left me and played mother to him.

I should hate him. I should turn around and walk out the door. And I shouldn't think twice about it. But watching him as he plugged in a microphone and set it on its stand, I couldn't. The way he ran his hand through his hair and nodded at someone as they walked by reminded me of other things.

Hot Café Guy.

A clicking sound in my ear made me jump. "Hello, Elle, you still with us?" I turned to Sascha who regarded me with concern. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Do you want to leave?" She looked disappointed.

"No," I shook my head. "We're here for a good night, so let's have a good night."

She was sceptical. "Are you sure?" Sascha and I had been friends since kindergarten. She knew what happened with Caroline, among other things. We'd been there for each other almost our entire lives, which was why I couldn't let her down tonight.

I turned to her with a genuine smile. "Of course. The almighty Boyfriend Approval Panel is here and it's time to get to work."

Sascha laughed out loud. "Alright, come on then, but be nice." She took hold of my hand and pulled me through the assembling crowd. We bypassed the bar and walked up to the small stage where Dale smiled as soon as he noticed Sascha approaching.

He kissed her on the cheek in greeting and I witnessed something I hadn't seen in a long time. Sascha blushed. I squeezed the hand I still held in mine, showing her I was here for support. "Dale, this is my best friend, Elle. Elle, this is Dale."

Dale nodded a hello and smiled again. "How's it going?" He was cute. Only a few inches taller than Sascha, but she was wearing heels. Brown eyes. Short sandy hair styled to perfection. Stubble. Definitely cute.

I crossed my arms and made my scrutiny obvious as I looked him over, treating his greeting as an inquiry into his performance. The B.A.P. was serious business. "That depends on how well you do tonight," I replied with a smirk.

Sascha let out a nervous giggle and fixed me with a glare. "She's joking."

"Am I?" I continued, much to her horror.

Dale laughed. "I guess I've got someone else to impress tonight."

"I've heard all about you, Dale O'Donoghue. Hopefully you live up to the expectations."

"Okay! Wow!" Sascha interrupted, eyes wide. "We're going over there now." She took me by the shoulders and turned me around. To Dale she said, "I'll see you after?"

I tried looking back at Dale to say I'd definitely be seeing him after. Sascha wasn't having that and swiftly turned me away again, but not before I saw him press another sweet kiss to her now bright pink cheek. I felt a surge of joy spread through me. Maybe Sascha had found a good one after all.

She took hold of my hand again and pulled me away from the stage, and conveniently, towards the bar. "Oh my... I cannot believe you did that!" Her tone wasn't accusatory. I could hear the surprise she clearly still felt.

"Oh please, that was nothing compared to what you'd do to me," I laughed.

Sascha looked back at Dale with glistening eyes. "What do you think?"

We took a step closer to the bar as the line shortened. "I think he adores you," I admitted. I'd watched the way he looked her, and the way his lips lingered on her cheek as he kissed her. He was definitely smitten.

She smiled dreamily. "You think?"

"Yeah, I do. And I can see how much you like him." My words seemed to send her into her own world—a sappy, starry-eyed world—and so we waited in silence.

I took the chance to look around again. The crowd was steadily increasing, filling up the tables as people settled in before the gig. Dale's band had assembled at the edge of the stage and the overhead lights of the main area were dimmed. Justin was standing inside the ring of bright light on the stage, smiling and laughing along with his bandmates.

As if some embarrassing message from the universe was sent his way, he suddenly looked up, gorgeous blue eyes locking with mine from across the room. I felt my cheeks warm and my heart start racing again. I quickly looked away, mortified at being caught. After a few moments of trying to settle and mentally chastising myself for being a fool, I dared to look back.

Justin Hart was still staring at me, a smirk curving the corner of his lips.

Oh my... there it goes, pounding so quickly it might thump right out of my chest.

I turned away again, now completely ashamed at being caught staring twice in less than a minute. I tried focusing hard on the bartender, and while I was looking at him, I wasn't really seeing him. My mind was too busy thinking of all the times I'd come close to talking to Justin at the café. And those eyes. And that smirk. So cocky.

And then I thought about who he really was. My heart was still racing. Was it for the usual reasons when he was around, or was it because of something else now? Because I knew him?

Maybe I should have gone home.

Sascha nudged me out of my overthinking mind when it was our turn to step up to the bar. We ordered our drinks; a vodka cranberry for her and a sparkling water for me. Then we found a spare table near the front where Sascha could ogle her man candy for the next hour, and I could sit in mortification where Justin could see me front and centre.

This night was not turning out as I expected.

I was pleasantly surprised by their sound. Dream of Darcy that is. It was clear they were all about the lead singer. She was tall with long, sandy-coloured hair, and looked smoking hot in leather tights and red stilettos. I knew next to nothing about music but could tell she was the real deal. She was amazing. The others in the band were, of course, just as good. Dale played the keyboard, used his laptop for something, and at one point pulled out a tambourine. He did just about everything. Another guy played lead guitar and contributed some vocals. And Justin... Well, Justin was the drummer. He was good, as far as I could tell, and very much into what he was doing. He never missed a beat. Most of all, he really looked to be enjoying himself, grinning widely every so often as he kept time for the rest of the band. Altogether, they had this indie pop rock thing going on.

"They're good, aren't they?" Sascha yelled into my ear after a few songs. We were so close to the stage that invading personal space was the only way to communicate.

I nodded in way of agreement. Some people had even gotten up to dance on the tiny floor in front of the stage. As if she knew where my mind was at, Sascha grabbed hold of my hand and tried to pull me up.

I shook my head. "No way!"

