Page 85 of Filthy Little Pretties
“I didn’t wonder shit. You’re the one who blew me up all night like a fucking middle school girl, all tragic because she’s not returning your texts. Like I said last night, what about me not wanting to share her means you keep talking to me about her?”
“Fuck you. Get up.”
“No, and if you start crying again—”
Liam laughs loudly saying, “Asshole,” as I pop my arm out and fumble around for my phone, jerking it inside the blanket.
I’m secretly relieved Liam bitched all night; it allowed everything that was brewing between us to settle. We found our rhythm back. My whole life Liam’s been my other hand, just like on the boat, and for the first time we’ve found ourselves unable to work in tandem. It’s fucking with both of us, but we’ll handle this the way guys handle everything—we’ll ignore it until we combust or it goes away.
I swipe open my messages under the blanket. Fuck. No messages from Donovan. I expected something, maybe even a message with fangs. But there’s nothing.
“How long did I sleep?” I grumble, seeing that it’s noon, and roll over to sit up. Placing my bare feet on the carpeted floor and my phone back on my nightstand, I stretch my arms above my head. “All right, give me twenty minutes and we’ll eat.”
“Did you hear from her?” he questions, taking a crisp bite into the red apple he’s holding. “I know you looked. Don’t try and bullshit me.”
“No.”
“So she’s icing out both of us.”
I crack my neck and roll my sore shoulders, trying to hide how much I hate hearing even the insinuation that they had a moment.
“Or she’s trying to figure out how to let you down gently…you are the sensitive one after all.”
Liam lets out a laugh and walks toward the door as I look over my shoulder to see him flipping me off, grabbing a grin from me.
“Hurry up,” he barks, walking out.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, I relax back until I’m lying down again with my eyes closed. I feel the heavy drift taking over when a hard-thrown and very wet gut check hits my stomach, making me yell out, “Fuck!” and roll to my side, doubling over.
“Who’s crying now, punk? Get the fuck up.”
I throw the partially eaten apple back at Liam, but it hits the wall, shattering everywhere as he shuts the door again. Sitting up, I wipe the sticky apple chunks off my stomach, seeing the red mark bloom on my skin, and laugh. He’s such an asshole.
Twenty minutes later, I’m walking down the stairs, dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a white T-shirt. I drag my hand through my tousled bed head as I take the last few steps. Liam’s standing at the bottom, his grin big as he holds out another apple for me.
“Fuck you,” I laugh, swatting his hand. “But I’m starving. Grab the spare, and let’s get food. The staff could probably use the break.”
As if I conjured a demon with my “spare” nickname, Caroline’s voice bounces off the walls as she makes her way through the wallpapered dining room toward where we’re standing.
“What you call taste, I call trash. Please stop defending your choice and change it. Every time you speak, you ruin my birthday. Every word. The upcoming day ruined. Do you want that on your conscience? No? Is that a no? Why are you shaking your head that way?”
Liam gives a small whistle like we’re in trouble, and I nod as we make our way over to her.
“Caroline.”
She holds a hand up to silence me as she continues berating the fool next to her. Liam takes her hand, pulling her agitated face from the conversation, and spins her around as he stupidly sings, dancing her around.
“Get off me,” she snaps, trying to pretend that she hates the attention.
I quietly dismiss whoever she was speaking with as Liam spins Caroline again, tugging her in and dipping her back. When he rights her, the smile she’s trying so hard to diminish peeks through. She faces me slipping back into the Caroline most of us know and well, not love, but accept.
“Take me to breakfast, Caroline, or lunch, whatever. But I’m starving, so we’re leaving.”
Liam tries to move her, but she bats at him, shaking her head.
“I have too much to do. You’ll have to freeload on someone else’s dime.”
I laugh. For all her snark, the girl can be funny. Liam slips behind Caroline and pushes, forcing her forward.
