Lost in Us by Layla Hagen

it more than me. Is James's hangover as bad as yours?" He doesn't take the cup.
    "James, no… He didn't drink that much… I mean…" he stutters, and I think I've never seen a person this incoherent, unless they are truly drunk.
    "Can we continue the conversation inside?" I ask and push him from the doorway. I was expecting the living room to look as disheveled as Parker, but except for a wrecked blanket on the couch, indicating where he spent the night, everything looks as neat as it did when I was last here.
    "James's in his room?"
    "Yeah…"
    "Excellent," I say and make a step forward toward his room.
    "What? No, that's not a good idea." 
    I raise an eyebrow. "I assure you I can stomach whatever is inside," I say and try to walk past him, thinking that nothing can beat the things I've seen over the years in Jess's room following one of her wild nights out.
    To my astonishment, Parker steps in front of me. "Are you serious?" I ask.
    "Now is not a good time, Serena. You… maybe you should leave and I'll tell James to call you later." There's no stutter in his voice anymore, and an uneasy feeling is starting to form inside me.
    "Why?" I raise my head, trying to look in his eyes for the first time, but now he avoids mine. "Parker?"
    “He's not alone," he says in a defeated voice.
    There is no air in my lungs. Someone sucked every wisp of it, leaving an unbearable heaviness in my chest. It's a stranger's voice that whispers, "Don't tell him I was here." I swirl on my heels in the direction of the door, determined to get past it before the burning heat behind my eyelids turns to tears. 
    I'm halfway to the door when the only thing that could make this even more painful happens.
    "Parker, are you up?" James calls.
    I measure the distance to the door and know I can't make it without him seeing me. So I hide the cups behind my back, grit my teeth and turn around, hoping the pain has numbed me already.
    It hasn't.
    A thousand blades rip through me at the sight of his beautiful face, now contorted in astonishment. At his side, her red hair wild on the shoulders of an overlarge, baggy T-shirt belonging to James, contrasting with his polished, work-ready appearance, is Sophie.
    My first thought is that I'm glad it's not the lark. My second is that I want to disappear from the face of the earth forever.
    "Parker, you little devil," she says, "I don't remember seeing your lovely friend here last night."
    "I've got my tricks," Parker says and winks.
    “I’m Sophie.” She waves, giggling.
     
           It takes me a second to realize what's going on. She doesn't remember me. Small wonder, given the drunken state she was in when we met. The tiniest bit of relief springs in my heart that this will be a bit less humiliating, even though not less painful. I'll be eternally grateful to Parker for playing it up.
    "James, you don't mind if I join you in the office a bit later?" he says, putting one arm on my shoulders. "I promised breakfast."
    "Don't be a prick, James," Sophie says when James doesn't answer. "Let the two of them go." When he still doesn't answer, she raises her eyebrows and adds, "I'm taking a shower," then disappears from the living room.
    "Can you give us a moment, Parker?" His voice carves raw wounds inside me.
    "That's not necessary," I say, finally lowering my arms from their twisted position at my back. James's gaze freezes on the coffee cups. "No, Parker—" I plead.
    "You two need to talk, Serena," he says firmly and then walks out the front door.
    "I didn't know you were coming," James says, still staring at the coffee cups.
    "That's obvious," I answer sardonically. "I wanted to surprise you. But you beat me to it."
    "I—"
    "No, you know what? Don't say anything. I'm going to leave now and for the sake of my own sanity, pretend I never met you."
    "You want to stop seeing me?" he says, shell-shock contouring on every pore of his face.
    "No. I want to stick around and find a new bitch in your bed every