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“Anna.” He spoke carefully, moving to each new word as if he were balancing on a tightrope. “Do you think that the way I feel about Tess might be the way she feels about me?”
It took Anna nearly as long as it’d taken him to reply, and it was as stilted and awkward as anything he’d ever heard from her. “I do think it is… possible that she might. I could very well be wrong, but I feel as though the way she looks at you has changed a little bit in the past couple of days. It’s a little more like how I notice you looking at her.”
Pure marvelment at the events unfolding before him left his voice stranded deep inside his throat. Fortunately, it worked out for him, potentially making it seem like he was shocked to learn this information about Tess. Instead, he was shocked about something else. Something he desperately needed to receive clarification about before things went any further.
“Assuming that’s true, what exactly are you saying to me right now? That… you’re okay with me pursuing Tess while we pretend to date?”
“We’re not exclusive to one another, so… yes.” Anna’s face reached the deepest crimson it would arrive at as she nodded. “I could be wrong about what I think I’ve noticed, but I just want to repay you a little for all the kindness and help you’ve given to me. I got the sense that you really like Tess. And if she feels the same way, I want to repay her for everything she’s done for me, too.”
Some of the color her face owned transferred itself to his. “Y-yeah, it’s been a crush I’ve had for a while.” He scratched at the back of his neck. “Well, um, thanks for letting me know this. I’ll… think about what to do.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully. “Would you like to be kept in the know if I decide to try and see if you’re right?”
He was wrong. There were deeper shades of crimson that Anna’s face could reach.
“No, you don’t need to do anything like that!” she hastily said, throwing her hands up in one of the more salient shows of embarrassment that he’d seen out of her. “What goes on between the two of you is your business. I wouldn’t want to be a gossip.”
“I understand,” he said, nodding. He carefully selected his final words about the unexpected topic. “You’ve given me a fair bit to think about. But thanks, Anna, really. I appreciate you sharing this with me. Everything, not just the stuff about Tess.”
“I’m just returning the favor you did for me,” she said, smiling softly. “I’ll be down in a little bit. I just want to stay here for a little longer.”
“Take all the time you need.”
After receiving one more smile from her, he stood and gave her the time she wanted to finish recollecting herself. He was thankful for it. After all, he needed some time, which he took as he ambled downstairs, to reckon with the understanding of how his relationships now stood.
He was pretending to date Anna. At the same time, he was receiving all sorts of favors and help from her best friend for it, of which expanding his knowledge and skill about sex—with hands-on experience involved—was likely most the most notable aspect. More recently, as in an hour ago, he’d refined the details of and entered into a budding relationship with Tess, who also happened to be one of the two architects behind him meeting Anna. Now, as of just a few minutes ago, the woman he was pretending to date had given him her blessing to pursue the woman he was secretly now involved with, but only until he and Anna got serious about one another.
Yeah, that about summed it up.
Chapter Thirty
More to Come
Compared to the best hits album that was the morning, the rest of the day shambled by without much fanfare. The three of them, with all their secrets and revelations now expended, spent their day with some time inside the igloo, some time in front of Tess’s TV, and some time clearing off Anna’s car and the driveway behind it. Even though it wouldn’t be going anywhere for another couple of days, potentially not until the night of the Christmas Eve party, it was best to chip away at the work while there were three of them around.
Once it was done, Liam knew he’d need at least a day or two of rest before he could convince his sore muscles to shovel another ounce of snow. A look he shared with Tess informed him that she felt the same way.
They held a lively, contented dinner together, threw on one final movie to end the evening with, and then Liam returned to the warmth and comfort of his own home—and hated it. With what he’d accomplished today, impatience raked sharp nails down his back while he lingered in his home. Before he’d come home from winter break, he’d chomped at the bit for his next chance toseeTess. Now, it was far more than just a glance of her that he impatiently waited for. The next opportunity to hold her, kiss her, make her writhe with pleasure… damnit!
He ended up drowning himself in more worthless television, where each minute felt like ten times that. He and Avril briefly chatted, and he told her he had some exciting news to share.
Save it for our shopping trip tomorrow, but I’m glad to hear it,she’d told him.
So, he continued looking for a way to waste time. It took all his restraint not to look for some measly excuse to head back over, even though he knew it’d be impossible for them to find any time alone together. Even with Anna’s blessing to pursue Tess, he couldn’t imagine she’d want to know they werealreadyamorously involved.
And so, he waited. His foot beat a steady rhythm of frustration the entire time he spent in front of his TV. When he threw himself into bed at ten, he knew he’d barely get a wink of sleep. Snatching his phone and hoping to find some semblance of distraction from the sleepless night ahead of him, he was just a few minutes into his search when Tess’s name popped up at the top of his screen.
A rush of surprise and excitement drowned out his anxiety, and he swiftly opened the preview.
Hi, Liam. I just wanted to text you before I head to bed. Are you still feeling good about what we discussed earlier? It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind.
Absolutely fucking not.
I’m feeling exactly the same as I was earlier,he swiftly typed.I can’t wait for tomorrow because of it. I don’t think I’m going to sleep any.
It took Tess a minute to reply, but Liam didn’t dare step away from their text log until it arrived.
Okay, I’m glad. I’m excited for tomorrow too.
Before he could decide how to reply, he saw she was typing out a second message.
