Page 12 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
Maddie grins. “Which one?”
“Does it matter?”
“Harper Elisabeth Caldwell, if you don’t tell me which gorgeous athlete you defiled—”
“I didn’t defile anyone!” But I’m laughing. “And how do you know he was gorgeous?”
“Because you’re blushing like a tomato and trying to change the subject.” She leans forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Was it Liam Murphy?”
My face must give me away because she throws her head back and cackles.
“Oh my God, it was! Tall, cocky grin, thinks God made the world so he could walk through it shirtless?”
I wince at how perfectly she’s described him. “Okay, yes, fine. It was Liam. But before you say anything—”
“Girl.” Maddie holds up a hand. “Liam Murphy is a player. Capital P, italicized, with a trademark symbol.”
I deflate. “Yeah, I know that.”
“Do you? Because you’ve got that starry-eyed look that says you’re already imagining what your babies would look like.”
“I am not—” I start to protest, but she cuts me off.
“He’s got a reputation, Harp. Flirts with everyone, never dates anyone for longer than it takes to order coffee and thrives on being completely unattainable. He’s like... relationship kryptonite.”
I know she’s right. Everything she’s saying aligns perfectly with my first impression of him. But there’s a defensive part of me that wants to argue, to insist that maybe there was something different about him when he was with me.
“It was just one night,” I say instead. “I’m not interested in anything more.”
The look Maddie gives me could win awards for skepticism. “Sure. And I didn’t specifically ditch you at that party so you could have a little fun.”
Wait. “You ditched me on purpose?”
“Come on, Harper. You’ve been in a man-drought for eight months. I saw you making eyes at Mr. Tall, Dark, and Probably-Has-An-STD across the room and figured I’d give you some space to make questionable decisions.”
I scoff. Literally my mouth cannot close at the audacity of this girl. “He doesn’t have an STD!”
She lifts that pointed eyebrow and says, “That you know of.” Then she takes a sip of her latte.
I throw my much needed pen at her. “Are you serious!”
“It’s good that you got back in the saddle with someone like Liam. No strings attached, no messy feelings, just good old-fashioned fun between consenting adults.” She shrugs. “Sometimes we all need a palate cleanser.”
A palate cleanser. That’s what that night was? A temporary lapse in judgment that served its purpose and is now over. The fact that I keep remembering the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the room is irrelevant.
“Speaking of getting back out there,” Maddie continues, her tone shifting in a way that immediately puts me on high alert, “you… have a date on Friday.”
I freeze with my latte halfway to my lips. “Excuse me?”
“You had your palette cleanser, and now for moving on. You have a date! Friday night. Seven o’clock.”
I shake my head. “Maddie, what did you do? Why are you intervening in my life like this? I’m totally fine!”
“You’re not fucking fine, Harp. I’m so tired of seeing my cousin mope around while she’s hot and ready.”
“So you set me up on a date? What do you mean?”
“I may have... mentioned to my hook up that night, Sirus, that my cousin is single and looking to meet someone nice.”
