It was a night that had started like any other - mundane, almost forgettable. Hazel never imagined that her life, so painstakingly pieced together after it was shattered by betrayal, would unravel once again. The bar was crowded, filled with people seeking distraction, the clamor of laughter, music, and chatter masking the undercurrent of loneliness that permeated everyone's night. Hazel had promised herself she wouldn't return to places like these, not after him. But tonight, her friends had dragged her out, trying to coax her back to life.
She sat at the bar, sipping her drink, watching the ice melt into a small pool. The weight of her past - her ex, Oliver, and the pain he'd caused - hung over her, even now, nearly two years later. He had been everything to her, her first love, her best friend, until the day he destroyed her. When she found out he had cheated on her, her world collapsed. The betrayal had burned deep, leaving scars that hadn't yet healed.
And then she saw him.
Leaning casually against the bar a few seats down, his dark hair slightly tousled, his green eyes scanning the room as though he was detached from the world around him. Something about him drew her in. Their eyes met, and for the first time in a long while, she felt something stir inside her, something she thought had died with her love for Oliver.
His name was Liam.
They struck up a conversation, light at first, easy banter. But soon, there was more. She couldn't explain it - maybe it was the way he listened to her, the way his laughter softened her edges, or how he seemed to look right into the parts of her that were still broken. They danced, and she forgot the hurt, the fear, the walls she'd built around herself. By the end of the night, when they were walking through the quiet streets, everything seemed right in the world, even if just for a fleeting moment.
She didn't plan on falling in love with him.
But how could she have known?