Page 7 of More than Friends

I hold my hand over my mouth to cover a chuckle. Elizabeth is sitting across from us, holding wine glasses in both hands, her eyes nervously darting around the room. We’re sitting at a table with almost all the Sterling siblings.

“I should probably...”

He slowly draws his eyes up to mine. “Aw...I’ll be lonely.”

I pat him twice on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

Oh, that man is trouble. I can feel it in my bones, but no one can resist the charms of Declan Sterling, much less me. I mean –thatsmile, withthatface, onthatbody. There’s no point in trying.

I walk around the table and sit down next to Elizabeth. It’s Election Day, and we’re all at the party waiting for the returns. All of the campaigning – all the work – it all culminates tonight. James is heavily favored to win, but that doesn’t seem to calm Elizabeth’s fears one bit. It takes her a moment to register that I’m beside her.

“Oh, Maggie,” she says, her eyes still darting around the room.

I gently take one of the wine glasses from her hand. “You okay? Seem a little stressed.”

Her eyes flash over to me. “Do I?”

I put my hand on her back. “Yes. Yes. You really do.”

She lets out a long exhale. “The waiting is killing me.”

I rub her back. “I know. It will be over soon.”

“Bet you’re glad this campaign madness is ending,” Declan says to Elizabeth. He’s leaning back in his chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

She just laughs. “I’m not sure it’s going to get much better if he wins.”

“When he wins,” Zadie says although she looks as nervous as Elizabeth.

“Of course,” Elizabeth replies. She sets down the other wine glass.

While everyone else talks, I zone out a little thinking about how many women Declan Sterling has probably been with. I snap back to attention as I see Will, the second oldest Sterling sibling, approaching our table.

“Who was the bachelor president?” Brooklyn asks.

“James Buchanan,” Will says as he walks up to the table.

“Thank you, Mr. US History,” Declan says with an eye roll.

“James Buchanan - bet being President got him laid,” Eli says.

“Maybe,” Will shrugs. “There’s a lot of speculation that he was gay.”

“Gay guys like to get laid too,” Eli says. Juno rolls her eyes.

“Will, how are the returns looking?” Elizabeth asks. She’s holding her drink again. “I haven’t been able to watch.”

“Better than we predicted. It’s shaping up to be a historic landslide. Turnout was through the roof.”

She lets out a heavy sigh, and I rub her back again. “See. Nothing to worry about.”

Juno announces to everyone she has to go to the bathroom and jumps up. I catch Declan out of the corner of my eye. He nods for me to sit by him again. Elizabeth is lost in the conversation with Will now, and I return to Declan’s side.

He smiles the whole time I walk around the table – eyes pegged on me. My insides tingle – I bet he makes everyone feel this way.

“Margaret, how are you?”

I pick up my wine glass and look up at him through my lashes. “My name isn’t Margaret.”

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