Page 92 of How to Break My Heart
Maddy and Aston wait for me to pull myself back together, but I dare not look at Aston.
Maddy pats my back. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
She then turns to face Aston. “You’re a guy. What do you think?”
“I think, as your brother, you asking me this question is disturbing.”
“I’ve never done it, to be honest,” Maddy admits, ignoring her brother. “Always used protection. Those high school sex-ed classes are really ingrained into me.”
“Did you need to share that?” Aston complains, raising his voice. “In my eyes, you’re still a virgin.”
I burst out laughing. “That boat has long sailed. It sailed in senior year, and since then, a lot of sailors have ridden the ship.”
“You make me sound loose. I’ve slept with six guys in total, including Myles,” Maddy informs us both.
“Madelina,” Aston groans, rubbing his face with his hands. “Shut the fuck up. You’re getting on my nerves.”
“This is girl talk, and if you want to hang out with us, then you need to partake. Now, Eva, on the other hand, is picky as fuck. Her count is small because she red-flags everyone.”
“Okay, listen,” I begin defensively. “When did I become this red-flagging person? Earlier, Elliot was saying the same thing and—”
I cut myself off as the both of them stare at me. I’ve revealed too much, so I close my mouth and beg myself to stop talking.
“Since you red-flag every guy!” Maddy raises her voice. “If we dissect your red flags, you’re possibly afraid of commitment or picky as hell. The doctor is the only one you haven’t red-flagged.”
Maddy watches me with curiosity. I keep quiet, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, you’ve red-flagged him! Eva, what now? Is it his penis? Too small?”
My head shakes before I say, “God, no.”
“Too much foreskin?”
With a frown, I quickly tell her, “I agree with Aston. This is disturbing. I haven’t red-flagged the doctor, okay?”
“So, you’re still dating him?” Maddy pushes, refusing to drop the subject. “Is he your plus-one for the wedding? You never told me. We can squeeze him in, but you’re really leaving it last-minute, and I’ll be honest, Eva, I’m not coping well with last-minute changes.”
“I, uh… not sure.”
“We need to give numbers to the caterer next week,” she reminds me with a raised voice.
“Stop spiraling! This is all under control. How about we go back to watching the movie?”
For the rest of the movie, both Aston and I remain quiet and allow Maddy to ramble on. I barely listen, my mind exploding with so many questions.
There’s another knock on the door, and I gladly jump off the sofa to answer it.
As I open the door, Myles is standing in the foyer.
“Hey, Eva, is Maddy here?”
“Yes…” I answer slowly, wondering how he knew I lived here. “Come in.”
“I’d rather talk to her in private.”
I’m thrown off by his rigid tone as Maddy appears beside me, gently placing her hand on my arm. “It’s okay, I’ll be back in a moment.”
