Afew hours later, I smelled Sophie’s perfume when she was near me before she even spoke.
The scent was embedded in my memory and made me think of her no matter where I smelled it. I had been sitting outside of her mother’s room for hours in a chair one of the nurses brought for me.
The nurse had only done it to get my attention, but I needed the chair, so I took it and sent her on her way. My head was against the wall with my eyes closed while my arms were folded against my chest.
My eyes opened when I faintly heard her voice.
“You didn’t have to stay,” she said softly. Her eyes were red as hell and she looked tired and frustrated.
“I wasn’t gonna leave until I knew you were alright.”
Me standing put us inches apart, with me looking down at her. I wanted her close to me but knew she was in a bad place, so I decided to give her space.
“Is he gone?” she asked, ignoring my comment about not leaving. Sophie scanned the halls, looking for her father, then looked up at me.
“Yeah, he left.”
“What did he say?”
My eyes met hers and she was torn. She was still pissed at me about all the shit that happened with Orin before the situation with her mother and father popped off, but she was concerned about me too.
Her father had shown her a side she wasn’t used to seeing. Even if I knew it was bullshit, she didn’t.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m good, Sophie. Just tell me what you need.”
She laughed sarcastically and looked me right in the eyes. “I need things to go back to the way they were yesterday when I didn’t know I was sharing you with another woman or that my father isn’t my father, and my mother married him just to social climb. That’s what I need, and if you can’t give me that, you might as well just leave.”
I felt my jaw tighten at the mention of my situation with Orin, but I couldn’t blame anyone but myself. I had done that, but needed her to be over it. Things were complicated enough and she didn’t need to worry about Orin.
“Don’t make me the bad guy right now, Sophie. Fuck Orin and that entire situation. I made a bad decision, but she’s not important. As for your father, fuck him too?—”
“He’s not my father and I just need some space. I can’t even deal with any of this right now,” Sophie said, walking past me, but I caught her arm.
“Ay, where you going?”
“Home. I just want to sleep. I’ll deal with everything else tomorrow. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.”
She tried to walk off again, but I maintained my grip on her arm.
“I’ll take you and I’m not about to argue. Space, I can give you, but don’t expect me to just walk away, Sophie. I can’t do that and I’m not even going to pretend I will.”
“Fine, I don’t have the energy to argue with you either.”
She pulled away and headed toward the elevator. I inhaled and released it slowly. I’d give her tonight, but I’d be there first thing in the morning to start fixing what was broken.
Chapter 24
Maddie
Iwoke up the next morning in Carlos’s bed alone. It was the first time we had actually spent the night together, so I was a little disappointed he wasn’t in bed with me.
I pulled the covers back and headed straight for the bathroom. He and I had finished two bottles of champagne before we went to sleep last night and my bladder was screaming for relief.
After I was done, I washed my hands and began snooping. His counters were spotless. The only thing on them was a brushed nickel soap dish, an empty toothbrush holder, and a hand towel folded neatly beside the sink. It was weird to me that it was so neat, but maybe he was just that way.
I pulled the cabinet below the sink open and found his mouthwash which I used to gargle while I searched for a washcloth. I found one in the linen closet on the opposite wall and placed it on the counter.
After I spit out the mouthwash, I cleaned my face and folded the cloth neatly over the edge of the sink. Staying at Carlos’s place had been a last minute thing because he was so pissed about the situation with Richard that he’d driven straight to his apartment.
