Page 76 of Spark
They’re both here? Great.She really didn’t want to face them when she was such a mess.
With a sigh, she rose and slid open her window. Then she climbed back into bed and rolled over to face the wall.
“Well, that was a real clusterfuck,” Chris commented as he landed lightly on her rug.
An instant later, she felt him sit on the edge of her bed, then the pressure of his hand on her shoulder. “Sophie, how are you doing?”
She hated that his touch instantly made her feel better. “Do you even need to ask?”
“Yeah, genius,” Matt said, as he slid through the window with a heavier thump. “Sophie, I’m so sorry about what happened back there.”
“Well, if you hadn’t broken out with the big marriage proposal, things might have stayed low-key, even with Theenie's big mouth!” Chris said sharply.
“Hey,I’mnot the one who started this,” Matt protested.
And just like that, they were arguing again.
Sophie sat up. “This isn’t working out,” she said, wearily.
Both of the guys stopped accusing each other and looked at her.
“Yes, it is!” Matt protested.
“Tonight will blow over. Everyone will deal with it,” Chris assured her.
Sophie shook her head. “No. Look, it’s been fun, but look at all the problems it’s caused. Not just everyone finding out, though, seriously, I wanted to die of embarrassment back there. I hate seeing you guys sniping at each other and fighting about me.” She sighed. “I think it’s better if we all just go back to being friends.Withoutbenefits.”
“But having you here and not being able to kiss you—” Matt began.
“—or have sex with you,” finished Chris. “That’ll be sheer torture, Sophie.”
“Are yousureyou aren’t ready to pick one of us as your mate?” Matt asked hopefully.
Sophie took a deep breath, and prepared to drop her bombshell. “Noel's offering me a paid contract to defer medical school for a year, and return to Todos Santos to work for AIMM as a full staff member. I'm going to tell him 'yes.'”
Both Matt and Chris stared at her in shock.
“I--I wasn’t going to take the job, but in light of everything that happened tonight, I think I need to do this.” She tried to smile at them, but her eyes just began stinging with fresh tears. “I’m hoping this will be a reset. I don’t want to lose you, either of you, but this whole competition courtship thing just isn’t working. It’s tearing us apart, and we’re not going to be friends anymore if this continues.”
“You can’t do this,” Matt said, his voice hollow. "Youcan't."
“Please don’t do it,” Chris pleaded. “Give us another chance.”
Sophie shook her head. “Go home,” she told them. “Maybe we'll talk tomorrow. But I’m done. I can’t take any more drama tonight.”
They traded dismayed glances. “Okay,” Matt said, and Chris nodded.
She was relieved that they weren’t going to argue with her.
“Get some rest,” Matt said. He hesitated, then bent over her bed, and touched his lips to her forehead.
Chris followed suit, kissing her cheek softly. “See you tomorrow.”
Then they departed, leaving her curled miserably under her blankets.
How could something so good have gone so wrong?
* * *
