Heat in the Hamptons

Chapter 24

Megan's eyes were crusted shut. She peeled them open. They stung. Her head throbbed and her skin felt soft.

The room around her seemed familiar, but for a moment she can't place where it's from. When she realizes it's the guest bedroom from her previous home with Noah her face pales.

The events from the night before come rushing back almost as fast as the bile in her throat.

She fumbles to the bathroom and finds her way to the toilet.

She deserved this. She tried to be as quiet as possible as she threw up, tears streaming down her face.

What the fuck was she thinking? Getting drunk alone on the beach was one thing, finding herself on the back porch of her ex-fiancée's house was another. It was embarrassing.

She tried to remember why she went to Noah's house.

She knew James had rejected her, but she had planned to sleep it off in her car. Why did she head to Noah's?

Was she so drunk she thought it was still her house?

As Megan wiped her mouth clean and stood, looking at herself in the mirror, she understood why she had chosen Noah's house in her inebriated state.

Addison was there.

It was fucked and it was shameful, but Megan needed her friend. She had needed her for weeks but Addison wouldn't respond.

"What is wrong with you?" She whispered to her reflection. Her eyes were sunken in and her hair a disheveled mess.

A piece of Megan understood that as soon as James had mentioned that Addison was at Noah's house the night before, this was where she'd end up.

She didn't know it at the time, but subconsciously she must've hoped this would happen. Why else would she get sloshed on a beach nowhere near her home? Getting drunk so that she couldn't drive?

She knew Addison would take care of her, it's who she was.

Megan's hands knotted together as she recalled another time Addison had been sweet to someone awful.

Addison got home from work and found Megan sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

"Mr. Keaton's cat passed away," Addison said to Megan as she came into the living room to stand in front of the couch.

Megan looked up at Addison. "How do you know?"

"Katie down the hall told me. She had seen him rushing to the emergency vet the night it passed away."

"Poor kitty." Megan said as her eyes reverted back to the TV.

"Um yeah and poor Mr. Keaton." Addison said, speaking of the landlord of their apartment building.

Megan rolled her eyes. "He's a mean old man, this is karma for all the times he's overcharged us for our maintenance and fake lease violations."

"Megan!" Addison hissed at her.

"What? It's true. He's a miserable person." 

Addison rolled her eyes at how childish Megan could be. "He lost his cat and now he's alone. That's sad."

Megan shrugged.

Addison huffed and exited the apartment. She made her way a few doors down to Mr. Keaton's door.

Megan jumped up from the couch to see what she was doing, sticking her head out of their open door.

Addison knocked on his door, after a few minutes he opened the door. His eyes were swollen and his nose was red. For the first time since they'd known him, he looked like a sad, frail, old man. 

"Hi, Mr. Keaton." She said softly.

"What do you want?" He was gruff.

"I wanted to tell you I'm so sorry for your loss." His eyes softened. "I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner tonight?"

Addison had never seen Mr. Keaton smile before.

Addison was kind even when people didn't deserve it.

And Megan knew that.

So you show up on her doorstep drunk, so she's forced to take care of you? Megan chastised herself.

She flushed the toilet, begging it to be quiet. She didn't want to interact with Addison and Noah. She had done enough.

As she gathered her clothes and tiptoed through the house, she noticed Addison wasn't on the couch. Maybe James was right, they were sleeping together.

As Megan quietly opened the back door and stepped out, she realized that she wasn't upset at the notion of Addison and Noah being together.

In a moment of clarity, Megan realized that this pairing made sense. It always made sense. From the moment Addison came home the first night she had met James and Noah, Megan could tell Noah was the man for Addison.

But Megan had stepped in the way and taken Noah. And then she took James. Like always, she took and took from Addison who was always willing to give to those she loved.

Megan slipped into her car and closed the door. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

She hated herself.

Megan let out a shaky breath and put the car in reverse.

When she got on the road she decided she was done. She was done taking. She was done being selfish. She was done getting in Addison's way.

Addison may never forgive Megan, but Megan decided she would never take from Addison again.

And the first step was getting out of her life.