“Who’s crying now, punk? Get the fuck up.”
I throw the partially eaten apple back at Liam, but it hits the wall, shattering everywhere as he shuts the door again. Sitting up, I wipe the sticky apple chunks off my stomach, seeing the red mark bloom on my skin, and laugh. He’s such an asshole.
Twenty minutes later, I’m walking down the stairs, dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a white T-shirt. I drag my hand through my tousled bed head as I take the last few steps. Liam’s standing at the bottom, his grin big as he holds out another apple for me.
“Fuck you,” I laugh, swatting his hand. “But I’m starving. Grab the spare, and let’s get food. The staff could probably use the break.”
As if I conjured a demon with my “spare” nickname, Caroline’s voice bounces off the walls as she makes her way through the wallpapered dining room toward where we’re standing.
“What you call taste, I call trash. Please stop defending your choice and change it. Every time you speak, you ruin my birthday. Every word. The upcoming day ruined. Do you want that on your conscience? No? Is that a no? Why are you shaking your head that way?”
Liam gives a small whistle like we’re in trouble, and I nod as we make our way over to her.
“Caroline.”
She holds a hand up to silence me as she continues berating the fool next to her. Liam takes her hand, pulling her agitated face from the conversation, and spins her around as he stupidly sings, dancing her around.
“Get off me,” she snaps, trying to pretend that she hates the attention.
I quietly dismiss whoever she was speaking with as Liam spins Caroline again, tugging her in and dipping her back. When he rights her, the smile she’s trying so hard to diminish peeks through. She faces me slipping back into the Caroline most of us know and well, not love, but accept.
“Take me to breakfast, Caroline, or lunch, whatever. But I’m starving, so we’re leaving.”
Liam tries to move her, but she bats at him, shaking her head.
“I have too much to do. You’ll have to freeload on someone else’s dime.”
I laugh. For all her snark, the girl can be funny. Liam slips behind Caroline and pushes, forcing her forward.
“They could use a break, Carebear.” He smiles, motioning to the waiting staff.
“No. Also, I wouldn’t be seen dead with you two dressed like you’re homeless. I’m beginning to think Liam only owns hoodies and gray sweats.”
Liam grins at me, and I look down at what I’m wearing laughing, and shake my head.
“Carebear,” Liam levels, “we wouldn’t want people resorting to spitting in the party food as payback.”
She looks at me, genuinely shocked by the thought. “That doesn’t happen?”
I pull our front door open, as Liam shoves her through, smiling down at her worried face. “I’m certain you’ve swapped spit with more waiters than you’ve fucked.”
“I’m going to puke. Fine, I’ll go, but only for an hour. And I’m canceling the caterers.”
Liam chuckles, and I follow suit as we step outside into the cool afternoon. The conversation is easy as we walk the few blocks. Caroline and Liam talk about a project they have due next week for a class they share, and I stay inside my head with my only thought. Donovan. It’s always her.
I swear I can still almost taste her lips. Fuck, I’m in deep. Looking down at my phone again, there’s still no message. After how I left her last night, a small part of me worries that I pushed too hard and went too far. But I couldn’t fucking see straight. I wanted her to admit that she made a choice a long time ago, so that Liam’s chance never actually existed. It’s not good enough to be her first or last love. I want to be the only.
My favorite eatery, Siena Café, comes into view as we turn a corner, and I grab the short iron gate, opening it to nab a table outside. The sidewalks are relatively empty, but even if they were full, the ivy-decorated overhang provides privacy while allowing us to sit out and enjoy the view. We come here so often that they know who we are. And not just our faces but our last names, which affords us some luxuries.
I put my phone on the table, noticing only one other table is seated, and look up at the waitress. “Caroline will have champagne. We’ll have water.”
She smiles brightly across from me. “Thank you.”
I wink. “You’re paying.”
Her giggle escapes her lips as she pushes her sunglasses on top of her head. Caroline knows I’m buying, but I would never ruin our relationship by copping to being nice to her.
The waitress puts down a bevy of spreads and tiny squares of toast for us as a starter. Liam’s hand darts out, grabbing a spreading knife to make the small bites as he speaks. “What’re the big plans for your party next week? Did you hire Cirque du Soleil? Fly in Drake?”
He pops some toast in his mouth and points at me before she can answer. “Remember when Max Steiner had his bar mitzvah, and his dad got those acro chicks.” He turns to Caroline and grins. “One of them let Grey and I see her boobs for a hundred bucks.”
I laugh loudly, leaning back into my seat, watching Caroline’s face contort with disgust before I add, “The best part is that I stole the money out of Max’s dad’s wallet. He paid for us to become men that day too.”
Liam smacks the table, still laughing, and Caroline rolls her eyes as our drinks are placed in front of us.
“That’s criminally grotesque, but I bet there will be plenty of girls who will do it for free at my party next weekend.”
“No interest. I’ve been through your friends.”
I take a drink of my water as Liam gives a half laugh, eyeing Caroline.
Her eyes narrow on me as a smile grows. “You’re more treacherous than usual. Has someone piqued your interest?”
The blare of a horn sounds off in the background, and I glance out over the street before a smirk pulls at my lips over her salacious nosiness. “Yes, and I think it’s fairly obvious as to whom.”
Liam leans back in his chair and stretches his arm behind Caroline on top of her metal chair. “But he has competition, so he shouldn’t be too confident.”
Caroline’s head swings to Liam’s bullshit challenging expression and then back to me before she pretends to heave. The aggravation in her tone is accompanied by her irritated push to Liam’s arm, ridding it from her chair.
“You’re both speaking about Donovan? I don’t want to hear your pathetic attempts to win her over. You know the whole school thinks you guys are in some kind of threesome.”
“We’d never be that gracious,” I lie nonchalantly, and Liam grins, putting his arm back along her chair.
“Whatever. You’re both out of your league with that girl. She’s not a cherry in any sense of that hideous nickname.” She turns to Liam and raises her brows. “You should forfeit because—” Caroline’s voice pauses midsentence as her attention swings back to me. “Then again, Grey may have the harder time winning her over.”
Liam gives me a questioning look, but I shrug. “Why me?”
She leans forward and folds her hands on the crisp white tablecloth. “Nobody likes to ride a sinking ship.”