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“Sort of, yeah.”
“You know that makes no sense, right?”
“It makes total sense,” I disagree. “You don’t go to dinner with anyone else, you never mention anyone else, so I don’t think you’re peopling with anyone else.”
“I’m selective,” he says, and something about his deadpan delivery has me cracking up.
“Glad I made the cut.” I grin broadly.
“Like you said, I’m sort of stuck with you.”
He’s making jokes. I guess the career conversation is a safe one after all.
“Seriously though,” I continue once I can talk without laughing. “Why a doctor when you don’t love people?”
“I could be a surgeon and only work on unconscious patients.” He points out.
“Is that your plan?”
He wrinkles his nose. “Fuck no. Too much blood.”
“You don’t like blood?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, I just don’t want to look at it every day,” Liam licks a drop of ketchup off his fingers, and yeah, now I can see how a daily dose of blood might not be appealing. “I picked pre-med so I can help people. I’ll figure out what to focus on later.”
"So, you don’t come from a bunch of doctors?”
Liam’s posture seems to stiffen a bit before he subtly shakes his head. “No.”
Though his tone isn’t rude, it definitely gives the impression he’s done talking about his choice of major, so I don’t push it.
Time to get him to use that mouth for a smile.
“Well, I come from a line of mechanics. My grandpa fixed planes in the army before he opened an auto repair shop, which my dad now owns.”
“Now that engine oil comment you made the other day makes sense. So, you’re breaking away from tradition by studying engineering then?”
“Sort of. I’m focusing on automotive engineering. I don’t know if I want to focus on engine design or structural design though, but either way it still involves cars. That’s just my fall back though, since I’m obviously going to the NFL.” I paste a grin on my face as I pop a piece of broccoli in my mouth.
It doesn’t have quite the same effect as chomping on a french fry, but I think I make it work.
I can see him fighting the pull on his lip as he asks, “And what then, if you don’t make the NFL. You go back home and take things over from your dad?”
“That’s not my first choice, but it’s not a bad one either. I’ll just see how things unfold. Will you go back to Arizona?”
Liam’s gaze hardens. “Not if I can help it.”
I’m waiting for him to elaborate, since I figure you don’t have that kind of opinion about your hometown without reason, but instead of giving me any details he stuffs the last bite of his burger in his mouth and starts gathering his trash. “Ready to head back?”
The abrupt end to the conversation once again has me wavering between wanting to know more and feeling relieved Liam didn’t overshare. He’s much better about boundaries than I am, which is something I could learn from. Boundaries are good. Boundaries will allow me to be Liam’s friend without betraying Xavier.
“Yeah.” I finish my chicken and walk with him to return our trays to the kitchen, though even with that little pep talk about not overstepping, I can’t stop my mind from spinning.
If I’m not afraid to go home after everything that happened with Xavier, what could’ve possibly happened in Arizona that makes Liam not want to go back?
Chapter six
Liam
