Page 33 of The Liar in Room 5

“I don’t think I want to go to the movies after all. Would that be okay?”

“Whatever you want. Do you want to do something else? Go somewhere else? Do you want me to take you back to Halo House?”

“There is somewhere I’d like to go.”

“Name it.”

“Your house?”

A slow smile spread across Henry’s face.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He picked up his fork again. “Let’s finish dessert and get out of here.”

9

Henry

“How do you get anything done with this view?”

After we returned to the house, Drew wanted to head out to the patio. The lights of the city and coastline glittered below us. Despite not being right on the ocean, the view made every penny worthwhile.

“When I’m working from home, half the time I end up out here, but it’s a real distraction,” I said as I came up behind him.

Before I spilled anything, I set our iced teas on the table and rested my hands on his shoulders.

When Drew leaned back against my chest, it felt like I’d won some kind of battle. We were about the same height, so the most natural thing would’ve been for him to rest his head on my shoulder, and he did, turning his face toward my neck.

When I felt the light brush of his lips against my skin, a shiver raced through me.

“Why do I feel different around you?” he whispered.

His tone was soft, but there was an edge of frustration underneath it, like he was annoyed with himself for letting his guard down.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It’s a…” He sighed. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.”

“When you decide, I hope I’ll be the first to know.”

We stood quietly together, watching the lights twinkle below us. For a few minutes, it felt like we were the only people in the world, but the uncertainty in Drew’s earlier questions told me there was more on his mind.

All I could do was wait for him to gather his thoughts and hope he shared them with me.

“Can I ask you a few questions about Halo House? If you’re not comfortable, I won’t.” Drew hedged every word as if I might be offended by the subject.

“If I know the answer, I’ll tell you.”

“How long have you been involved with them?”

“I took the scenic route to get there,” I warned.

“Unless you need to be up early, I’ve got time.”

“So you know I took part in that entertainment law clinic in law school, and after graduation, I joined a firm.”

“That doesn’t seem so odd.”

“Okay, Mr. Impatient. I’m getting to that part.”