Between Us

☆ part seven ☆

Sophie's pov
The door shut behind Lark, like a punctuation mark on something unresolved. I turned to Liam, squeezing his hand gently as I looked up at him "Is she okay?" I asked softly, unable to keep the worry out of my voice.

Liam shrugged, his expression casual, but there was something thoughtful in his eyes. "She gets like this sometimes. I'm sure you've seen her like this, right?" He gave my hand a quick squeeze. "She just needs time to cool off. I've found it's best to leave her be." His words didn't feel as reassuring as I thought they were supposed to, and I frowned. The thought of Lark being upset—or worse, upset and alone—made my chest ache in a way I couldn't explain.

Liam must've noticed, because he nudged my shoulder lightly, a small grin forming on his face. "Hey, don't look so worried. She'll be fine. I promise. She's just stubborn as hell, but she always bounces back."

I nodded slowly, but the frown lingered. "I guess I just hate the idea of her being upset and no one being there for her," I murmured.

Liam chuckled, his grin widening. "Trust me, you don't need to feel too bad for her. Lark has a way of taking care of herself, and she's got plenty of fight in her." His eyes lit up with a teasing glint. "Like this one time, I spilled a drink all over her songbook—completely ruined it. She was so mad she chased me around the house and threw me over the couch."

Oakley snorted from the couch, clearly fighting off a laugh, while Indiana let out a surprised cackle. "She actually threw you over the couch?" Indi asked, her laughter bubbling over.

"Oh yeah," Liam said, laughing now as he leaned back and stretched an arm around my shoulders. "She's stronger than she looks. One second I was running, and the next, I was upside down. It was brutal."

"She really does not mess around," Oakley added with a laugh. "One time, I told her that her cat was fat, and you know what she did? She stole my dog and shaved him."

That set everyone off, laughter echoing through the room. Indiana nearly doubled over, gasping between laughs. "Wait—what? I thought you told us the vet shaved your dog!"

"I lied!" Oakley said, his voice climbing an octave as he laughed harder. "I didn't want to admit it! I mean, what was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, my best friend shaved my dog out of spite?'"

"Oh my god," I said through my laughter, shaking my head. "That's so evil."

"Evil?" Oakley said, grinning. "That's just Lark. No one messes with her, and if you do, you'd better be ready to face the consequences."

"I can't believe she shaved your dog," Indiana said, her face red as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "That's next-level petty."

"And completely on brand," Liam added, his tone warm with fondness.

The room felt lighter now, the tension that Lark's departure had left behind all but gone. But even as I laughed along with them, part of me couldn't stop thinking about her. I wondered where she was going. If she was really okay. If she'd had a moment to breathe and feel less... whatever it was that had been weighing on her so heavily. Because even with all the jokes and stories about her, I couldn't shake the sense that there was more going on than anyone realized.

Liam's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, his warm tone cutting through the noise in my head. "Hey, while we've got Lark's car," he said, nudging me gently, "how about we go grab breakfast at the diner in town? My treat."

I blinked, my attention snapping back to him. His expression was so casual, so light, that it made me hesitate. I wasn't sure if I was really in the mood to go anywhere, especially with the way the morning had gone. "I don't know..." I started, my voice trailing off.