Soak Up The Sun

Love is Noise

Liam awoke to find Sophie's half of the bed cold. He could hear the faint sound of water running. Her phone was ringing constantly. Liam reached across and froze at the name on the screen. The Chief. He felt anger begin to flow through him. He hated the pompous nickname that had been gifted to his older brother. Why the fuck was he in her phone as that? Control freak is all it was code for. He hadn't spoken to him in years. Not properly. He was on the other end of this call. He was compelled by a sudden urge to answer it but also to cry and run away like a child. This was a mess. A stupid idea that would end in tears but there was no way he was giving up what he had with Sophie. Especially for him.

He saw a message flash up.

"Pick up. I'm genuinely scared phone guy has murdered you."

Liam rolled his eyes but smirked. "Phone guy?". Sophie hadn't even given him a name?

Sophie burst through the door half dressed and still damp. She hopped on the spot trying to get her sock on and Liam smiled at her.

Sophie glared at him.

"You're a fucking bastard! You turned my alarm off. I'm so late! Fuck!"

Liam shrugged with twinkling eyes.

"I'd do it again."

Sophie groaned and leant over the bed planting a firm kiss on his lips.

Liam pulled back dazedly tasting the mint from her toothpaste.

"Please still be here when I get back?" She said as she shuffled into her jacket.

Liam nodded.

"Promise?" She asked.

He nodded.

Sophie exited in a rush and then two seconds re-entered.

"Wait, one more." She said as she rushed over to him kissing him more firmly this time.

Liam smiled into the kiss and felt his heart flutter in his chest as he watched her go. He laid his head back on the pillows unable to stop smiling. His head was full of her as he drifted between waking and sleeping. He dreamt of their bodies joining beneath a starry sky in a field beneath festival floodlights. She looked the same but he was much younger. Weird.

Sophie had missed the first 3 meetings of the day. She messaged Noel back. He'd called so many times and seemed genuinely concerned for her as opposed to mad at her for missing work, which he should have been.

"I'm good. So so so sorry. See you in 10 omw. I'll be on time for the next meeting."

Sophie felt so terrible she came bearing coffee and pastries.

Noel opened the door and before he could even say anything she thrust the pastries at him.

"It's your favourite kind. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

Noel gave her a small smile.

"Forget that. Are you all right?"

Sophie nodded with a flush on her cheeks.

"It went well...last night."

Noel raised his brow knowingly.

"Right. Good. So he didn't try anything creepy?"

Sophie smirked.

"Nothing I didn't like."

Noel laughed and they got to work.

Sophie felt a bit queasy about the whole situation as the day came to an end. Noel had shown her nothing but trust and kindness. She owed him more than sleeping with his brother that he'd estranged himself from...for a reason. Her loyalties had to lie with Noel. Simple. But it wasn't simple because then there was Liam. She flushed as she thought about him waiting for her. Hopefully still in her bed. He was...meant to be. She'd never felt anything like it. Like some odd force inside him was made just for her. Like they'd known each other somehow. She was fucked. Completely fucked.