Dragging his gaze over to the drafts, he furrows his brow and studies the taps. “No Sams?”
“No, sorry.”
“Guinness then, I guess.”
“I’ll take a Kronenburg too—when you get a second, Evie.” Fionn approaches the bar and sits beside Eli, flashing a broad, dangerous grin. A pink tinge colors Eli’s cheeks right on schedule.
“You got it,” I say, maintaining a visual of the two love birds out of the corner of my eye. If I bury myself into the adorable interaction unfolding, I can suppress the ugly, anxious thoughts whirling inside my mind.
I almost kissed Liam Kelly. Iwantedto kiss Liam Kelly.
More than usual.
More than I ever have in the ten years we’ve played this game.
Undeniable sparks fill a well I’ve left empty for years with rapid urgency.
Hi sparks, can you not? Thanks.
“Are you coming out with us tonight?” Fionn asks Eli. His fingers lightly brush Eli’s arm, pretending to reach for something. I angle the Guinness and hold the glass at a forty-five-degree angle. Steadying my breath, I focus on the hallowed ritual. Hops and chocolate mix together, providing a brief respite from the otherwise musty odor of The Quays.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Eli’s attention oscillates between the door and me, topping the Guinness off with a foam layer. “Wait, did you seriously scare him off?”
Pursing my lips, I grab another glass and head back to the Kronenburg tap, choosing to ignore Eli since his line of questioning threatens to further exacerbate my nerves.
“Evie.”
I let my shoulders drop. “We had a disagreement. Like we always do—no big deal.”
“Right.” He arches a brow as I lay their glasses in front of them. “And he left?”
“Maybe he had more work to do, and the two are completely unrelated.”
A lone stool scratches in the distance in the far too quiet bar.
Eli sips his beer, wiping the foam mustache forming over his top lip, clearly not buying my shit. “Evie, what the hell did you say to him?”
Fionn’s spine straightens at his brusque tone. “I should—er—go check with Declan and see if he needs any help.” He stands, patting my shoulder, and strides to the backroom.
Eli’s eyes remain on me, a disgruntled snarl resting on his face.
“Oh, quit the intimidation tactics. I’ve seen you fight a tree and lose.” I wave him off. There’s a spot on the counter that needs a serious rub down, and I channel my energy, hoping to eradicate the ring. “I just told him I wanted to call off our whole arrangement.”
“And . . .”
“And nothing, that’s it.”
“Bullshit, he wouldn’t leave if that’s all that happened.”
“I may have been outside when you talked about his plan to deal with me and called him out,” I mumble.
“His plan to—” Eli’s brow furrows deeper. His eyes widen with realization, and then a deep, amused chuckle rumbles in his chest.
And then stops.
“What?” I sigh.
“You couldn’t have heard the whole thing if that’s what you got out of it.”
