Page 20 of Forever Yours
“The least you can do is introduce me to your girlfriend, Li. I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.” Sophie’s legs quickly unwind from around my waist. I desperately try to cover her with my body. Her eyes are wide and slightly terrified. She knows this won’t end well.
“Bri, what are you doing here?” I can hear him coming up behind me. I know that at any moment he could get close enough to see who I’m hiding. My voice comes out gritty and angry. I thought we had more time. Damn, I thought we had more time before reality had to intrude.
“I’m on leave, man. Thought I would see how my best friend and my little sis are doing. Obviously, you’re doing well.” The humor in his voice assures me that he doesn’t suspect who I’m hiding.
“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, I guess.” I grind my teeth. “Could you go into my room and give us a minute? I’ll be right there, man.” Bro code dictates that he leaves me alone so that I can finish what I was doing. He chuckles.
“Sure man, last thing I am is a cockblocker.” I hear him shut my door and I look over my shoulder to make sure that it’s closed. I breathe rapidly in and out and look down at Sophie. Her face is pinched white, and she looks like she’s barely breathing.
“Breathe, Sophie, breathe. He didn’t see you. Everything’s okay.” I stroke the side of her face and her body relaxes slightly. She looks down at her feet and when she looks back up at me, I see tears swimming in her beautiful sapphire eyes.
I step back and she walks around me. “But how long will everything be okay? How long until he finds out? And what will you do then? Will you tell him we were just screwing around for a little while? Because that’s all this is, right? Just screwing around?” Her teeth chew on her lower lip, and she balls her fist up by her side.
Her gaze bores into mine. “I don’t think I can do this anymore, Liam. I’m in love with you.” I can’t stop my automatic reaction. I blanch.
She points at me. “And that’s the problem. You don’t want to accept that I could love you, or that you could possibly be in love with me.” She twists her hands together. Her voice is so full of hurt. I gulp hard. I want to say what she longs to hear. Unfortunately, I can’t.
She steps closer to me, and I stay still. “I’ve tried, Liam. I’ve shown you how much I love you since I was a little girl. If you can’t say it back, and you don’t think you’ll ever feel that way about me, then maybe it’s time for me to move on.”
My stomach dips. I don’t have answers for her. Am I ready to tell Brian? No. Am I ready to declare undying love? No. Do I even know what love feels like? I can’t answer that.
I stare blankly back at her. “We’re more than just fuck buddies, Soph. You know that, right?” I stick my hands into my pockets and rock back on my heels. “We…we’re,” I stop myself and she smiles bitterly.
“Yeah, I can see exactly what we are.” She crosses to the door and places her hand on the doorknob. She looks back at me and says in a harsh whisper, “Have fun with my brother. This...” she waves her hand back and forth between us, “is over, so you don’t need to tell him anything. I’m not very good at being a secret anyway.”
The front door slams before I have time to register what she just said.
I’m not sure how long I stand there. My heart feels like it just dropped into my feet, and I want to run after her. To say what though? What can I say that will make this better? I’m not good enough for her. I never was.
My bedroom door slams, and Brian steps out. “You know what, bro?” His voice is dripping with sarcasm He glances across the room where Sophie’s bright pink backpack is thrown next to the door. “I just thought about something. My sis said she colored her hair with pink streaks.” He strokes his jaw and glares at me. “Seems to me like that girl you were just trying to fuck up against the door also had pink hair. And that backpack over there looks exactly like the one I bought her last year. Is there something you need to tell me, Liam?”
Brian stalks closer and I can see the angry flare of his nostrils. The way his fists are tightening at his sides does not bode well for me. I step back slightly. I guess I have no choice but to come clean.
“Yes.” I look into his face, and he closes his eyes tightly for a moment. He and Sophie have the same hair color and eye color, but that’s where the similarities end. In the place of Sophie’s beauty, there’s a hardness in his appearance. There are dark circles under his eyes and my best friend looks older than twenty.
I gulp and stand taller. I’m ready for anything he can dish out. I won’t regret what happened with Sophie. I won’t regret touching her, and having her, if only for a small amount of time.
“I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that.” His gruff voice gives me a hint of what’s about to happen and I close my eyes.
When his fist connects with my face, it doesn’t seem to hurt at all. Everything fades to black as I fall back, but I can still picture Sophie’s tortured face as she walked out my door.
Chapter Twenty-four
I never knew love could physically hurt. When people say broken heart, I didn’t think it would literally feel that way. The pain is so very real. - Sophie
Sophie
The tears don’t start until I reach my dorm room. My chest feels heavy. I slam the door and dive onto my bed, headfirst. I don’t notice Reina until I feel a hand on my back, patting me softly.
I sniffle loudly and continue to sob. Reina continues to make soothing noises and rub my back.
I sob until everything is out of me and I have nothing left.
“When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.” I hear Reina walk away and her bed creaks as she sits down on it.
I stay with my head buried for a few moments. I don’t want to face the world right now, and even more don’t want to face a world where Liam is not mine. Let’s face it. He was never really mine. Maybe sexually, yeah, but his heart was never in the game. Why did I think I could handle that? Why did I think I could have a sex only relationship with him? I’m not built that way. I always knew this would end in heartbreak for me, but I don’t think I ever expected it to hurt so bad.
When I look up, Reina is sitting on her bed flipping through a magazine. She looks over the top of it at me. “You have snot coming from your nose. Go clean yourself up and we’ll figure this out.”