"Come on!" she pleaded, a pout forming on her red lips. She didn't really give me an opportunity to object again and next thing I knew, I was standing right near the front of the stage. Sascha had no doubt chosen it to be in perfect view of Dale who winked at her when she blew him a kiss.

Rather than stand awkwardly in a sea of moving bodies I accepted my fate and joined in. I was no stranger to dance floors and it came just as naturally as anything else. I didn't even need alcohol to get moving, unlike one of the girls dancing near us. She probably shouldn't have worn heels like that if she'd planned on getting this wasted before 10 o'clock.

As we danced, I found myself glancing up at Justin again. He was lost in his own world. Looking a little closer, I noticed a slight sheen of sweat forming on what I could see of his chest under that black, V-neck shirt. And again, as if he could sense me staring, his eyes looked to the crowd and found mine. That same smirk from earlier formed as he watched me and continued drumming.

I was so entranced that I didn't notice a guy had swooped in behind me until Sascha pulled me to her. She kept her hands on my hips as she turned us around, placing herself between me and the potential vulture. She said something to him and he backed off. I mouthed a thank you and felt somewhat embarrassed as I looked back up at Justin, but he was no longer watching. He'd gone back to focusing on the music.

Disappointment flow through me, followed by a wave of confusion. There was no reason for me to think he'd still be looking at me. Nor should I want him to. He was Justin Hart after all.

How didn't I recognise him? I could have avoided this two-year obsession with Hot Café Guy if I'd known his true identity. Or if I'd just had the courage to talk to him, I would have known much sooner.

A thought occurred to me as the band wrapped things up and the lead singer thanked the crowd. Their set was over, and Sascha was going to introduce me. I'd already met Dale, but he said he would see her after, meaning after the gig. And with him he'd surely bring his band. And Justin, who was in the band.

"Why do you look so panicked?" Sascha asked as we sat back at our table.

"Panicked? I'm not panicked. I don't know what you're talking about."

She raised her eyebrows at my rambling.

"I need to pee," I announced, noticing the band step down from the stage.

"What?"

I took off for the bathroom before Sascha could protest further. What was wrong with me? I worked the front desk at a busy hotel. I was a people person. I introduced myself to strangers all the time. Why was this any different?

I knew why. Justin. He was no stranger.

I took the time to actually use the toilet. I might as well give some truth to my lame excuse for disappearing. While in the cubicle, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I could do this. I could speak to him. I mean, I'd been waiting for two years to talk to Hot Café Guy. That's a long time, and here was my opportunity. On the other hand, he wasn't just Hot Café Guy anymore, he was Justin Hart.

I'd met him before. Sure, it was twelve years ago and he looked like a different person now, but he was still Justin. Just Justin. That's how I had to look at him, like the ten-year-old I met at Caroline's wedding to his father.

Oh man.

I washed my hands in the cool water and looked into the mirror. Maybe primping alongside this terrible pep talk would give me some courage. I pushed my hands into my hair to neaten the natural honey-blonde strands of my long bob. I'd let it grow out a little recently and it now touched my shoulders when straightened. My natural makeup looked fine but did nothing to hide the terror in my brown eyes.

I took a few more deep breaths and straightened my navy smock dress. I looked perfectly presentable. With one more string of self-encouragement, I left the bathroom. As I opened the door, I almost ran directly into my best friend.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Sascha asked with a frown.

I shook my head. "I just had to use the ladies room."

She stared at me with a raised brow.

"I swear. I'm all good. Is Dale's gig finished? We shouldn't keep you away for too long or he'll start pining after you." I finished my rambling with a forced giggle. She knew something was up, but I wasn't letting her get a word in. "Let's go."

I walked beside Sascha as we approached our now packed table. The whole band was there, plus a few others. More importantly, Justin was there sipping a beer like he had no care in the world.

Sascha and Dale introduced me to everyone. I learned the beautiful lead singer's name was Darcy, namesake of the band, and that she and Dale were actually twins. As soon as he said it, it made sense. They looked eerily similar and their hair colour was exactly the same. I just didn't pay enough attention to notice earlier. The guitarist's name was Anthony and he gave me a wink as he looked me over, seemingly showing his approval. He was cute too, if not a little scruffy with his messy black hair curling around his ears. And Justin, well, he barely paid me any attention. In fact, besides a nod hello, he didn't look at me at all.

I felt my heart sink. It had been racing only moments ago, as the anticipation of our formal introduction rose. Now it was disheartened, and I felt embarrassed at my earlier freak out. He obviously didn't remember me, or if he did, then he had no significant feelings about this whole situation.

I was a fool.

To distract myself from these ridiculous thoughts, I let myself fall into easy conversation with the others. I played the best friend well and answered questions from Darcy with ease. She was clearly doing the same thing for her brother as I was doing for Sascha. Assessing the new girlfriend. I imagined a twin sister would have a lot of sway if she felt someone wasn't good enough for her brother.

After a short while, I excused myself to get a drink, offering to grab a round for the others. They all declined, having been to the bar while I was melting down in the bathroom. So I went up alone. It didn't stay that way for long.

As I leaned against the bar waiting for someone to notice me, I caught wind of the most intoxicating scent. I'd only experienced that sweet, woodsy aroma in one place before. The campus café as I stood in line behind Hot Café Guy. I was closer to him now than I'd ever been before.

My poor heart must have thought it was running a marathon tonight. It couldn't catch a break.

Sure enough, when I chanced a glance at the person next to me, Justin was standing there. He leaned an elbow against the bar and looked down at me. He was even taller now that I could see him up close. Those eyes were even bluer than I remembered. And was that a tattoo on his chest?

"Hey Ellie Bean," he said with that same smirk from earlier. My breath caught at the old nickname; one I hadn't heard in a very long time. "Can I buy you a drink?"