“He's not a stray puppy,” I say, but warmth spreads through my chest.
“Actually, I kind of am,” Liam says. “Avery's been trying to house-train me for weeks now.”
“How's that going?” Sadie asks.
He pouts, and it’s adorable. “Poorly. I still pee on the carpet sometimes.”
I choke on my tea. “Liam!”
He grins, completely unrepentant. “But seriously, let me take you to some galleries. I have a few hours before I need to be at the hospital.”
So that's how I end up spending the morning gallery-hopping with Liam and my twin sister. We visit three different galleries, and true to his word, Liam knows absolutely nothing about art.
He stands in front of abstract paintings with exaggerated concentration, makes up ridiculous interpretations that have us in stitches, and asks questions that reveal he's actually paying attention even if he doesn't understand the technical aspects.
“This one speaks to me,” he says in front of a massive canvas covered in aggressive red slashes.
“What's it saying?” Sadie asks, playing along.
“It's saying, I'm very expensive and possibly a scam.”
“Liam,” I hiss, glancing around to make sure no gallery staff heard him.
“What? I'm being honest. That's worth like half a million dollars and it looks like someone threw paint at a canvas during a tantrum.”
“That's literally what the artist did,” Sadie says. “It's about channeling rage into creation.”
“Well, they succeeded. I'm enraged at the price tag.”
Despite trying to act like the serious one, I'm laughing. And as we move through the galleries, with Liam's hand occasionally brushing mine, it feels like a date. Even with my sister here, it feels intimate and special and exactly right.
At eleven, Hudson picks us up and drives us back to my apartment. Liam walks us to the door, and when Sadie tactfully steps ahead to give us a moment, he pulls me close.
“Thank you for this morning,” he says. “I needed it.”
“Me too.”
“I'll pick you up at 1:30 for the hospital visit?” he asks.
“I'll be ready.”
He turns to Sadie, who's pretending to be very interested in her phone. “It was great meeting you. Next time you're in town, come to a game. I'll get you good seats.”
“I might take you up on that,” Sadie says, shaking his hand. Then she grins. “Take care of my sister, Liam.”
“That's the plan.” His eyes find mine again. “See you soon.”
After he leaves, Sadie and I head into my apartment. She immediately kicks off her shoes and flops onto my couch.
“Okay, so I get it now,” she says.
“Get what?”
“Why you can't stay away from him.” She props herself up on her elbows, studying me. “He's hot, Avery. Like, stupidly hot. And the way he looks at you like you're the only person in the world?”
Warmth floods through me. “He does not look at me like that.”
“He absolutely does. Anytime you said something, he tracked your every word like it was the most important thing he'd ever heard. It was intense. In a good way.”
