Chapter 01
The whiskey glass spins between Teddy’s fingers, the amber liquid reflecting the dim lights of the bar.
It could be the third, fourth, sixth round… or the twentieth. She’s not sure. All she knows is that they’ve been drinking ever since Cass suggested skipping the afternoon sessions. Or was it her who suggested it?
Teddy doesn’t remember, and honestly, she doesn’t care. She doesn’t even care that tomorrow she’ll wake up with a headache that’ll make her regret being born.
She hasn’t had this much fun in… too long. Months? Years? Unless she counts the day she met Cass. That night at dinner, sitting in front of a forgotten sandwich and too many glasses of wine, she had laughed until her face hurt.
And today is no different.
She’s sure it’s not just the alcohol making her feel this way—it’s the woman sitting next to her.
Cass laughs, a low, relaxed sound, as she leans back against the leather booth. The ice in her glass clinks as she tilts it for another sip. “Oh god… not to mention that guy…” she huffs, bringing the glass back to her lips.
Teddy stares at her, confused, then bursts out laughing. “Which one? The one who talked for twenty minutes without realizing his mic was off?”
“Yes! And then he tried to repeat everything… but forgot half of it.”
“And the half he did remember didn’t make any sense,” Teddy adds, feeling tears prick at her eyes.
Cass nods, trying to catch her breath. “It sounded like he was reading someone else’s notes…”
They break into laughter again, leaning against each other, oblivious to everything else. Their laughter blends with the noise of the bar, the clinking of bottles, the voices of other patrons.
They’re drunk. Wasted, probably.
And yet, Teddy couldn’t care less.
Not when Cass laughs like this, because when she does, the rest of the world disappears, leaving only the two of them and the soft way her hand brushes against Teddy’s arm.
Teddy’s phone vibrates on the table. Instinctively, she reaches for it, and as soon as she sees the name on the screen, her lips curl into a grimace of annoyance.
Catherine.
Asking how the conference is going.
“When she finds out I’ve been drunk for most of the day, she’ll fire me.”
Cass chuckles, then lifts her glass toward her. “Then there’ll be two of us.”
Teddy shakes her head, laughing, but raises her glass for a toast.
Their glasses clink together, and the moment their eyes meet over the rims, they laugh again.
Her muscles hurt from how much she’s been laughing.
And her heart hurts from how beautiful Cass is, from how much she wants to kiss her right now.
She could.
If only she weren’t such a coward. If only she could let go completely.
If only, every time she thought about it, the ghost of Allison didn’t come back to claim her.
“So, to recap,” Cass says with a grin, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “We skipped an entire afternoon of lectures at a prestigious conference to come here and drink.”
Teddy raises an eyebrow, sipping calmly. “I didn’t hear any complaints when we walked out.”
Cass laughs again, shaking her head. “I’m not complaining. Just… who would’ve thought? Dr. Altman, the epitome of discipline, ditching a conference.”
Teddy rolls her eyes, unable to hold back a genuine smile. “Maybe I’m turning into a bad girl.”
Cass shoots her a playful look over the rim of her glass. “Or maybe I’m a bad influence… And anyway, don’t lie,” she adds with a knowing smile, leaning in just slightly. “You’re loving it.”
Teddy tilts her head, holding her gaze in a way that says more than she’d like to admit. “Maybe.”
Cass smirks, satisfied, taking another sip.
A waiter approaches with a confident stride, elegantly setting a new glass in front of Teddy.
She raises an eyebrow as she looks at him. “I didn’t order this.”
The young man offers a slight smile, tilting his head toward a corner of the bar. “A gift from a customer.”
Teddy follows his gaze. Among the blurred faces and flickering shadows of the bar, she catches sight of a man sitting at the counter. It’s not Allison. It’s not Henry. It’s not Owen. And, most importantly, it’s not Cass.
But he’s not bad.
Actually, he’s quite handsome. Stylish, but not overly polished; young, but mature enough not to make her feel like a creep. A confident smile and a glass in hand, his gaze resting on her with quiet interest.
He could have better taste, of course. Like Cass.
