Chapter 116 The expression on his face made my blood run cold.
Liam's POV
Some annoying noise drags me out of sleep. I groan and force my eyes open, taking a second to figure out that my phone is the thing screaming on the nightstand. I grab it and answer, my voice rough and thick from just waking up. "This better be fucking important."
"Hey man. Looks like you had a good night?" James laughs on the other end.
I push myself up slowly in my bed, sheets all twisted around me, and press my hand to my forehead while pieces of last night start coming back. There was a party. A wild one. I remember doing tequila shots, remember some random girls shoving their tongues in my mouth. I glance around the room and see I'm alone. She must have bounced after things wound down.
"I'm hanging up," I say, annoyed.
"No no no wait. Don't hang up. You're gonna want to hear this." His voice gets louder, excited. "It's about Sophie."
I was reaching for the water glass on my nightstand, and my hand just stops in mid-air. Her name cuts through my hangover like ice water. My head clears instantly.
"What about her?" The words come out fast, and I immediately wish I could take them back. "No. Never mind. I don't want to know."
"You sure about that? What happened to your whole big plan to make her yours? You're just walking away?"
I drag myself off the bed and shuffle into the living room, squeezing the bridge of my nose between my fingers. "We hooked up once. That's it. She's too complicated, too much work. Not worth my time."
I keep seeing her face that morning after we slept together. Like she woke up and immediately regretted everything. That look pisses me off every single time I think about it.
James starts laughing hard on the phone. "Wait, wait, wait. You two already slept together? And she ditched you right after? Shit, man. Sorry, but I have to ask... did you mess something up in bed?"
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" I snap. "Go fuck yourself. I'm done."
I start pulling the phone away from my ear, but his voice comes rushing through the speaker. "She's going to the beach house with Alex!"
My heart just stops.
She's what?
Before I even realize what I'm doing, the phone is pressed against my ear again. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"
"I'm telling you, man. You're about to lose her. I heard them talking about it at lunch today. It's happening. She's going to the beach house with Alex this weekend."
My hand clenches around the phone so tight I might break it. Rage burns through me like fire. Alex? She's going away with Alex? Going on a trip together is a big deal, and she's ready to do that after only two weeks?
Is she already his girlfriend now?
I curse loud and kick the dumpster in the hallway, hard, then run my hands through my hair, pulling at it.
Fucking Alex with his perfect clothes and that smug look. I know he's exactly her type. Exactly her mother's type too. The student council president, straight-A's, good boy image.
A bunch of dark thoughts flood my head. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment and force myself to breathe. When I open them again, my voice is calm. "Where's the beach house?"
James gives me the address and laughs. "So you're back in the game?"
"Yeah."
I was trying to let her go. This whole thing is stupid anyway. But she picked the wrong guy. No way I'm letting Alex have her.
"That's what I'm talking about. So what's your plan now?"
"Same plan I've always had." I drop onto the couch, elbows on my knees. My dad and that woman have their third anniversary coming up in less than two months. On the night of their party, that's when everything comes out."
"Damn, that's brutal. You're really going to destroy her. But honestly? She doesn't deserve all that, you know?"
Something irritates me deep down. I hate when people bring up what happened between us three years ago. But what I hate even more is how she came back this time acting like nothing ever went down.
She deserves this. Every last bit of it.
Whose side are you on, anyway?"
James chuckles. "Do you even have to ask? But two months isn't much time. You really think you can make her fall for you that fast?"
I go quiet. With her, I never know anything for sure.
"I've got an idea," James says, his voice picking up. "If you play your cards right, she could be back in your arms by the time this weekend is over."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sophie's POV
Friday night, we drove to Katherine's beach house just like we planned. Alex was driving and I sat up front with him. Katherine and Edie were in the back, arguing loudly about some movie I'd never even heard of.
I leaned back in my seat and watched the view outside. The sun was going down. We drove along the coastal highway, and streaks of light fell across the cliffs and the water. The sky was filled with clouds painted gold and red from the sunset. It was honestly beautiful.
Then the window rolled down and warm summer air rushed in. I looked over and Alex was smiling at me. He reached out and turned on the radio. Some country song was playing.
I love that he thinks about little things like that. So I leaned back, closed my eyes, and just let myself feel the wind and listen to the music. Maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea after all.
We got there a little after seven.
There's a whole row of villas along the coast, and Katherine's uncle owns one of them. Each house has its own private beach. Perfect spot to get away from everything.
Alex parked in front of the house and Katherine leaned forward from the back seat. "So my uncle already had the butler come clean everything, but do you guys want to grab food first? I checked the weather and it's supposed to rain tonight. I really don't want to have to come back out in that."
"Yeah, sounds good." I pulled out my phone. "Let me see if there's any restaurants open around here."
I was looking at my phone when suddenly this bright light came out of nowhere and hit us right in the face. So fucking bright it hurt. The car heading toward us had their high beams on and wasn't turning them off.
We all covered our eyes and Edie muttered from the back, "What an asshole."
I squinted through my fingers and saw a sports car flying toward us. I don't know much about fancy cars, but I recognized this one. A BMW M8.
I only know what it looks like because Liam drives the same car.
Suddenly panic grabbed my chest, like I already knew what was coming for me.
The M8 screeched to a stop right next to us. The passenger door swung open and James jumped out. He bent down and grinned at us all. "Hey guys!"
None of us could even speak. We were all in shock. I turned my head slowly and looked past the car window. Through the open door I could see Liam sitting in the driver's seat, his hand still resting on the steering wheel.
Then, slowly, he lifted his head and his eyes met mine. Those beautiful green eyes were so dark they almost looked black. I sucked in a quick breath without meaning to. The expression on his face made my blood run cold.