than calling.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: And here I was thinking I was unforgettable. You probably shouldn’t go leaving your phone unattended while surfing under tables in bars.
My heart races. Ben. I should ignore him, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
Me: Funny. Should I be worried about what else you’ve tampered with?
Ben: Just don’t check your photos. There. I warned you.
I flick on the light and sit down. It’s not hard to figure out what’s been messed with, because photo after photo is Ben. His face. His nose. His ear. I snort, the churned-up feeling in my stomach slowly easing—until my phone starts vibrating again. I bite my lip, secretly hoping for another message from Ben, but it’s not.
Jake’s calling me. My stomach twists into knots as I press answer. For him to be calling me this late, he either saw me, or something is wrong. I’m not sure which is the worse option.
“How’s that long stopover going?” My heart drops at the sarcasm lacing his tone. I knew he saw me. “Why wouldn’t you tell Mom you’re home already?” he adds before I can reply.
It’s a reasonable question, but one I can’t answer. He wouldn’t get it, because the relationship he has with Mom is completely different.
“Jake, it’s almost midnight,” I sigh. “Can this wait till tomorrow?”
“Fine. Meet me for breakfast. There’s a little café next to your college.”
“I’m busy,” I reply.
“Doing what?” he asks.
“Letting Mom pick me up from the airport,” I mumble.
He laughs. “Unbelievable. You know what she’d say if she knew you were back already and hadn’t told her? You haven’t seen her in years and the first thing you want to do is go out barhopping—”
“Jesus, it was one bar,” I growl into the phone. “And who’s fault is it that she hasn’t seen me in years?” Tears sting my eyes as I take a deep breath and compose myself. “I’m surprised you recognized me.”
“I almost didn’t. I was outside when you flagged down the cab. I recognized your voice,” he murmurs.
I’m not sure why that makes me feel relieved. Maybe it was because he didn’t see me with Ben? Not that anything is going to happen between us. There are way too many obstacles.
“Just give me a call when you get back in the country then, okay?” he says.
“Fine,” I huff, annoyed that he’s deciding to act like a big brother now. Where’s he been for the last five years?
“And Liv?”
“What?” I growl.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re home.”
When I wake up the next morning, Tara is passed out on her bed, still dressed. Once I’m confident she’s still alive, I struggle with my luggage down the stairs and flag down a cab to head back to the airport. The driver doesn’t say much during the trip, other than the odd comment on the dreary weather, but he sparks up when he’s helping me wrangle all my suitcases out of the trunk. Probably fishing for a tip.
“Going somewhere nice?” he asks as I hand him enough bills to cover the fare.
“Yes,” I say with a smile. “I'm going home.”
The cab driver takes off and I load my bags onto an abandoned luggage cart. Just as I lift the last suitcase on, I spot Mom in the distance driving inbound. My heart pounds, because that was close. A few seconds earlier and she would’ve caught me getting out of the cab. I wave at her until she sees me and pulls over to the parking lane. She parks and gets out, while I stand there awkwardly, not sure what to do. Do I hug her, or let her make the first move? I don’t have time to process before her arms are tightly wrapped around me.
“The flight got in early,” I explain when she lets me go.
“It’s so good to see you. Wow, you look so much older.”
“Five years will do that,” I reply.
It’s not like she hasn’t seen pictures of me anyway.
“You look tired. Poor baby, must’ve been hard trying to get some sleep in a crowded airport.” She studies me a little closer. “And hungover. Have you been drinking?”
“I had a couple of wines on the flight,” I shrug, my cheeks heating. I hate that I’m such a cheap drunk. “It was technically legal while I was still in the air.”
Mom frowns as I follow her over to the car, but she doesn’t say anything.
On the drive home, Mom chats away like nothing has changed. I’m not sure if she’s in