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Miller spun her around and then pulled her close. They continued the simple salsa moves they had learned while Miller incorporated a few new ones. He loved hearing Liza giggle as he moved her around the dance floor.
Liza sang to him in the same playful way she had at The Roadhouse. Miller shook his head while beaming at the dazzling woman in front of him. Although Liza was exaggerating the words in jest, Miller resonated with how accurately they encapsulated his feelings for her.My broken pieces, you pick them up…That’s exactly what Liza had done for him.
As the music faded, another slow song began.
Miller exhaled.Just tell her…
Liza smiled up at him. “That was so fun. Ahh! You’re such a good dancer!”
“You’re not too bad either.” His hands cradled her lower back.
Whispering near her ear, he said, “I don’t think it was an accident that you ended up at the rescue.” Liza cocked her head slightly. Miller continued, “And I don’t mean because your parade stunt was clearly premeditated and definitely not just a wrong turn.”
“No comment," Liza smirked.
Miller couldn't hold back a grin. “You came into my life like a blinding ray of sunshine… evaporating a cloud that was suffocating me.”
His eyes traced a line up her arm, across her shoulder, and finally to her eyes. “I needed that.” His voice suddenly came out huskier. “I needed you. To wake me up. To show me that life can be… fun—even though it’s hard. You’re like…” Miller glimpsed an ice sculpture. “A peacock that exploded into my colorblind life.”
She leaned her forehead against his. “Aren’t the girl peacocks the plain brown ones?”
Miller snorted. “Okay, Miss Frizzle. You got me there.”
“Who’s Miss Frizzle?” Liza leaned back and tilted her head. She was so dang cute, even if she missed a majority of his references.
“The Magic School Bus teacher. You gotta remember those videos.”
“Oh yeah… like where they become tiny and fly inside a human mouth to explain germs.” Liza ran her hands through the hair near the nape of his neck. Miller loved the feel of her soft fingers on his skin, but he was on edge. Was she really gonna skirt over his giant feelings confession?
At that moment, she leaned in and said softly, "I needed you too. And not just to keep my record clean." Liza leaned her cheek against his. "I meant what I said. You’re my Emmett.”
He grabbed her hand and spun her around—an outward picture of the joy swirling in his chest. Then he tugged her into a tight embrace, swaying to the slow, steady beat of the music.
“Liza! Dear, come.” Deborah Eckland appeared again like a sales associate working on commission. She proceeded to grab Liza’s wrist, pulling her out of his arms. “Social emergency… Liza, you have to say hello to…”
Liza looked back at him and mouthed, “I’m so sorry” as Deborah paraded her across the room.
Finding himself alone on the dance floor, he walked to a high-top table and poured a glass of water. He wasn't even mad about Deborah interrupting them because he’d done it. He’d told Liza how he felt… and she reciprocated. He was on top of the world.
Mid-sip, he heard, “OMG, you must be Miller!” A petite blonde woman in a short, sparkly dress stared up at him.
“Hi?” Miller said as more of a question.
“I’m Ada. Liza told me so much about you.” She raised her very defined eyebrows.
“Yeah?”
Flipping extremely long hair over her shoulder, she continued. “As her new roommate, I just wanted to lay down a few ground rules. Los Angeles is two hours earlier than Minnesota, so please refrain from calling between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am Pacific time. The walls of our apartment are extremely thin, and to keep this skin immaculate,” she framed her face in her hands. “I need at least eight hours of sleep.”
Miller nodded trying to follow what she was saying. He caughtRoommate… Los Angeles… Liza…
Ada’s hands made sharp movements as she spoke. “But you are more than welcome to visit. Just give me at least two weeks' notice. I don’t know how much free time Liza will have. I’ve heard LA Design Institute is brutal the first semester, but I think Liza is going to kill it. I can’t wait to introduce her to all of my friends…”
Ada continued to rapidly fire off words, but Miller suddenly felt suffocated by his suit coat.Liza’s moving to Los Angeles?
Taking a step backward, he said, “I actually… need to… check on something.” Miller walked toward the exit.
The elegant lobby was warmly lit, but the glow suddenly felt too bright. He would have walked outside, but it was in the single digits. He saw a sign showing off their cozy rooftop lounge. He needed a few minutes—or days—to digest what he’d just heard, so he walked toward the elevator. The seconds felt like hours as he waited for the elevator doors to open.
