Between Us

☆ part six ☆

Larks pov

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the faint ache in my neck from sleeping on the couch. The second was the light—bright, insistent morning sunlight spilling through the blinds, making it impossible to pretend I could just roll over and go back to sleep. I rubbed at my face and sat up slowly, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. The house was quiet except for the occasional creak of someone shifting and Oakley's relentless snoring from across the room. And then, I saw them.

Sophie was awake, perched on Liam's lap. Her legs were tucked to the side, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm loosely around her waist. Her head tilted back as she laughed at something he whispered to her, and he grinned in that easy, Liam way that everyone seemed to love. I froze, the scene unfolding before me like a bad movie I couldn't look away from. She looked... happy. Completely at ease in a way that made my stomach twist. Her hair was still slightly mussed from sleep, her pink sweater wrinkled, and her smile—it was radiant. Effortless.

A bitter, ugly feeling clawed its way up my chest. I told myself it was annoyance. Annoyance at their obvious PDA. Annoyance at being woken up to something so damn saccharine. But I knew better. This wasn't annoyance.
It was jealousy. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. She wasn't mine to feel this way about. She never would be. I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I forced myself to look away. This wasn't supposed to happen. Sophie was my best friend, for God's sake. And Liam—he was my brother. The person who'd been by my side since the beginning, the one I was supposed to be happy for. So why did it feel like my chest was caving in every time I saw them together?

I stared at the floor, willing the feeling to pass. It was just a crush. A stupid, meaningless crush. Something I could ignore until it went away, no matter how impossible that seemed right now. The sound of her laugh drifted over to me again, soft and warm, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Stop, I told myself. Stop thinking about her. Stop looking at her.

"Lark?" The voice startled me, and I glanced up to see Indiana standing nearby, her dark eyes fixed on me with concern. She was holding a mug of coffee, her head tilted slightly as she studied me.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice quiet enough not to wake anyone else.

I forced a nod, swallowing hard before mumbling, "Yeah. I'm fine."

Indi didn't look convinced, her brow furrowing slightly. "Need some coffee?"

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "Do I really look that rough?" I muttered, more harshly than I intended.

She raised her hands in mock offence at my tone, taking a step back. "Alright, just trying to help. Cranky old bitch. "She joked.

As she walked toward the kitchen, I let my head fall into my hands, taking a deep breath. I had to pull it together. This wasn't about me. It wasn't supposed to be about me. Sophie was happy. Liam was happy. That was all that mattered. I took and deep sigh and stumbled after Indiana rubbing the sleep out my eyes.

The sound of coffee pouring into my mug was sharp in the quiet kitchen, and for a moment, I focused on it like it might drown out the rest of the world. The world where Sophie sat on my brother's lap, laughing at something stupid he'd said, looking at him like he hung the stars. I could still hear her laugh, soft and melodic, drifting in from the living room like a cruel reminder of everything I couldn't have.

Indiana was standing across from me, leaning against the counter with her own mug in hand. She was watching me. I could feel her gaze on me, steady and unrelenting, even as I tried to act like everything was fine. "You don't look fine, you know," she said, breaking the silence. Her tone wasn't accusing—just matter-of-fact, like she already knew the answer.