Begin Again

5|Supernatural

She circled back to her apartment and unlocked the fourth-floor unit she shared with her friends. Taking off her shoes, she snuck inside, careful not to bang the door in case she woke everyone up. But her plan of making a ninja entrance went up in smoke when she turned around and found three pairs of curious eyes on her.

"Hi guys!" She grimaced, her face as red as the Angry Birds T-shirt Sienna wore over her flannel pyjama pants.

"It smells like a walk of shame in here." Lydia sniffed the air, and the other two broke into peals of giggles.

"Tsk-tsk!" Sienna clucked her tongue. "So much for saving yourself for marriage!"

"We've revoked your sainthood!" Cassandra snatched the bakery box from her, pouting when she peeked inside. She hated any store-bought goodies because, as a pastry chef, she could do a better job. But today, her disappointment wasn't at the muffins.

"With all the bazillions in his bank accounts, he sent you off with only ten muffins. What happened to diamonds being a girl's best friend? Who is this guy?" She shoved the box in Sienna's hands, threw her hands up in the air, and vanished beyond the doorway.

"You, Missy, have some explaining to do!" Lydia took Eden's hand and dragged her to the living room, where Cassandra sat on the grey L-shaped couch, poring over a new cookbook by a has-been reality TV star.

Sienna remained in the kitchen, making everyone coffee to go with the muffins. She was the mom of the group and indulged everyone. Cassandra took on the dad role and laid down the law. Lydia, the rebellious child, kept them all on their toes with her mischief. Eden's sainthood—she'd now lost overnight—had made her the wise sage. Everyone came to her with their problems, never mind that she was the least experienced and most naive.

"You are not allowed to start without me!" Sienna yelled, her voice louder than the kettle whistling on the gas stove.

"Tell us already!" Lydia bounced like a fidgety child high on sugar from her position on the paint-splash rug.

"There's nothing to tell." Eden plopped down on a teal wingback chair they called the throne. They picked it up for a steal at the flea market when they first moved in, and they'd fought over it since. Not because it was comfortable. But because of the sun seeping through the lace-curtained windows behind it. Their apartment was colder than a morgue, so any bit of warmth was a luxury around here.

After the night she had, Eden thought she deserved to sit on the throne the whole day.

"I'm here. The tale of the virgin saint ravished by a roguish prince can begin!" Sienna rushed in with a tray of steaming yellow mugs and a plate overflowing with muffins.

"There was no ravishing!" Eden grumbled, taking her mug.

"Sure, says the stench of sex clinging to you." Lydia grinned.

Eden sniffed herself, sending her friends into heaps of laughter.

"Stop it, you guys!" She sipped her coffee and made a face. Sienna didn't make good coffee. They all knew this, but still trusted her with this sacred job.

Struggling to breathe through her laughter, Cassandra asked. "One question...Are his pubes also red?"

"Oh God, you went there!" Sienna rolled around on the couch, tears streaming down her face.

"No comment!" Eden gritted her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared straight ahead. She'd never tell them, and she figured they knew anyway. But yes, Liam's hair was fiery down there. A much darker shade, though. Oh, how she loved touching him!

An intense ache tingled in her thighs at the memory of Liam buried deep inside her. She bit the inside of her cheek, stifling a moan.

"Edie, stop drooling!" Lydia snapped her fingers in front of her. "What were you thinking about?"