“Then what would you call this—” I gesture between us, raising my voice over the chaotic chatter falling around us, close to one of Paris’s most popular tourist destinations.
He rubs the back of his head and peeks at me with one eye. “Flirting?”
I blink. “You’re flirting with me?”
“Apparently not very well,” he mumbles, stuffing his hands in his pocket and glancing at an illuminated disc hovering near another local vendor selling gadgets, Eiffel Tower statues, keychains, and the like to gathering tourists.
My gaze oscillates between the growing commotion and the flush creeping across Liam’s cheeks, accentuated in the casting light of a nearby streetlamp. If this is what Liam flirting looks like, he’s been flirting with me for our entire lives. “Like for practice?”
“I figured with this crowd, Harmony might see us before we see her. Probably a good idea to keep the ruse up, just in case, right?”
Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I raise a skeptical brow. “I believe your card said something about being head-over-heels in love with me, not for you to maintain your typical teasing demeanor.”
“And I vaguely recall you recently scolding me in a Métro car to stop ‘grinning like some lovestruck fool,’ so why don’t you figure out what you want, Peaches, and then let me know.”
Liam’s not wrong. I’ve actually scolded him multiple times tonight, and he’s still standing here, a willing participant with no tangible benefits I can point to. Keeping the peace at home is one thing, but on this side of the Atlantic, all I can see is this just being one giant headache for him.
“Why are you helping me, really?” I say, my voice so small I fear it’ll be carried away by the wind before it reaches his ears.
A smile rests on his face, and he shrugs. “I guess I just figure I owe you.”
My heart stops, and a soft “oh” passes over my lips.
His stare stays connected to mine, and he clears his throat. “So tell me, Peaches, how are we playing this?”
Like you’ve been equally tortured for all these years.A giddy, dizzying feeling rushes over me at the ridiculous request forming in my brain, but I bury it back down. Liam actually acting like he’s head-over-heels isn’t realistic when he looks likethat,and I have the charm and body type of a potato. “Well”—I pull at the tips of my fingers—“Carolinedidtell me to ‘aim a little lower’ when it came to you, and Harmony congratulated me on ‘reaching up’ so I guess the doting, worships-the-ground-I-walk-on boyfriend dynamic’s a bit unrealistic anyway. We can say we’re just enjoying each other’s company for a change.”
Liam’s brows squish together. “I’m sorry—your mother said what?”
I toe the ground with my shoe. “To aim a little lower, it’s not a big deal. I mean, she’s right, anyway, so I get it.”
“I don’t thinkIdo, though.”
“People won’t buy you falling first, that’s all. So if you don’t want to get caught, we shouldn’t push it.”
He crosses his arms in front of his chest and slowly raises a brow. “Well, now I think you’re doubting my acting skills.”
“I saw you in our school performance ofChicken Little. I was very unconvinced the sky was falling.” I ruefully chuckle, eyes glued to the black and white checkered tiles.
“Evie—” Two fingers delicately lift my chin. “Why would your mom say something like that? Does this have to do with what she thinks happened the night of the ball?”
“Oh, well, yeah.” I swallow. “Sort of.” I don’t want to throw the ball in his face any more than I have tonight since it’s becoming abundantly clear that I’m holding a hollow grudge at best.
“Okay, so I’m the one who messed all of this up. Let me play the part of adoring boyfriend and fix it.” He brushes a loose tendril off my cheek. His fingers leave embers in their wake that dance along my jawline. The dizzying spell I was under gives way to a more profound ache, begging for release, like the cavity in my chest can’t handle the pressure.
“If—you insist—” I stutter. He never could say no to a challenge.
“If you believe the shit they’re selling, I do.” He withdraws his hand from my cheek. “As long as you’re comfortable with it.”
“I mean, who could say no to a little flattery?” I blush.
“Great, then it’s settled. I’ll adore the fuck out of you, and everyone can go screw—” He gestures for our walk to continue, and I nod, taking in the stone expression on his face. An unexplained tension holds his shoulders high as he strides forward.
“Liam?”
He glances down at me.
“You know you aren’t obligated to do this, right? I appreciate it, and I’m sorry for what I said in the alley, but I can find another way to get through this.”
