I rolled my eyes.
“You know you’re hot. Come on, my head is really starting to hurt. I think we just need to call it a night.”
Liam looked at me strangely but nodded. We didn’t talk much on the way home, but he held my hand the whole way. I thought maybe tonight it would set something off, spark-wise. Liam’s heart was fully functioning, and mine made major strides tonight. I knew I wasn’t in love with Marco anymore and every day I let a bit more of him go. Still, nothing sparked. No butterflies floated through the air. I was starting to think that maybe our hearts weren’t the problem. Maybe he really just wasn’t attracted to me.
I kissed him on the cheek when he dropped me off and headed inside. My brothers must have told my family what had happened because they were all tucked away in their room so I could have the couch and some peace. Although my head was still killing me, I replayed the day’s events in my mind. Reaching for the phone Liam had given me, I was going to send him a good night message, but one was waiting for me.
Just in case one more really is all you need.
I looked amused at the link to another Taylor Swift song: “I Forgot That You Existed.” Smiling, I put the song on as low as possible and listened to it, hoping it really was all I needed. And also, that seeing me in my costume next weekend was all Liam would need.
Chapter 24
Week10–Saturday
Liam
The week had been busy and emotional and I was ready to have a night of fun. I knew that everything we had gone through would pay off tonight. I couldn’t wait to see what costume Isabella had settled on, but I was sure she was going to love mine.
“Are you ready yet?”
Isabella yelled back out at me, “Two minutes! Keep your shirt on!”
Teasing her, I responded, “Who says my costume even has a shirt?”
She was getting ready in one of my spare bedrooms. Not the fort one, another one. Packages had been arriving so she had held up her end of our deal and seemed to have at last spent some money on the outfit.
Isabella sighed.
“If I look ridiculous, you have to promise to tell me. I have a backup costume I made Francesca make.”
“Get your butt out here!”
“Promise! I don’t want people at school making fun of me on Monday because I looked bad.”
My heartstrings were pulled slightly.
“No one will make fun of you. But I promise if it’s bad I will tell you.”
I could hear heels clicking over to the door.
“Should we count to three or something?”
“Just open the door and get out here!”
As the door crept open and I spotted Isabella for the first time, my mouth dropped. I couldn’t stop my eyes from raking her body until I finally dragged them to her face and saw an equally surprised look on hers. At the same time, we both burst out laughing.
“You looked fantastic.”
Isabella did a twirl and smiled.
“It’s from some performance she did at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. I thought it would check off all the boxes. Expensive, sexy, and all about you. You know, because you did say she was hot and the queen of heartbreak. Also, I liked the little bonus that she wore it to the Victoria’s Secret show because they were angel wings which reminds me of that silly coffee shop you take me to.”
Nobody had ever put that much thought into something for me before. She even had on a blonde wig. I couldn’t stop grinning.
“I love it. Like… so much.”
She smiled.
