Well, that's true. We've done nothing wrong, but Cady's going to be pissed I hadn't told her about this.
I whip on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, and head back out to the living room, assuming Cillian will follow. When she hears me, she turns around, her face still red. I glance behind me and see Cillian step back into the kitchen, picking up a slice a pizza to resume eating.
Cady leans in close to me to whisper. "Sorry for barging in like that...I never would have if I knew you'd be doing the na**d tango with Cillian. How long has this been going on?"
"Not long. Are you mad at me?"
She gives me a light punch, still whispering. "Yes... I'm mad. Mad that you didn't tell me, not mad that you’re... doing it with him." That last part had her wrinkling her nose up.
I shoot her a grin and decide to freak her out even more. Lowering my voice conspiratorially, I say, "Gosh, Cady... he's an animal in the sack. You should see this thing he does with his tongue—"
"Stop it," she practically screeches. "I don't want to hear what happens in bed between my cousin and my almost-brother."
I chuckle and give her a quick hug. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It all happened so fast and it's a bit new."
"But you're happy with him?" I can see the doubt on her face.
"Don't worry about me. We're both having fun right now, that's all."
Cady glances past me into the kitchen to sneak a peek at Cillian. Then she looks back at me. "His tongue, you say?"
Nodding my head slowly up and down I tell her, "You can't imagine how good that piercing he has feels."
Her face goes red but she starts giggling. "I'm sure Teagan will want more details than I do. But right now... I'm going to get out of your hair so you can go back to your na**d pizza party."
Apparently, we weren't whispering as low as we thought we were because Cillian calls out, "Good, because you weren't invited."
Cady sticks her tongue out at Cillian and then gives me a quick hug. After the door closes behind her, Cillian holds a slice of pizza up. "Get back in here and eat. And make sure you get rid of your clothes first."
CHAPTER 16
Cillian
"So, is this like an intervention or something?" Daniel asks.
"No. Nothing like that. I just think we need to make sure Maeve knows we're all together on this." I stand up from my kitchen table and get a bottle of water from my refrigerator.
We're at my apartment, waiting for Maeve to show up for a band meeting. I'd asked Sean and Daniel to meet me here a bit early so we could discuss it in more detail. I thought I had made clear though, what this was about. Apparently, Daniel hadn't been listening to me.
"So, we're going to kick her out of the band if what? She starts drinking again?"
I sigh with frustration and confusion. "Yes. No. I don't know, Daniel. I just think she needs to understand that we want her to take this seriously. That the future of the band rests on her ability to get sober."
Daniel leans back in his chair, putting his boots on my table. "I don't see what the problem is. So Maeve likes to party a bit. Who doesn't?"
As I head back to my chair, I swat Daniel's feet off my table. "It's more complicated than that."
"Seriously, dude," Sean pipes in. "You've got to admit, she takes it to the extreme. Plus, she tried to kill herself."
Daniel shakes his head. "I don't think she meant to kill herself. Maeve loves life too much. She did it for the attention. Cillian's attention to be specific."
I sigh, rubbing my temples. This was so not how I thought I'd be spending my Saturday night. I'd give anything right now just to go sit in The Hibernian and watch Renner work.
Sean is twirling his pencil in his hands as he talks. "It doesn't matter why she did it. The point is—she did it. And alcohol was involved. She's got a problem, man."
Leaning forward and resting my arms on the table, I look at each of them seriously. "I just want her to know that we are supporting her and will do whatever we can to get her through this. But I want to be clear with her that she has to be sober to stay with us."
"And you're prepared to kick her out if she drinks just one drop of alcohol?" Daniel challenges me.
"If we're all in agreement, then yes."
"I'm in agreement," Sean says.
Daniel's quiet for a minute. "Well, I'm not. That's harsh, dude. If she truly has a problem, then she's bound to f**k up. You want to just turn our backs on her the minute she makes a mistake?"
I stand up again and grab a bottle of aspirin from the counter. Popping two pills, I wash them down with a swallow of water. This headache is getting worse by the moment.
"I don't know the answers," I say wearily. "But we have to draw a line with her. Maybe we tell her that if she slips, it's either back to rehab or she's out of the band. That at least gives her an option to get back on track."
Daniel and Sean both nod their agreement and none too soon. The doorbell rings and Daniel heads into the living room to let her in. Sean and I pass a serious look between each other. I take a deep breath.
When Maeve walks in, I'm relieved to see she looks pretty damn good. Her eyes are clear and there's actually a healthy glow to her skin. It's made me realize that she had been looking a little run down in the past few months.