“Early thirties, I’d guess.”
Fuck. Or not.
Sophie digs into the fridge and sets a carton of eggs, milk, and shredded cheese to the counter. “I’m gonna make some scrambled eggs. Want some?” she asks casually, grabbing a glass bowl and a whisk from the drawer.
“Uh, no thanks. I’m going to work out first.” I finish the rest of my coffee before setting the cup in the sink.
“I was thinking, if you guys wouldn’t mind, maybe we could have a little dinner party here sometime?” Sophie asks as she cracks an egg, keeping her focus in front of her.
Standing close, I lean against the counter while she mixes her ingredients together. “A dinner party?”
Sophie finally meets my eyes and shrugs. “Yeah, like where I make food and people come over to eat.” She smirks.
I snort, shaking my head. “I know what a dinner party is. But why?”
“Well, I’d like to invite Caleb and Dacia, the girl I met there too, and thought it’d be nice to introduce everyone. Dacia lost her twin brother, and Caleb lost his wife. They’d probably like to hang out with people outside the grieving circle.”
“You just met them,” I say accusingly. “They could be serial killers for all we know.”
Sophie glares at me, then rolls her eyes. “Your job has made you jaded.”
“No, I’ve always been jaded,” I say teasingly to cover up the fact that it’s actually true. Jaded since I found my girlfriend unconscious five years ago.
“They’re both very nice, and after talking to Caleb last night, I got the impression he’s lonely and could use some friends.”
“Sounds like he wants to get in your pants,” I blurt out without thinking and am immediately awarded with the Sophie death glare.
“Seriously? Why can’t a guy and a girl just be friends without the expectation of sex?” She starts whisking with a little rage. “Oh wait…” She glances at me with a sneer.
“C’mon, you know that’s not what I meant. I just don’t want you to be taken advantage of because…well, you’re nice, Soph, and sweet and kind. And guys who are lonely will use that to get close to you. I just don’t want you to get hurt again,” I tell her sincerely.
“It’s only a dinner party,” she tells me, reaching for a pan and pushing me aside so she can reach the stovetop. “Plus, I’ll invite Hunter and my sisters, and you guys can all see for yourselves that he’s harmless.”
“Alright, fine.” I give in because she’ll win anyway.
“Yay!” she squeals. “Thank you. Tell Liam he’s coming too.”
Sophie returns to work the week of July Fourth and performs at the park like previous years. We all go and watch, and even though I’m supposed to be keeping a low profile, I refuse to miss it. I study her as she plays her violin, and it’s captivating as always. The way her body moves and works the instrument, the intense way she concentrates as her eyes read over the music, it’s addictive to watch, and I’m mesmerized by her.
When she’s gone, I find myself missing her. She works during the day and gives violin lessons a couple of nights a week, plus she’s been going to her grieving circle and meeting up with Caleb and Dacia. Sophie’s keeping herself occupied, and I hope she’s giving herself time to work through her issues.
Two weeks after the incident, I’m allowed to go back to work and can keep my mind busy instead of having my dark thoughts consume me. Between that, being forced to stay home, and thinking about Sophie, it’s good to finally have something to do. Though after a long day, I enjoy coming home and seeing her as much as I can. We watch Netflix, make food or order dinner, and then end up hanging out until we’re both ready to crash for the night. Liam is home sometimes, but he’s been gone for work a lot lately, especially this time of year. Sometimes Maddie swings by, and then the four of us end up in some weird group non-date.
On nights when it’s just the two of us, sometimes she reads on the couch, and I have to actively concentrate on not getting a hard-on while her feet rest in my lap. It’s not her feet, but how she allows me to glide my fingers across her cute toes. She made a comment once about her feet aching, so I offered to rub them, and now I find it hard to keep my hands away. Even if it’s as “friends,” a part of me can’t help those feelings of wanting more. If we crossed those lines, we’d never be able to return to being friends like this. As both of us are still dealing with our demons, I know it’s not the right time. The timing is always wrong, but damn, how I wish it were right.