Liam’s words are sincere, and all I can do is thank him. Only a few people in my life know what happened, and Liam was there for me through the heartache.
“Thanks. Wanna do a shot?”
I don’t give him the chance to respond. I grab two shot glasses from the cabinet and fill them full of Jack. We take them down in one gulp, and when he walks away, I take another. For some reason, I only drink this much when I’m around Sophie—as if I’m trying to drink her and the memories of us away, but it never works.
Eventually, I go back into the crowded living room, and that’s when I spot Maddie. Of course she’s stealing the spotlight, something she’s great at. Most of the single guys are paying attention to her as she talks about dancing professionally, but I have a feeling they think she’s a stripper, which makes me laugh. She’s got the moves, that much is sure. I stand off to the side and chat with a few of my fraternity brothers and our neighbor, Kilan. I try to ignore Sophie and halfway succeed. That is, until she moves across the room toward me, pulling her date behind her.
“Mason! There you are!” When she looks at me, she’s smiling with a twinkle in her eye. I shoot her a forced grin, but it fades when she introduces me to Weston, her boyfriend. Well, that escalated quickly.
I shake his hand, hard, and he returns the pressure. There’s nothing like a solid handshake, but he takes it to a level it shouldn’t have gone, almost as a warning to stay away from his woman.
“Nice to meet you,” I lazily say, just because it’s the polite thing to do.
He places his arm around her, and she leans into him, the way couples do. “Babe, you need another drink?” Weston asks her sincerely.
“I’m okay right now.” The way she looks at him is sickening and makes my stomach turn.
“So how’d you two lovebirds meet?” I finally ask, already knowing the answer to the question but want them both to confirm.
Weston begins the story as he holds Sophie tight against him, not letting her go. “From the moment I saw her picture online, I knew she was the one. I messaged her, and she instantly responded, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. If I could spend the rest of my life with her, I would.” He leans over and places a kiss on her lips, and she melts into him. It’s really fucking hard to watch.
“You will,” I hear her whisper, and it drives a knife straight through my heart. My vision blurs as I try to focus on something else and chug the rest of my beer.
“Well, congrats. Hope you two are really happy together,” I finally say, wanting Sophie to have all the happiness in the world even if it can’t be with me. But I don’t have a good feeling about this dickwad. I need another drink, so I walk away, letting them have their moment. I’m gonna pay for it tomorrow with a massive hangover, but fuck it. I don’t want any memory of seeing her with another guy.
Liam set up beer pong on the pool table, just like old times, and a group of guys are in the back room whooping and hollering with each ball that’s sunk in a cup. I stand close by and watch, but I’m really keeping an eye on Sophie and her boyfriend.
There’s something about him I can’t seem to put my finger on, but I don’t trust him. They move closer to the beer pong table, and I can almost hear their conversation. Sophie laughs before excusing herself to go to the restroom. I watch as Weston checks out other girls as he finishes his beer, then grabs two out of a random cooler, double fisting them. I walk over to him, wanting to chat without Sophie around.
“Having a good time?” I ask, glancing over at him as he watches the girls dance in the middle of the living room.
He points his beer at Maddie. “You think that one’s legal?” He chuckles, probably not even realizing that’s Sophie’s fucking sister. “I’d like to show her a good time.”
My pulse quickens, and I’m two seconds from laying him down flat, but somehow, I restrain. He’s gonna feel real stupid when Sophie introduces them, or maybe not. The guy is a dirtbag, that much is obvious.
“Damn,” he says as Ellie passes by, checking out her ass in that mini skirt. Weston chuckles. “Wonder if she’d be down for a threesome. I’d fuck her and let Sophie watch.”
I tighten my fist as he laughs, and I can’t even find the strength to pretend it’s funny. Sophie returns, standing on her tiptoes to give Weston a kiss.