That has me laughing. “Sounds like he was killing two birds with one stone,” I say, then take a large bite of my sandwich. They both look up at me with curious expressions. “To make himself seem unavailable and to make Liam jealous.” I flash them an obvious look.
Sophie smirks. “That’s why Liam’s jaw was about to snap in half.”
Maddie slams her palms down on the table. “I gave him every opportunity to…like basically do anything! One minute, he lets his guard down, and then it’s as if he suddenly remembers I’m a virgin and puts a wall back up. Ugh! Being a virgin sucks!”
Her voice goes up an octave, and the people sitting next to us look over, giving us death glares at her outburst.
“Might wanna say that louder next time, Mads. Don’t think the church down the street heard you,” I tease.
“I’m this close to selling it off to the highest bidder,” she says, pinching her fingers close together.
“Maddie, stop it!” Sophie tries to cover her mouth with her hand, and I laugh at them. It’s like we’re kids all over again.
“I doubt that’s the reason Liam is acting this way. It has to be something else. Maybe he’s preoccupied with his job. Isn’t it something serious?” I ask, hoping it comforts her. I haven’t known Liam that long, but I’m sure he wouldn’t write her off because she’s not experienced in the bedroom.
“Maybe. He’s a bounty hunter or something, and chasing down bad guys sounds intense. Maybe that’s his problem,” Sophie chimes in. “He travels for it too sometimes.”
I hold my hand out toward her. “Yes, see? Or he has small dick syndrome. Or he’s covered in warts or something. Definitely not you.”
“Eww.” Maddie scrunches her nose. “Well, I doubt that’s the case. His phone was blowing up with messages from Serena all day long.” She rolls her eyes to emphasize her disapproval. “Whoever the hell that is.”
“Hmm…I’ll ask Hunter. Maybe he knows.” I shrug and continue eating until my food’s gone. “Are you going to finish those chips?” I ask Sophie when my plate is clean.
“Nope, all yours.” Sophie pushes them toward me.
“Hey, did you know Liam and Mason have a third roommate?” Maddie asks, stealing Sophie’s pickle.
I furrow my brows, thinking back if I remember hearing anything about it but nothing comes to mind. “No, I don’t think so. I thought it was just the two of them.”
“Apparently not. Mason casually mentioned her,” Maddie adds.
“Her?” I nearly choke. “They live with a woman?”
“Well not for long,” Sophie chimes in, looking just as bothered by it as Maddie. “Guess she’s moving out soon.”
“Who is she? An ex? A friend? A seventy-year-old grandma?”
Maddie snorts. “Nope, but I’m pretty sure she’s a little older than them from what I overheard.”
“That’s odd. Brandon never told me that.” Blinking, I think back to all the times he’d go over there to hang out. “Brandon and Hunter partied there a lot before I moved in. I wonder why it was kept secret.”
“Well, now that you and Hunter are…friendly,” Maddie says, smirking. “Perhaps you can bring it up and ask. Then give us all the details.”
I scoff. “I’m not gonna go all Nancy Drew on him.” Though I am curious.
“Oh come on! You wanna know just as badly as we do, Betty Cooper.”
I laugh at Maddie’s Riverdale reference. Betty Cooper finds out all the town’s secrets and gossip and then writes about them in the school’s newspaper.
“If there’s a casual way to bring it up, then I’ll try,” I concur.
I’ve finished the rest of Sophie’s food, and the table is cleared, but we don’t leave. Hanging out has become more rare with their rehearsal schedules, so I want to spend as much time with them as I can.
“How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?” Sophie asks as we settle back into our seats after getting drink refills.
“Any kicking yet?” Maddie perks up, trying to reach for my belly.
“I’m good, just tired. I think I feel a little something, which the pregnancy book says is common around four months, but I’m not exactly sure. It just feels like a little flutter.”
“It could also be gas,” Sophie interjects. I give her a scowl. “Well, it could! That’s what I heard anyway.”
“Well, outside baby kicks can’t be felt for a while, but the mother should be able to,” I say, repeating what I read.
“I can’t wait until you’re so big that when the baby moves around it looks like an alien inside your stomach,” Maddie states in a giddy tone.
I furrow my brows, giving her a weird look. “That sounds painful.”
“I’ve seen videos on YouTube and Instagram. There was this one woman who’s baby’s foot pushed the skin so far you could see it’s tiny toes! Looked freaky as hell!”
“Stop scaring her,” Sophie scolds.
“If I have nightmares about giving birth to an alien baby, I’m blaming you!” I point my finger at her.