“What do you mean?”
She shrugged, but even if she had wanted to, she didn’t get to explain her statement because Liam and Josh returned to join us. Liam’s arm wrapped around my waist instantly and I searched his eyes to make sure he was okay. He was still tense, but it was in a different way.
When the others were distracted, Liam leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to steal you away in a few minutes, but when we say goodbye, can you please try to exchange numbers with Jenny? I’ll explain why later.”
Looking into his eyes, I nodded, and true to his word, Liam waited a few more minutes and announced we’d be heading out. When I asked to exchange numbers, I was surprised that Jenny typed hers into my phone. I really hadn’t expected her to give it to me. After we were far enough away, I rested my head against Liam’s arm and sighed.
“Well, that was intense.”
He squeezed my waist and nodded.
“Josh is a good guy, though. I want to try to stay friends with him. Also, I think from what he told me, Jenny is just having a hard time. I’m hoping she reaches out to you. Sounds like she needs a female friend.”
I smiled at him.
“Yes. She seemed like she might have opened up to me if it weren’t for her brother.”
Liam nodded.
“Time will tell. I exchanged numbers with Josh as well so we can try to hang out with them again. Right now, though, all I want is to enjoy the rest of the night with you.”
We moved away from the group and were now on a more private section of the beach. The sound of the ocean was soothing, and Liam’s arm felt warm around me. We stopped walking for a moment, and he turned to face me. I reached up to him and cupped his face. This time, I didn’t wait for him to kiss me. I pressed my lips to his and prayed for our spark to be there.
Liam kissed me with the same longing I had for him. For some reason, I wanted things to work with him more than I really even knew. Each time I kissed him, I started out more hopeful, which made it even more devastating when nothing changed. Like tonight. It was a hard pill to swallow. We held the kiss longer than ever before, but just as before, there was no spark between us.
To be completely honest, I fell asleep most nights wondering if we could possibly just still make things work even without the physical relationship. Wasn’t the emotional connection enough to deal with empty kisses? There had to be couples out there that felt the same way as us, right?
“Bella, we’re going to figure this out.”
Liam had ended the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine.
“I know. We have to. Maybe we are just rushing it too much. As much as I want something to work out, I can’t say there isn’t a little part of my heart that still belongs to Marco. I think maybe I need to work on that.”
His lips brushed against mine once more, and he nodded.
“What do you say about taking a drive along the coast for a bit before heading home? I’ve wanted to drive you in the sea air since the first time you were in the Ferrari.”
Nodding, I whispered, “You know I can’t resist a drive in your car.”
The two of us headed back toward the parking lot, arms still around each other, our minds wondering why we couldn’t seem to get it together. Still, I did remain hopeful. Frustrating as it was, we still had plenty of time to figure it out.
Chapter 16
Week4–Saturday
Liam
The potential for disaster was looming over us as I opened the door to the museum. I had planned this day to the minute, and with any luck, Isabella would avoid a run-in with my parents. Assuming everything went according to plan. If it didn’t, my life might actually implode.
“So what charity is this for again?”
My attention turned to Isabella, who was managing to suppress how uncomfortable she was in a dress that had cost more than what her parents had paid for two months’ rent. It couldn’t be avoided, although she still scolded me several times, saying that the money people spend on clothing for these affairs would be better off getting donated to the actual charity the event was for. She wasn’t wrong.
“It is for sickle cell awareness. My mom’s hospital hosts the event here every month. They have an art auction and all proceeds go to sickle cell research.”
Isabella took a deep breath. I squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“We won’t be here long. I just have to make an appearance. My parents aren’t taking my new outlook on life well and I need to make sure I go to some of these events to keep my trust fund. I’m sorry to drag you, but I know Cassidy will be here. She always helps with these and I just couldn’t face her alone.”
