Page 17 of Sugarlips
“I made them,” I said proudly.
Immediately, Elaina’s face crumpled as she looked from me to the donut, then back to me again. “Youmade these?”
“Okay, fine,” I sneered as I plopped down in a chair opposite of her. “I had some help.”
“Ah, there it is. I didn’t know you had any girlfriends who could walk and chew gum at the same time, let alonebake.”
“Easy there,” I snapped. “I know you’re in a bad mood, but don’t come down on my girlfriends.” I swallowed a bite of donut before I added, “Besides, it wasn’t agirlfriend who helped me bake these.”
“I thought you said—”
“IsaidI had help.”
Her brows creased, deep in thought as she stared at the donut on her plate. “Then who did you bake them with?”
I pressed my lips together for a fraction of a second, wondering how to say this. “Last night when you sent Liam here—”
Elaina’s face drained of color. “Oh, God. No. Tell me you didn’t sleep with him.”
I chewed my cheek for a second. “Define ‘sleep with’…”
“Chloe! He is my ex-boyfriend’s brother!”
“Okay, but I didn’tknowthat last night!”
“You knew he was my boyfriend’s brother last night, though, and you thought that’d be okay?” She launched to her feet, tossing the donut aside.Huh.I saw this going differently in my head. “And weren’t you broken-hearted?” She started pacing my living room.
“Elaina, calm down—”
“I mean, yousoundedbroken-hearted on the phone last night.Oh, my God. Did Liam take advantage of you? I’ll kill him—”
“No!No.” I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Okay, let me start over. Liam came over last night to bring me cupcakes afteryoutexted him. I was really drunk when he got here, so he stayed to make sure I was okay. We watched movies, then I puked, and he held my hair back. He slept upstairs with me, but wedid nothave sex. He’s just… he’s a good guy. I think we’re sort of friends now.”
Elaina’s mouth twisted, but she thankfully lowered back down to a seat. “Okay. That’s… well, better. I guess.”
I inhaled slow and deep. “He was amazing last night. And I felt so much better after you sent him over here, I wanted to do something nice for you in return. So… he helped me bake these donuts for you.”
Elaina nodded and took another tentative bite, as though she didn’t quite trust the donuts yet. Or maybe it was me she didn’t quite trust yet. “Okay,” she said.
“I think Liam and I are becoming really good friends.”
“From one night?”
I shrugged. Last night felt different and special. I was more myself and relaxed with Liam than I was with any of my girlfriends… and that included Tanja. Which was strange and liberating.
Elaina licked frosting off the fork. “Well, as long as you two don’t date. Youcannotdate my ex-boyfriend’s brother.”
I ignored the pang of guilt in my gut from the kiss we shared. “But… what if we’re soul mates?” I asked quietly, half-teasing.
“Oh my freaking God, Chloe… I swear, if you date him, I’ll never speak to you again!”
Her voice became so shrill, I had to cover my ear with the paper-towel-clad hand. “Jesus. Okay,okay. We won’t date.”
Elaina stood, storming across the room until she was standing in front of me with her pinky outstretched. “Promise me.”
“Oh, come on—”
“Chloe. Iknowyou. Promise me.”
