It took me a few seconds to realize I wasn't imagining it. Slowly, I turned around and saw Blake freaking Andrew leaning on the kitchen counter with the signature smirk plastered on his face. He was still in his work attire: a grey dress shirt and black slacks. His long sleeves were pulled up just right below his elbows.

"You came," I blurted in a high-pitched voice. Had I just squeaked like a rubber duck toy?

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you been expecting me?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, you're Garry's cousin. It makes sense that I expected to see you at this party too, right?"

"True." He nodded, glancing at the backyard through the wall. "Too bad I couldn't manage to get here earlier. Seems like I've missed all the fun."

I followed his line of sight. People laughed, talked, and danced; they were having the time of their lives. I even spotted a few guys in the pool already. "Nah, you haven't missed that much. I believe they won't stop partying until dawn."

"Yeah," he said. "But I'm not in the best shape to party tonight. I won't last that long."

"Because you're that old?" I retorted without thinking twice.

Instead of taking it as an insult, Blake barked a laugh. "You can say that." His laughter was infectious, prompting him to smile before it became a full-blown laugh.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a bit—"

"Drunk. I know. I think I'm getting used to a drunken Jennifer."

"Oof." I winced. "I need to change that."

"Nah. I don't mind." He smiled, and heaven knew how hard it was to prevent my eyes from staring at his lips; the lips I devoured last week —

"Must have been a heavy day at work," I said, pushing my mind from going to dangerous places. Turning on the faucet, I poured more water into my glass.

"Sort of. Also, the traffic was awful. I almost decided to drive back home."

"Why didn't you?" I brought the glass to my mouth and sipped it.

"Then I wouldn't be here, talking to you."

His reply caused my breath to hitch in my throat while the water flowed into my esophagus. As a result, I coughed hard, fighting to grasp some air to breathe. The next thing I knew, Blake was next to me and patted my back carefully with perfect pressure.

"Easy there, easy. Don't panic, Jennifer." Once I managed to catch my breath, he rubbed my back up and down. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and wiped my mouth. But it was when I realized our proximity and the warm hand on my back. I scooted away abruptly until my bottom hit the kitchen island. He must have noticed my uneasiness because he shifted back to his previous spot.

"Blake, I..." I paused because my brain suddenly bailed on me.

"I know the last time we talked, it didn't end very well." He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared at the floor. "We should talk, and that's why I'm here."

"Blake," a female voice came from the front door, followed by the sight of a blonde woman I'd grown to dislike. "We still need to grab the rest from your car."

Daphne stood by the door with a gigantic gift box in her hands. She was also still in her formal work outfit and with a pair of ridiculously high stilettos. Once she saw me, she raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Hello there! We meet again! Ginny, right?"

"It's Jenny. Hi, Daphne." I forced a smile.

"Oh, sorry! Jenny. So, how's the party?" She strode to us and put down the box on the kitchen island.

"It's great," I replied, eyeing the box. In truth, I just couldn't look her in the eye after what I did with her fiancé. "That's huge."

"I know. Garry would hate me. But that's the idea. I mean, how could he come home and leave again in one blink of an eye? I'll be missing him."

"That's very sweet of you." I still fixed my eyes on the box, which was wrapped in purple. Wasn't it the color of death?

Blake cleared his throat. "I'm going to get the rest." He made a beeline to the front door, leaving me alone with Daphne, who was also staring at the innocent gift.

None of us struck up any conversation, and I was too lazy to find an easy topic.

I cleared my throat and put my empty glass next to the sink. "I should probably go back to the party. My friends must be wondering where I am now. I see you around, Daphne."

"See you around, Jenny." She nodded, smiling.

I breathed out a sigh of relief once I slid the door closed behind me. Being in the same room alone with Daphne was suffocating. Jealousy seemed to start putting its claws on me while thinking about kissing Blake gave me a queasy feeling from the guilt. To make it worse, all these mixed feelings didn't help me feel less attracted to him.

I needed air.

I joined Lea and Josh, who were busy bickering about the new cocktail name they were inventing. Lea always turned into an immature kid when Josh was around.

"After you two stop quarreling, can one of you tell me what the plan is tomorrow? Are we going to drive home in the morning? Or have you found someone I can hitchhike?"

"The guys from the afternoon shift are almost here. You'll have plenty of choices," Josh replied. "Gotta grab more beer. Drinks, anyone?" He left after Lea nodded and I shook my head.

"What's with the long face?" Lea asked after we were alone.

I shrugged. "Tired, I guess."

"It's only eleven."

"It's already eleven," I corrected her. "You can stay, but I'm going to bed soon. Do you know where our room is?"

"It should be somewhere across that garden. If you follow that way down," Lea said, pointing at a stone path along the side of the swimming pool, "it will lead you to a little garden. You should be able to see the guestrooms from there. Need to ask Garry which one is prepared for us exactly."

"Damn. They even have separated bungalows by the garden?" I shook my head. "These peeps are freaking loaded."

"They're here."

"Who?" I followed Lea's eyes and saw the person who gave me the reason to hyperventilate earlier.

Blake stood by the door, observing the party with Daphne close next to him. I held my breath when his eyes almost reached the point where we were standing, but a voice shouted, "Blake, you made it, man! Get your ass down here! We've been waiting long enough!"

