“Aha.” She snapped her fingers. “It’s him, isn’t it? This is about The Wolfe.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked and he closed his eyes.
“Wait. Did he say something? Was he a dick? Do I have to hurt him?”
He rubbed his temples, voice like gravel. “No. It’s not like that.”
She leaned closer. “Then what is it? Come on Liam, spill, this is like pulling teeth.”
“I keep thinking about him.” His hand dragged down his face, like he could erase what he’d just said. “Not as a scene partner or in any way that makes sense.” He swallowed hard. “He’s just… there. In my head. Constantly. I see him and everything else shuts off. My brain forgets what it’s supposed to be doing.”
The confession sat between them, ugly and fragile.
Cassie leaned back like she’d been shoved. “Holy shit.” She reached for his drink and took a slow swallow like she needed time to process. “Okay. I said spill, but that wasn’t a spill—that was a damn flood.”
Liam groaned and dropped his face into his hands. “God.”
Cassie’s foot nudged him under the table. “Hey. I’m not judging. Just catching up. It’s a lot.” She studied him. “I mean… for one, you’re straight.”
“I know.”
“You love Emma. You were over the moon when she told you about the baby.”
“I know.”
“And now you’re telling me Jacob Wolfe is the guy who short-circuits your nervous system?”
He looked up, eyes tired. “Yeah.”
Cassie just stared, and then, softer than usual, “Okay. But have you ever… with a guy?”
“No. Nothing. Not even a crush.” His voice was flat.
She let out a long breath. “Damn. Okay. So Jacob Wolfe broke your compass.”
He huffed something between a laugh and a groan.
She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “So. What now?”
He stared down at his drink.What now? He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with this. His nerves sparked every time Jacob came near, his eyes kept dragging toward him even when he told himself to stop. Meanwhile, waiting at home was Emma and the life he’d sworn he wanted. The secret inside him kept pressing hard against his ribs, until he could hardly breathe around it.
“I don’t know.” His fingers curled tight around the base of the glass.
Cassie watched him, eyes narrowing like she was trying to decode a language only he knew. Her voice dropped. “Do you want him?”
Liam’s head snapped up, jaw tight.
“Not asking if you love him,” she said carefully. “Just… do you want him?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. It was carved across his face.
She reached for his drink again, took another sip, and set it down with precision. “So, is it just physical?”
He shook his head once. “No. It’s… everything.” His throat worked. “It’s the way he looks at me. He doesn’t talk much, but lately he’s been opening up, and whatever he says sticks. It gets under my skin.”
A pause.
“Yesterday we were behind the trailers. Waiting around. And he… he told me things. Stuff I know he doesn’t hand out easily. I didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to leave. I just wanted to sit there, with him, exactly like that.” Liam’s mouth twisted. “I don’t think he meant to let me in, but he did. Now I can’t stop thinking about that either.”
