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Echoes of Unrequited Love (Xaviera and Hogan) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23 

With a ding.Hogan’s glass suddenly landed on the table, making a crisp sound. I couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or not

He gave me a casual glance, grabbed his glass, tapped it on the table, and downed it in one go. Pretty decisive

I pretended to take a sip of my juice, too

The scene looked like everyone was having a blast, but the vibe was kinda stiff, for some 

reason

I felt like a total jerk, stirring up trouble at someone else’s birthday bashdefinitely not cool

Clueless Jack, just there for the grub, didn’t pick up on it and, loving a good show, said, Darren, Xaviera’s laid it out for ya, aren’t you gonna respond?” 

Great, now it was even more awkward

I wished I could just vanish into thin air

Thank goodness Darren’s got social smarts. Holding his glass, he said, Xaviera, you’ve given me such high praise, I should definitely return the toast.” 

His voice was teasing, a playful twinkle in his eye as he gave me a secret wink

At his cue, I reluctantly raised my glass

That warmed things up a bit

We 

were at the meal for over an hour

When we left the restaurant, Hogan’s car was already waiting by the curb

Zachary hopped out of the car and helped a tipsy Hogan into the back seat

Cecilia got in, too, but then popped her head out the window and asked. Xaviera, wanna join us?” 

I smiled and declined

Who wanted to be a third wheel, right

Wasn’t a cheap subway ride way more appealing

Xaviera, let Darren take you,Jack said when he heard I was hitting the subway, It’s getting late, not safe.” 

I looked at Darren, cheeks flushed, and said, No need.” 

Let’s go together,Darren interrupted, The university’s put me up in a twobedroom near campus, it’s on the way.” 

1/3 

Chapter 23 

I couldn’t tell if he was for real or not

It was so out of the blue

Noticing my hesitation, Darren just pulled out a key card from his briefcase and said, Believe me now?” 

So there I was, catching the subway with this slightly buzzed guy

In the end, he even walked me to my building

Thinking about my antics at the dinner, I seriously apologized

Darren just grinned and said, Xaviera, I actually had a great time today. You being you, it’s really quite something.” 

I was totally baffled

That’s our Computer Science Department’s pride and joy, Xaviera.” 

That word pridefelt both foreign and familiar, sending a little tremor through my heart

Back at my place, I sat silently by the window, pondering my life’s many flaws, and forced a bitter smile

Me, worthy of pride

My phone’s dark screen flickered unexpectedly

It was a friend request from Hogan, with a question mark

I hesitated for two seconds, then locked the screen and headed to bed

I overslept

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