Blake's head snapped before grinning and making his way to a group gathering on the other side of the swimming pool. After some greetings and hugs, they made a spot for Daphne to sit while Blake remained standing. That was how I knew that we wouldn't talk tonight, or at least not before I collapsed on the bed.

As much as I wanted to get him alone to talk and get it done with, I wouldn't walk there and ask if I could borrow him for five minutes. It would have raised questions from everyone, and I hated explaining myself.

"It seems like they were engaged."

It took me a few seconds before Lea's words reached my brain. "What did you say?"

"Blake and Daphne. They were engaged."

"Oh?" I reply, trying not to look too eager to know more. "Who told you?"

"Garry, of course." Lea rolled her eyes. "They were engaged back when they were in university, but they broke it off after a year."

"Why did they break it off?"

"Nobody knows why, but Garry said Blake once mentioned it was what Daphne wanted."

"Oh." I glanced back at the group. Blake still stood next to Daphne, one hand holding a beer and the other resting on the top rail of her chair. I could only see the side of his face, but if I kept staring at him, he would eventually sense someone was watching. I shifted my gaze back to Lea. "They seemed to be on good terms now. Do you think they're trying to get back together?"

"I honestly have no idea." Lea shrugged before jerking her head. "Look. Garry is there. Let's grab the key to our room."

***

I woke up to the sound of a door slam, thinking it might have been Lea getting back from her shitty night shift. Then I realized I wasn't home; I was at Garry's. I propped myself up and looked around, squinting at the light coming through the window. I must have overslept.

I took my phone from the nightstand and checked the time. Yep, I missed the alarm, or I must have killed it in my sleep. Groaning, I got up and headed to the bathroom for my morning routine and to get dressed. I hoped I could still have a quick coffee before finding my ride home. Lea told me Garry had had it arranged.

I had no idea what time Lea went in, but judging from how deep she was asleep now, it must have been sometime after three. Looking at her, I smiled as I picked up my backpack and tiptoed to the door. Lea wasn't a light sleeper, but I didn't want to risk waking her up. Gently, I closed the curtain fully and walked out.

The chilly breeze caressed my face as I walked across the garden. The rose fragrance was revivifying after spending the evening with a reek of alcohol lingering in the air. Unlike last night, the property was dead quiet. Everyone must have been still in their bed, passing out after partying all night long.

I frowned at the backyard, which was as clean as a whistle, with almost no evidence of craziness going on at this very spot less than six hours ago. I wasn't imagining everything, right?

As I approached the back terrace, I caught a glimpse of Garry sitting at a breakfast counter through the glass wall, face buried in his gadget, and a gigantic coffee mug on the side.

"Morning," I greeted as I entered the kitchen.

Garry lifted his gaze at me and smiled. "Oh, hey. Good morning. Could you get some sleep?"

"Yeah, of course. And how come you're up this early?"

"The after-party cleaning showed up earlier than I expected. Looks like Sam forgot to reschedule it," he replied, brushing his hair with his fingers before picking up his mug. "Coffee is ready, by the way. Mugs are in the cupboard under the coffee machine. Help yourself."

"Who is Sam?" I asked, walking to the coffee counter.

"Samantha, my sister. Right, you haven't met her. She arrived after midnight."

"Oh, okay." I flopped down on the breakfast stool after I grabbed my coffee. "Don't you need to go back to bed? You look pretty much...asleep."

Garry chuckled. "Nah, I can't go back to sleep now. Maybe some nap later."

I glanced at the digital clock on the fridge door; it was 08:48 AM.

"So, Lea told me you're going to find someone who can give me a lift." I looked around, noticing that there was still no one else awake except us. "Who is going to take me?"

Before he had a chance to answer, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell, prompting him to grin as he glanced in the direction behind me. "Just about time. Here's your ride."

"Good morning. Do I still have time for one coffee?"

That voice. I gulped and turned around. "Good morning."

"One coffee, and I'm set," Blake said, oblivious to my confusion.

I couldn't wrap my head around this whole arrangement. Since Josh had mentioned some of Bailey's people also needed to go back for their afternoon shift, I thought I would be driving back with one of them this morning. How did Blake turn out to be the person who was giving me a lift? And how fun would that be being in the same car with him and his ex-fiancé?

We drank our morning coffee while Garry filled us in on how the party ended last night. People got so wasted that they were bold enough to do skinny dipping. I wondered if Lea and Dianne also did it, and the thought made me chuckle. There was also a heated argument between Brad and Gal, which led to a fistfight.

"Is Brad alright?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just some bruises and a black eye," Garry said.

"Is he still here?"

He nodded. "In the guest room. I gave him some painkillers to help him sleep. Going to check on him before I take a nap."

Blake got up from his seat and brought his cup to the sink before turning to me. "Ready? Let's get going. I need to be home before twelve."

Reluctantly, I nodded at him as I grabbed my bag. "Where is Daphne?" I asked, glancing at the stairs.

Blake frowned. "Upstairs I think. Why...oh. No, she's not coming."

"She is not? But didn't she come with you yesterday?"

"Daphne came here for Sam, actually," Garry said. "Blake just gave her a lift. My sis and Daphne will go back with me tomorrow."

"Oh."

I couldn't lie. I was feeling glad that I didn't have to sit in the car with Blake and Daphne because it would have been super awkward. On the other hand, nervousness began to kick in. It would be just me and him. For an hour. Alone.