Her breath hitches, and before she can respond, we’re being startled by Maddie waltzing into the kitchen like she owns the damn place.
“Oh my God.” She freezes in her tracks and looks around. “Did you two finally have sex again?” Maddie looks back and forth between us.
“No,” we say in unison, and she snickers at our deer in the headlights expressions. I pull myself away and back to my chair since Maddie’s ruined our moment.
“Are you sure?” She narrows her eyes.
“Shut up!” Sophie snaps, looking embarrassed. “Why are you here, anyway?”
Maddie shrugs, ignoring the question, and pours herself a cup of orange juice. Sitting next to her sister, she steals some of Sophie’s food off her plate. “So, how was last night? I got your stupid drunk texts this morning, and I’m actually pissed you didn’t come pick me up when you knew you’d be going out with Liam. Seriously, you’re a cock block.”
I snort but continue eating.
“Funny, he calls you the same thing,” Sophie retorts, which causes Maddie to scoff dramatically.
“Ironic, considering he’s the one who runs away every time I’m around,” she says around a mouthful.
When she flips her hair, I look at her butterfly tattoo on her wrist. It’s actually sweet looking, a contradiction to her strong and fierce personality. Knowing their parents’ strict religious values, I’m actually surprised she has one, but then again, she’s known to rebel against rules. It’s a wonder why Liam hasn’t taken up her million offers, but I have a feeling it has more to do with his own fears about relationships than the fact she’s in our inner circle.
“Maybe after a bottle or two of wine, he would’ve been more than ready to take my virginity, if I don’t sell it to a guy for a hundred thousand. Do you have any idea what I could buy with that money? I mean, it’s only one time, and he’d probably finish in less than five minutes. I—”
“Maddie,” Sophie groans, drawing out her name. “Shut your French toast trap. My head is killing me, and you’re talking way too much.”
“What are you doing here?” I interrupt and ask her.
“Well, after I got your messages, I was worried, so I scheduled an Uber.” She looks between us again. “You both look guilty.”
Sophie focuses on her food, and Maddie turns to me. “You might not’ve had sex, but you almost did.” She wrinkles her nose and leans into me. “I can sense it.”
“Oh my God, you’re a weirdo,” Sophie mocks.
“What are you, a psychic or something?” I retort, finishing the last of my food, then placing my plate in the sink.
Maddie giggles because she knows she’s right. “No, but the sexual tension is—”
Liam walks in the kitchen and immediately stops when he sees her. “What are you doing here?”
Instantly, Maddie stops talking.
“So what were you saying about sexual tension?” Sophie asks her and looks at Liam who’s walking around in his boxers, again.
Maddie’s eyes go wide as she looks him up and down, focusing heavily on his ass, and you’d think he’s naked by how she’s gawking. “I think I just died and went to virgin heaven,” she whispers to Sophie, but we all hear it.
“So what’s she doing here?” Liam turns to me and asks, grabbing himself a cup of coffee. He’s loud enough for Maddie to overhear, but he doesn’t give two shits.
I shrug, and so does Sophie.
“Why do I feel very unwelcome here?” Maddie asks after she’s asked for the third time why she’s here so damn early.
I walk out of the kitchen, and Sophie follows me, leaving Maddie in the kitchen with Liam. She begins talking a million miles per hour again about how he should’ve picked her up regardless of the fact she’s underage because she’s great company. I hear Liam groan, and only feel a little bad for leaving him with her. When Sophie lies on the sofa, I quickly run upstairs and grab some Tylenol from the medicine cabinet and then grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
Maddie is playing seductress in her tight booty shorts and crop top, and even though Liam is trying to ignore her, he’s failing miserably. I walk out of the kitchen and hand Sophie the meds and water. She sits up and gives me a sweet smile in return.
“You’re always saving me,” she whispers before swallowing them down.
“And I always will.” I wink. At that moment, every sound disappears, and it’s just her and me like old times. The only thing that brings me back to reality is Liam.
“I’m not babysitting today!” he shouts from the kitchen. Maddie’s still talking, not taking the blatant hint from Liam, and all we can do is laugh. At least she’s determined.
Chapter Fourteen
Sophie
Since Maddie’s recital is tonight, and I was at rehearsal all day, I drive home and immediately jump in the shower. As I stand under the hot water, the first person who comes to mind is Mason and how things have been between us. It’s been two weeks since the drunken episode when I embarrassed myself and begged him to sleep with me. Though I drank way too much, and I’m a lightweight, I can’t forget the way he looked at me and then held me all night long. A part of me blames Liam for forcing me to go out for a drink, but I fully understood why he did it. That day, I was drowning in my own personal failure, and Liam brought me to shore. Though I didn’t want to chat about anything serious, he brought up Mason and wasn’t going to allow me to avoid talking about it. Liam, being the big brother I never had, wanted me to understand how Mason feels. But of course that one drink turned into three within an hour, and the only person I can blame for that is myself.