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“I don’t know. This is weird. I’m awkward. He’s ridiculously hot. And, that makes me…”
“Hot?” Nora replies, smirking at me.
“Yes. Definitely.” I exhale loudly.
“I’m not sure I see the problem, apart from this little freak out. Which, by the way, is highly entertaining for someone who usually loves control as much as you do. I think you should talk to him some more.”
“The problem is the beautiful, red-haired goddess he brought with him. Her name is Alex. I think it might be the same Alex from before… when we were at college. Maybe they’ve been together this whole time.” Jealousy blasts into my brain like a shockwave and I try desperately to ignore it and rationalise my thoughts. “I mean, I haven’t asked him, but what are the chances, right?”
“Oh, right, I spoke to her. She’s really nice too. And gorgeous,” Nora sighs.
I want to kick her, but my dress is tight enough that I wouldn’t be able to do it well, so instead I scowl and huff like a child because that’s not what I want to hear.
“I know. It’s shit timing… story of my life.” Something else has been bothering me for the last hour though, “I think… I can’t help but feel like I need to apologise for being so awful to him, though. The way things ended with us…” I mumble, knocking my heel against the concrete floor.
“Talk to him, explain. You might feel better then. You’re only talking. No harm done, right?” Nora hugs me, and it makes me feel marginally better. “We better get back; I can do the end of the night speech. Go find that lover boy.” She pokes me and just as we turn around and I’m about to tell her that he isn’tmylover boy, I slam into a wall of muscle, then I hear a familiar voice; one that makes me instantly hot and needy.
“Lover boy, huh?” His low, husky voice permeates the doorway we are wedged between. My hands rest on his chest from where we collided and all I feel is strength… a lot of it.
My face burns crimson as Nora laughs out loud, makes excuses, and leaves us to it, shouting, “Bye, lover boy,” as she walks away, as though she isn’t abandoning me right now.
He moves past me and settles down in one of the small outdoor seats before gesturing for me to sit opposite him.
“Talk to me, Jessica Scott. Tell me about you. What has happened in ten years? Please tell me your love for milkshakes hasn’t died because I might be physically wounded.” His hand clutches his chest and a look of genuine concern flashes across his face as I sit in the chair opposite him, perching on the edge.
“Are you kidding? Of course, I still love milkshakes. I don’t have them as much anymore. That kind of makes me sad. When Nora and I moved, we never found anyone who measured up to Shake Sam.” I push my lip out to pretend a pout face and Liam chuckles lightly.
“Yeah, he was the best, wasn’t he... How long did you guys stay in Kent for?” I try to focus on his face, but that’s near enough impossible to do when his broad shoulders are wider than the chair he’s sitting in and his thick thighs are flexing underneath his black suit trousers. I briefly clear my throat, pretending I wasn’t just checking him out.
“Well, Nora and I stayed in Kent for university after we finished college, and then we both moved back here. I’ve worked in this hotel in the events management team since moving here, and Nora is a therapist not far from our town house, over near Victoria Park.”
“Hm, that’s great. Sounds like you’re both doing amazing things.” He pauses, taking a sip from his cut glass tumbler filled with an amber liquid. “Did you guys buy the town house?”
He acts so casual, like he doesn’t even realise he looks like sex on legs whilst he justsips his drink.
I internally berate myself for staring again before answering him, “It’s Nora’s grandmother’s house. We wouldn’t be that lucky to live in that area if she didn’t let us live there. We pay her rent, but it probably isn’t even close to what she would get with actual tenants. You’ll have to come by and see it sometime. I mean, that is, if you wanted to or weren’t busy. It’s fine if you are busy, that is. Everyone is busy these days, so I get it. I’m always busy. Busy busy,” I rush out.
Liam laughs and smiles a boyish grin. “I love it when you ramble… I’ve missed it.” He takes a sharp inhale as he breaks our eye contact. “I’d love to come by and see you and Nora.”
I internally deflate.
Me and Nora. Of course, he wants to see both of us. We were all friends for years.
Fuck, his girlfriend is here, and I’m sitting here having heart eyes over someone else’s boyfriend.
His gaze returns to me. My whole body shivers and vibrates with heat simultaneously from his gaze. It’s almost too much to handle tonight… him, us, him looking at me likethat.So, I force myself to talk to distract from the hurricane silently thrashing around my body as I try to remember that he has a girlfriend. “So, what have you been doing for the last ten years?”
His throat clears. “Working with Dad. Mum doesn’t really work anymore; she volunteers at our old school. You know he always wanted me to join his business and I love it. I think I’m ready for him to step back a bit though. The company needs a freshen up and he’s reluctant for me to take more control, but I’m wearing him down. I hope. I’m trying to take the business internationally too. We have clients who sought us out from the states so we’ll see where that goes too.” He beams.
I remember our job we had for his dad, cleaning his office properties. We spent so much time together back then, but I’ve almost forgotten what it was like. I let the memories creep back in. It was always a lot of fun, not a lot of cleaning, but a lot of fun, especially after we got together. We would clean, kiss, clean, kiss and then forget about cleaning altogether and just kiss until it was time to leave.
“I miss your mum. She was always so sweet...” I pause, hoping he doesn’t ask about mine and then I change the subject. “It sounds like things have expanded a lot since the days we used to mess around in that one place over in Kensington.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that place alright.” Hesitation flickers across his face before he holds my attention, taking me prisoner with his warm gaze, leaning forwards his elbows on his thighs as his fresh scent weaves its way around me. “I remember how nervous you made me. All the time spent around you… it would take all my self-control not to touch you. It was fucking torture that day you goaded me with almost dating Dan from my team, so when we finally kissed…” He rubs his five-o'clock shadow and smiles at me, letting the tension between us speak for itself.
He’s cute and I’m screwed.
I laugh nervously. The silence between us is thick, syrupy and for a split second, I think he is going to move closer to me, but he doesn’t.
