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My body freezes, holding the soft stem in my hand.
You get to keep me if I get to keep you.
“You know how hard it is to not have the little fluffy things fly everywhere?” He kisses the top of my head and there’s that muscle memory kicking in again. My stare flicks between him and the dandelion, then him again, my mouth dropping open, but nothing actually comes out. It’s probably for the best, because anything that does come out of my mouth might resemble a sob, anyway.
Liam steps into my space again, but this time, wrapping himself behind my body. His big hands splay my waist. He tucks his head in the crook of my neck and quietly says, “Make a wish, Scotty.”
Make a wish.Such a simple term, yet filled with so much expectation. Making wishes when I was younger was something I did because I still believed they’d come true. Like the time I wished for a blue bicycle for my eighth birthday or the time I wished for some new Nike Airs that everyone was wearing when we started secondary school. But as time went on, my wishes were ignored more and more, so I only made them when I felt like I needed to be reminded that magiccouldexist. I suppose I could make a wish now.
I shuffle a step with him moving behind me, leaning out of my front door. I close my eyes and think.What do you want to wish for, Jess?The thought tightens the walls of my throat as I swallow to try to clear it.
I inhale deeply, then puff out the air quickly and watch the fluffy seeds explode and settle like snowflakes on the concrete steps. I turn to face Liam, as his head tilts towards me, the million-pound question on the tip of his tongue. I can practically hear his brain thinking it.
“I’m not telling you,” I say, walking backwards into the house with him still wrapped around me.
He visibly deflates, but nods and smiles anyway. “I know. I don’t expect you to.”
The softness in his eyes tells me he really wouldn’t expect me to, and that affects me more than I care to admit.
“Liam!” Nora squeals before hurling herself into him.
“Nor!” He releases his hold on me and squeezes her tightly before letting her go and looking between us both. “It’s good to see you both. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed you girls.”
“Not girls anymore Liam, we are women!” Nora exclaims just as a loud timer buzzes in the kitchen. “Oh, I have to check the food, come in. Jess shut the door, babe. It’s cold.”
I turn to close the door and Liam follows Nora through the hallway into the arch of the kitchen, whilst I pause to catch my breath for a second.
When I walk into the kitchen, Liam bends over the counter, his hands gripping the counter firmly and my mind instantly wanders to how they’d feel on my body.
God, Jessica, stop!
He leans in to spy the food and inhales deeply, locking his eyes with mine. “Did you make this? It smells insane. I’m starving.” I nod, tucking my hair behind my ear as he looks at me and winks. My brain malfunctions to catastrophic levels because its equal parts sexy and charming, which makes it completely disarming. Especially when he lets his eyes linger on me, like he’s doing right now. Is he really starving for food? Orrrr…
As if he hears my thought, he leans into my ear and says, “It’s you, I’m hungry for you.”
I’m dead.
Well, maybe not dead. Just passing out from the blush that’s shot so fast to my cheeks it’s stopped my heart on the way up. I rub the hot spot on my face, hoping it’ll disappear as we enter into a silent staring competition with one another.
“You guuuuuuys. It’s been two seconds, and he’s already whispering dirty things in your ear. Come onnnn. Give a girl a minute to serve the food, will you?” Nora whines and stamps her feet when neither of us listen to her. “Right, sit down over there, Liam, away from Jessica for now and don’t even think about playing footsies with her underneath the table or so help me…” Her stern gaze catches his attention this time and Liam gulps playfully and I can’t help but hum, amused at watching him.
“See? You’ve missed us, right?”
“I missed you both, but I forgot how fucking terrifying Nora can be when she’s bossy,” he whispers to me.
“Heard that,” Nora shouts back from the other side of the room.
Dinner is a raging success. I’d forgotten how much Liam could put away, so I’m glad we made extra. Liam leans back in his chair opposite me, kicking out his long legs underneath the table. When he rolls his sleeves up to reveal his flexing forearms, the temperature of the room increases by at least fifteen degrees, or maybe it’s just the fact that my body seems toreallyappreciate being around him again.
“So, what’s next with the charity for you guys?” Liam asks, placing his knife and fork onto his plate.There goes those muscles again… God, mind out of the gutter, Jessica.
I clear my throat, hoping my thoughts aren’t plastered across my face in a giant red sign, “Actually, we were wondering—”
“Yes,” he interrupts.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask yet.”
“Listen, if it’s for you two and your charity, I’ll do it.” He looks directly at me, speaking quieter, “And if it is for you, Jess, I’ll definitely do whatever you ask of me.”