“Well, actually, she’s…” Cass begins, leaning slightly forward.
Teddy cuts her off. “Available.”
The waiter nods before walking away, leaving them alone again.
Teddy picks up the glass with a confident smile, raising it in a silent toast to her admirer. The man responds with a small nod, sipping his drink without looking away.
Cass watches her, confused. A flicker of uncertainty crosses her eyes before it’s replaced by something more subtle. Disappointment, maybe?
“The last time we talked, your wedding was…” Cass trails off, then adds with a smirk, “Very, very, very close.”
Teddy brings the drink to her lips, hiding the brief flash of discomfort that hits her. “Yeah… things have changed a little.”
Because of you. The thought burns her throat more than the alcohol as she takes a long sip.
Cass tilts her head slightly, the smile on her lips growing more restrained. “Oh,” she says, toying with her glass.
She doesn’t say anything else, but Teddy sees something in her eyes. Hesitation, curiosity, maybe. But also something closer to disappointment, though she hides it too well for Teddy to be certain.
“And so…?” Cass asks, swirling the ice with a slow movement.
Teddy raises an eyebrow, bringing the drink to her lips. “And so what?”
Cass tilts her head, studying her. “Are you going to talk to him?”
The question catches her off guard. It’s not like she hadn’t considered it—after all, it’s flattering to receive a drink from a handsome stranger. But the fact that it’s Cass asking, with that almost indifferent tone, irritates her more than she’d like to admit.
Teddy shrugs, a light smile on her lips. “Maybe.”
Cass nods slowly, her gaze dropping to the table for a brief moment. Then, with a small, mischievous smile, she leans in slightly. “Should I be jealous?”
The joke is light, playful, but there’s a thin thread of tension beneath the surface. Teddy could easily laugh it off, turn it into a joke, but the alcohol has loosened her inhibitions more than it should have.
“And why would you be?” she counters, tilting her head.
Cass holds her gaze a second too long, and Teddy feels her heartbeat quicken.
Then Cass leans back against the booth again, shrugging with apparent ease. “Yeah, why would I?”
She takes a long sip of her drink, letting the silence between them stretch just a little too much.
Teddy feels unsettled. She doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol or something else, but the way Cass has suddenly gone quiet sends a subtle shiver through her.
“You should go talk to him,” Cass finally says, her voice flatter than usual.
Teddy glances at her out of the corner of her eye, trying to decipher if she’s serious. “You think so?”
Cass shrugs, but there’s something stiff in her posture. “Sure. I mean, he’s cute, right?”
Teddy toys with the glass between her fingers. She’s not sure she actually wants a stranger tonight. Not when Cass is sitting right beside her. Not when the only face she wants to kiss, to touch, to have even closer than it already is… is hers.
But that’s exactly why she forces a smile and nods. “Maybe he is.”
Cass sets her glass down on the table with a soft clink, the ice melting slowly into the amber liquid. Then she takes a deep breath before lifting her gaze to Teddy. “I think I should go.”
Teddy’s heart skips a beat. She straightens instinctively, her body reacting before her mind. “I’ll come with you.”
Cass shakes her head, a smile on her lips that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “No, it’s fine. You stay. Enjoy your night… your company.” She corrects herself, a hint of bitterness in her tone that Teddy can’t ignore.
She gets up from the booth and leans in, pressing a kiss to Teddy’s cheek. A light touch, almost innocent. And yet, Teddy sinks into it. The soft pressure of Cass’s lips against her skin, the warmth of her fingers grazing her face—an instant that lasts too little.
When Cass pulls away, a shiver runs down Teddy’s spine. “See you tomorrow.”
Teddy stays still, dazed. It takes her a second to react. A second too long.
“Wait…” she whispers, reaching out to stop her, but before she can, Cass is already a step ahead.
Her figure moves away, blending into the crowd of the bar, while Teddy remains seated, her heart still beating too fast.
From the corner of her eye, she notices her admirer approaching. The confident smile, the drink in hand, the air of someone who thinks the path is clear.
And yet, suddenly, he seems far less interesting.
And, more importantly: he’s not Cass.
And that changes everything.