She snorts, because this is true, and we’ve both been hosed into buying some truly, heinously unhealthy snacks during our grocery runs with him. “Yup.”
“Thanks,” I say.
The second I’m in the hallway, my composure cracks. My heart’s a hammer in my chest.
Only ten minutes later, I am standing outside my favorite coffee shop.
Taking in a deep breath, I wonder, not for the first time, if I’m about to make a huge mistake.
12
LIAM
I got here way too early,twenty minutes early, to be exact. Long enough to question every damn life choice that led me here.
I swear I’ve memorized the entire menu twice just to have something to look at thatisn’tthe door.
I pick up my phone, thumb hovering, then finally type the simplest thing I can manage:
Liam:What do you get here? Coffee? Tea?
She replies within seconds.
Emma:European Nutella latte. Extra shot. Light foam. Thanks.
Liam:Nutella-flavored coffee? I didn’t even know that was a thing.
Emma:It’s a ‘must’, Callaghan. Don’t mess it up.
Liam:No pressure then.
Emma:Oh, tremendous pressure.
I shake my head, grinning like a fool, and get up to order the most elaborate coffee I’ve ever spoken aloud. Hazelnut. Cocoa drizzle. A sprinkle of whatever magic powder the barista winked about.
By the time Emma walks in, I’m sitting with the drink in front of me, trying to pretend I’m calm and composed instead of one wrong look away from having a heart attack.
She spots me instantly.
Her eyes go straight to the cup.
Then up to me.
And her whole face lights.
“No way. You actually nailed it?”
I try to shrug like it’s nothing, even though I had to watch three YouTube videos on how to pronounce “gianduja” before ordering.
“Told you I could handle the pressure.”
She sits across from me, wraps both hands around the cup, inhales like it’s holy, and smiles at me over the rim in a way that hits me square in the chest.
She takes a deep breath in before sipping, her eyes fluttering closed.
I know that look. The one she gets when something hits the spot, when she’s trying to make the moment last just a little longer.
That look almost always gave me a boner back then, and it certainly nearly does now.
