Page 49 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
His eyes narrow, but not at me. He been clocking it too. Felicity barely speaks to him anymore unless it’s about a setlist or a rehearsal change. As he and Connor predicted, her sugary tone’s reserved for me now.
Ever since Stevie left she’s made it known I’m her new target. From the relentless hovering and trying to catch my eye to the suggestive text messages to the overt come-ons. It’s uncomfortable.
Then, yesterday, she brought me a chai latte and dropped a hand on my shoulder when Stevie was packing up her laptop.
Let’s just say, it didn’t go unnoticed.
To make matters worse, Felicity pushed things too far during a band meeting.
Liam spoons a mouthful of yogurt. “So, now you have to avoid her too?”
“Yeah..” I palm my face in my hand.
He grimaces. “She’s not subtle.”
“No.”
We sit in the silence except for the heater spluttering behind him. Something about the quiet makes me edgy.
I don’t want to talk about Felicity. Not really. I have no choice after what happened.
Glancing at the clock, I realize Stevie should be halfway through her group session. She left this morning with her brow furrowed, no kiss or smile. She’s upset and has every right.
“She pissed?” Liam juts his chin out.
I nod.
“She should be.” He states the obvious.
I pull a throw pillow against my chest. “We never fight. It sucks.”
“No relationship is perfect.” Liam licks his spoon clean.
I glance at him. Raise an eyebrow.
Liam drops the yogurt container with a dull thud, eyes locked on the wall. “I’d be irate, Dar. Felicity humiliated her. All she did was clarify one historical detail Linus got wrong. Nothing dramatic. Felicity snapped. Told her unless she was strumming a guitar or shaking her tits onstage, she should shut her mouth about the band.”
The memory hangs sour in the air.
“You didn’t defend your girl, man,” he adds. “You sat there. What the fuck?”
“What should I have done?” I sit up straighter, stomach twisting.
Liam doesn’t flinch. “You should have put Felicity in her place.”
I’m nearly able to conjure a smile at the memory of how composed Stevie was when she retorted, cool as glass, sharp as a knife.
“I was only clarifying the timeline.” She lifted her glass with a serene smile she keeps in her back pocket for women who think they’re dangerous. “If you seriously feel the need to shake your tits onstage to get Padraig’s attention, maybe the problem isn’t me.”
Then she stood, walked to our room and shut the door hard enough to rattle the frame.
In my defense, it all happened so fast I was stunned. For one, I had no idea what Liam’s been dealing with and he actually fucked the girl. I also never thought I’d have to explain why I’m not interested. Do I really have to be an asshole? Stevie and I are a couple. She knows this.
“Stevie can take care of herself. She handled it like a pro. She’d never want me to fight her battles,” I finally answer. It’s not a lie. Not exactly.
Except, he knows how Felicity kept it going even after Stevie left. Tossing in snide comments about how hotel interns don’t run bands and how band girlfriends are the worst.
While it was happening, Linus frowned down at his laptop. Liam didn’t say anything right away, either.
