Chapter 91 I thought you were going to stay a little longer.
Sophie
My god! I slap my hands over my mouth to keep from shouting. I hear gasps from every direction in the restaurant.
Jordan is not moving. Water drips from his hair down his forehead. He slowly looks up, like he can not believe this is real.
Liam is the only person who is not losing his mind. He puts the glass down on the table gently and smiles right at Jordan. "That looks good on you."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Jordan yells. He points a finger at Liam, then turns it on me. "Who is this guy, Sophie? What the hell is.."
Liam grabs his wrist before he can finish. The look on Liam’s face turns hard and dark, almost frightening. He forces Jordan’s arm down.
"Do not ever point at her," Liam says, each word clear and cold.
I am in a daze. This all happened too fast. How did Liam even know I was here? And why is he helping me now? He was so horrible to me this morning. What is different?
Jordan winces. He is about the same size as Liam, but he is clearly scared to fight him.
"Waiter!" Jordan barks at the server who is rushing over. "This man just assaulted me! I want to call the police!"
My stomach drops. I can not believe how low he will go. But now he is going to cause real trouble.
"Jordan," I hiss, "do not do that."
Liam just laughs a little. "It is fine. Let him call."
The waiter gets to our table. But, to my surprise, he turns to Liam and me first and gives a small, polite nod. "Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Thorne?"
…Mr. Thorne?
Right. How could I forget? If Jordan is a rich, entitled bastard, then Liam is that times ten.
My heart slows down. Now I really want to laugh. The look on Jordan’s frozen face is honestly funny to see.
Liam puts an arm around my shoulders and nods at the waiter. "Yes. You heard the gentleman. There has been some yelling and an attack. You should probably call the police before it gets worse."
I stop wanting to laugh. "Wait, Liam… just let him leave."
As good as it feels to watch Jordan suffer, I can not stand another minute with him. I have had enough. This should be plenty.
"You are sure?" Liam looks at me. He seems so normal right now, like a protective older brother.
I nod.
"Whatever Miss Bennett prefers, then."
It is weird to hear him call me 'Miss Bennett.' But I do not hate how it sounds.
Jordan gives us both a nasty look and then hurries out of the restaurant.
I want to thank Liam, but before I can, he turns to me and lets out a short laugh. "So that was your Prince Charming, huh?"
I scowl. I do not like his mocking tone, but I am still grateful for what he did.
"I already ended things with him. But thank you for stepping in."
Liam ignores my thanks. He puts his hands in his pockets and looks down at me. He seems more arrogant than ever.
"Sure you did," he says with a chuckle. "You love the fake, righteous type. As long as they give money to charities and pretend to care about the planet, you let them do whatever they want. Even if they are a complete asshole."
My mouth falls open. What is with his mood changing every two seconds? One minute he is acting like a good brother, and the next he turns into this cruel person. He must be on something.
"Are you really criticizing my love life right now?" I snap. "Oh, I am sure Mr. Playboy has a lot of opinions. The man who has a whole box of condoms in his closet and probably sleeps with every woman he meets!"
A real anger lights up in Liam’s green eyes. He raises his voice. "I would not sleep with you! That is for damn sure!"
What did he just say? Liam looks just as shocked by his own words. The tips of his ears turn red, but he keeps glaring at me, not backing down. Our argument has made everyone in the restaurant stop eating to watch.
The waiter tries to help. "Mr. Thorne, would you like to use our private balcony?"
"Yeah, go enjoy your fancy balcony!" I shout at Liam. "I am leaving." I rush out of the restaurant.
Coming here was a huge mistake. No, coming to Northwood was the huge mistake. I should have listened to my dad and Maya.
My mom is home when I get back. She is surprised to see me so soon. "Already? Did you have a nice lunch?"
"No. It was terrible." I drop onto the sofa, upset. "Liam is a complete asshole."
"What happened?" Mom sits closer to me and pours a cup of tea. "I thought you two were getting along."
My mom has a way of making people tell her everything. Before I know it, I have told her the whole story.
"Oh, Sophie, I am so sorry about your boyfriend," she says, gently rubbing my shoulder.
"My ex-boyfriend," I corrected her.
"Yes, sorry." She smiles. "And about Liam… well, I am sure he meant well. He is just not good at showing how he feels. Under all that pride, I think he really does like you."
"Maybe he did, three years ago. But not anymore," I mumble. "Now he hates me." And I have no idea why.
Mom seems to think differently. "Well, maybe you do not know the whole story. I still remember, when you left three years ago, Liam had a very difficult time."
I look at her, confused.
"That is when he moved out," Mom says with a sigh. "He had a terrible fight with Alexander. They barely speak now. He has become quite… well, how do I say it… closed off."
Liam and 'closed off'? I have a hard time believing that. "Mom, that is a stretch. I think he was just upset about you and Mr. Thorne getting married. It has nothing to do with me."
"No. I do not think he cared that much about our marriage," Mom says with a weak smile. "But could you try to be friends with him? It is hard enough having two people in this house who refuse to talk."
"Mom," I try to remind her, "I am not staying. In fact, I am leaving today."
There is nothing here for me. It is bad enough that my boyfriend dumped me. I do not need to stay here and watch my mom’s perfect new life. Plus, it would be too awkward now to sleep in Liam’s room.
I run upstairs to pack my bag, even though I can hear my mom calling after me. I ignore her and call my dad.
He answers on the first ring. "Sophie, is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to let you know I am coming home today. Can you pick me up from the airport later?"
He sounds surprised. "Today? But Sophie… I thought you were going to stay a little longer."
"Well, if you can not come, I can take a shuttle. It is fine."
His voice gets tighter. "It is not that… I just thought… I mean, why do you not stay at your mom’s place for a while longer?"
My whole body goes still. I can hear a thread of nervousness, of embarrassment, in his tone.
"Dad…" I swallow hard. "Are you telling me not to come home?"