Page 127 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
The tears come harder now. "So much for wedding bells, right, Mads?"
Maddie's eyes immediately go glassy. She pulls me into a tight hug, and I cling to her like I'm drowning.
"You don't have to decide anything right now," she whispers. "You just need time to think."
I nod against her shoulder, but I don't know if time will help. How do you process something like this? How do you reconcilethe man you love with the person who used to treat women like interchangeable entertainment?
"Do you still love him?" Maddie asks, the critical question hanging in the air.
I pull back and look at her. "I still love him. But I don't know if that's enough."
My phone buzzes on the coffee table. We all look at it. Liam's name flashes across the screen.
"I don't know if you should answer that," Sirus says immediately.
"I agree," Maddie adds. "Let it go to voicemail."
But my gut is screaming at me to answer. To hear what he has to say. To understand what game he's playing.
I grab the phone and swipe to answer. "What?"
"Are you going to say yes?" Liam's voice is smooth, confident.
I make eye contact with Maddie and scoff. "Get over yourself, Liam."
He's quiet for a moment, and I can practically hear his smile through the phone.
"Why are you calling me?" I demand.
"Just to see if I was right."
"About what?"
"If you would answer."
I hit mute and look at Maddie and Sirus, my voice rising. "He set me up! He thinks I want to have a fucking threesome with him and my boyfriend!"
I unmute myself, rage replacing the sadness. "Are you out of your fucking mind, Liam? Why are you doing this? Why would you wait an entire year to come out with this? Is there something wrong with you?"
"I waited because I didn't think it would last this long, Trouble." His voice drops lower. "If you don't want a threesome, fine. But break up with him and be with me."
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!"
"There's this thing called chemistry, Trouble. I don't need to know your favorite color or what you do every second of the day to know you. I know that we make sense when we're together."
"Liam––" I warn, feeling my heart crack. I know exactly what he means, and he’s right.
"One date."
"No!"
"Trouble, go on one date with me, and I'll leave you alone if it's not what you want."
"No! I have a boyfriend!"
"He supports it."
"You are such a fucking liar!"
