15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Mazie
I t’s not until after lunch that I can bolster myself up to go to the café. There isn’t anything I need to do there today, besides talk to my sisters.
Though Zach and I didn’t exactly discuss it, I’m sure telling them is fine.
Going in now will work perfectly. The lunch rush should be wrapping up, and it’ll be quiet for us to chat.
Thankfully, walking in, I see that it’s completely empty except for Liv, who’s standing behind the counter, wiping a rag across it. Her eyes lift as the bell above my head chimes and her eyes widen.
“Oh my God, it finally happened. You and Zach had sex. Alina! Get out here!”
“How did you—”
“Okay, what’s the emergency?” Alina looks over at me when Liv juts her chin in my direction. Her jaw drops before she starts jumping up and down, clapping her hands. “It finally happened!”
“That’s what I said.” Liv jabs her in the side with her elbow.
I give my head a quick shake. “How can you tell?”
“Oh good, she’s not denying it.” Alina and Liv share a quick look before glancing back at me.
I raise a hand to my face, covering my eyes, while the other hand plants on my hip. I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel two sets of arms wrapping around me on either side. I hadn’t heard them leave the counter.
“We love you, Maze. And we’re happy for you.”
“How could you tell?” Do I have a giant neon 'recently had sex with her best friend' sign above my head that only other people can see?
“We’re your sisters. We know you. And you’re practically glowing brightly enough to combat the sun.” Liv swoops some curls over my shoulder. Ones that are fresh and curly after the rat's nest they were from this weekend.
“Besides, at one point in time, you shared that kind of information with us. Maybe not quite as vocally as Liv”—Alina and I look at her, and she just shrugs—“but we learned the signs.”
“I have recently had sex signs?” My face burns at the thought. Maybe I should have just stayed home.
“Subtle ones. That only we, as your siblings, would notice.” Sometimes I swear Liv can read my mind.
“Like what?” Now I need to know. I want to keep myself aware of them so that I can maybe control them.
“You hold your shoulders back a little more.”
“And your chin a little higher.”
“Your eyes literally sparkle.”
“Your lips look more plump.”
“And the smile,” they say in unison.
“I smile a lot. Don’t I?” One corner of my mouth tips down as I consider.
“This one is different. You don’t exactly have resting bitch face. After you’ve had sex, or at least what I can tell is good sex, your lips are quirked up and you just look…happy.” Liv gives me a quick once-over before nodding, like she’s pleased with her assessment.
But my brows pull together. “Do I not look happy most of the time?”
Now they exchange another glance, this one heavier. My chest flutters as I wait for one of them to speak.
“You look stressed. And honestly, a bit depressed.” Alina pulls her lower lip between her teeth.
I never realized that my emotions showed through that clearly. In fact, I was pretty sure I did a good job of hiding them. From everybody. Eli’s always been able to see right through me, but he’s overly perceptive with all three of us. Part of me just assumed it was a little bit of his personality, a little bit of being the oldest and watching us all grow up.
Now I wonder if they can see when I’m struggling more often than not.
“Okay. Now that we know what happened, we want more.” Liv’s like a giddy schoolgirl, ready to hear all the juicy gossip.
“I’m not giving you details.” That’s never been my thing.
“That’s not what she means. We know you’re not like that. But it’s you and Zach. We’ve all been expecting this for…well…forever.”
I roll my eyes. “A little over dramatic. Don’t you think?”
They both shrug. “But not wrong.” Liv squeezes my shoulder before skipping away and heading straight to the espresso machine.
As far as she’s concerned, what good is some gossip without caffeine to go with it?
Alina and I find a table, and I immediately fold my hands together on the wooden surface. Liv sits a few moments later, depositing three coffees in front of us. Though my preferences tend to change every now and again, I do have a somewhat regular order of a vanilla latte. The quick sip I take confirms that this is what she made for me.
“Alright. Spill.” Liv scooches back in her chair, lounging comfortable while she sips her coffee.
“I’m not sure what you want to know, exactly.”
“Well, the last we had heard from you about the situation, he had kissed you. And then basically ignored you for two weeks.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say he ignored me. We just…didn’t talk as much as usual.” Saying that he ignored me feels extreme. We all need space sometimes. And that’s what he was trying to give me. I understand it, but I’m not sure they would.
“Whatever happened. We want to know how things went from not talking to sex.”
“It was Friday, and I hadn’t heard from him and was shocked when he showed up at my door for movie night, complete with snacks.” As though planned, at the same time, they both lean forward in their chairs and wrap both hands around their cups.
“At a certain point, I had to call attention to what happened. Especially because he was acting like nothing happened, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” I tuck a curl behind my ear and look down at the table. “And after we talked a little, cleared the air or whatever, he just grabbed me and yanked me into his lap and kissed me again. Only this time, I didn’t stop him.”
They both stare at me with wide eyes, like they’re expecting more. But there’s nothing else I’m willing to give them.
“Was it just a one-time thing?” Liv cocks an eyebrow.
“He spent the weekend.” I don’t need to share about the six times we had sex in that short window.
“Alright. We get it. Not much for the details. But at least tell us this. How was it?”
A wide smile pulls at my lips as my face heats. “Incredible.” Butterflies take flight in my stomach as I think about our times together. Even the roughness grew on me in just a few short hours. It’s like Zach knows exactly how to use his body to pleasure mine. Things I thought I’d never be up for I now find myself craving.
If things had been different, if I hadn’t had to go into mom mode when I did, maybe I’d be willing to have that sisterly girl talk and give them some more intimate details.
It’s one small reason why I didn’t keep many friends after my parents passed away. Not only was I busy raising my little sisters, but I didn’t want to gossip and partake in the talk about our sex lives. The few friends I had just assumed I wasn’t having any, and that was good enough for me. But to them, I became boring. No longer was I the fun friend who would know about all the best parties because of her older brother.
Alina’s hand covering mine pulls me from my distant thoughts. “We’re happy for you, Maze. Especially if you’re happy. Are you?” She ducks her head so her eyes can meet mine.
“So far, yeah. I don’t know how I was so blind to it for so long. It's just…we click.”
Liv giggles. “That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you! I always kind of took your word for it, assumed you two had some sort of chat or tried it once and it didn’t go well. But Jameson was so sure there was something there, at least on Zach’s side. I started paying closer attention after that. He was definitely right.”
“You all were.” Defeat drips from my words as my shoulders slump. How blind I was.
“How does Eli feel about it?” Alina bites her lip as she thinks about it.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. He’s never expressed any issue with it. But I haven’t talked to him yet.”
“Zach’s his best friend.” I’m not sure why Liv feels the need to point this out.
“Zach’s my best friend.”
“Whatever. You basically share him. But I don’t know, that might be weird for Eli?”
While I hadn’t really given it much thought, now the worry starts to creep up my spine and wiggle into my mind. Is Eli going to be mad? Hurt? Disappointed? I honestly can’t imagine him feeling any of those things if I’m happy, but it is Zach. They’ve been friends for over twenty years. Maybe it’s a problem he didn’t even know he’d have until it happened.
Either way, I’m going to have to have a visit with my big brother. And soon.