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He was trying to make me feel better, but suddenly, I was disappointed. I didn’t know what I’d expected. That Liam and I would be a couple, just like that? It was foolish thinking. Us ending up in bed together was highly unusual, and no way had Liam ever insinuated that he wanted a relationship with me.
But I did not want him to know that I was hurt, so I quickly moved on from what had happened. I used changing the sheets as an excuse not to look at him, and I used food as a way to talk about something else.
“What are you making over there? Did any of the food spoil?”
“Nope. Since we didn’t touch the fridge or freezer, most of the cold stayed in. Food’s still good. I’m making eggs again. I hope that’s okay.”
“As long as you’re going to make coffee too,” I said in my attempt to tease.
“Already done. Didn’t you smell it?”
“I didn’t. Someone should take away my coffee card.”
Liam chuckled, and I finished making his bed, folding it back up and putting the couch cushions on top of it. There was a hamper in the bathroom, so I put the dirty sheets in there along with the blanket I’d used to drag him across the room to the couch.
I smiled. A real smile this time. I was going to have to give him a lot of crap for what I had done for him last night.
SEVENTEEN
LIAM
Iset the eggs down in front of Chloe and studied her. Things had been a little weird between us this morning, and I wasn’t referring to me catching her looking out the window, naked.
I feared she was having regrets about us having sex last night. Maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning and cuddled with her. I had wanted to get up and clean up after everything she had done for me, but it was possible I’d made the wrong decision.
I got my own plate of food and sat next to her. “Just so you know, I was not ignoring you earlier. I get tested regularly.” I smiled. “And not because I sleep with a bunch of people. I am in constant contact with patients who are bleeding, and since I’m getting tested for HIV and hepatitis, I get checked for everything else too. Also, I haven’t been with anyone in about a month.”
Chloe started coughing and put her hand to her mouth. “A whole month?”
I frowned. “Not long enough? I mean, I didn’t exactly plan last night.”
She waved her hand in front of her. “No, I know. It’s just…well, I haven’t been with someone in about a year.”
I smiled. “It’s okay. I won’t judge you,” I teased.
The corner of her mouth turned up at my joke. “I also don’t have any diseases, and I am on the pill. I already took my pill this morning.”
I took a drink of my coffee. “I honestly wasn’t worried, but I appreciate you being candid.”
“You weren’t?”
“No. I trust you.”
“That’s pretty amazing of you after what Tracy did to you.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah. Don’t get me wrong. I was cynical at first, but Tracy doesn’t speak for all women, and our relationship doesn’t define every relationship. My parents aren’t the greatest, but when it comes to one another, they’ve always had each other’s backs, and they’re still married to this day.”
“Do you see them often?”
“About once a year. They’re in Nebraska, which is fine by me. They were always strict and judgmental. I think I became a tattoo artist to piss them off. At first anyway.” I shook my head at the memory of them judging me after I had come home with ink. They were close-minded then, and nothing had changed since. “My brother was more mainstream for them. He went to college and became an engineer. But even Jordan wasn’t my parents’ biggest fan. And now that he’s gone, I feel like I don’t have much reason to see them. At least I had my brother to visit when I went back home in the past.”
She put her hand on mine. “I’m sorry about your brother.”
I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles. “Thank you. We were never very close, but I still miss him sometimes.”
“Do you miss doing tattoos?”
“Sometimes. But I really love what I do. I have thought about seeking out a shop to do some part-time work, but I don’t know if it would be worth it. All my clientele was back in LA, and I don’t know if I could build up a new one, working a few evenings and weekends here and there.”
