“Hey, Dem,” I say as the doors open up the space between us.
I’m exhausted. Completely and utterly exhausted. There’s still no real excuse for getting a coffee this late in the day, when I could just go to sleep in a couple hours and get some rest. But when I have a craving, I have this rule about giving in.
It applies to everything in my life. Well—almosteverything.
I’ve been trying to avoid seeing Liam outside of work obligations lately. The last two interactions we’ve had have left me with silly butterflies and confused brain fog, and I refuse to let his kindness and charms cloud my judgment.
This past weekend, I reactivated the dating app I had downloaded out of spite right after my divorce. I still doubt I’ll actually go on any dates, but swiping left and right on whether or not I’d let random men take me to dinner helped clear my mind of the Liam-sized thoughts I kept finding myself having. Maybe if I didn’t keep finding him doing kind and generous things, Iwouldn’t have been betrayed by my own mind with thoughts of him.
The walk back to the apartment is quick, and I smile at Rob as I walk through the doors.
“Here you go, I added some cold foam to the top this time. I think you’ll like it,” I say as I hand a coffee to him.
He’s been so gracious since I’ve moved into the building, always asking about my day, how things are going. He even shared some of his wife’s chocolate chip cookies with me when I mentioned they’re my favorite.
He works the overnight shift a couple times a week, so when I’m able, I’ve been bringing him coffee and stopping to chat for a few minutes.
“Look at that,” he says, grinning at the cup. “Is that a little sprinkle of cinnamon on the top? Thank you.”
“Sure is.” I tap the counter between us a couple times as I smile back at him.
His blue-gray eyes meet mine as he takes a sip and hums. The pocket of his collared shirt has a pin on it that I always notice. It’s different every time he’s working. Sometimes it’s something silly, like a banana wearing sunglasses. Others, it’s a team—like the Knights. Today, it’s a goose that says “silly,” and I can’t help but smile.
“Silly goose, I love it.” I point to his pin.
He chuckles. “Oh, my granddaughter gave me this. She won it from some school fundraiser and gifted it to me.”
“It’s amazing,” I say. “Have a good night, Rob.”
“You too,” he calls back as I make my way toward the elevators.
I enter the hallway and make my way down the short stretch. The doors to the elevators open right away and I step in, taking a sip from my drink. I don’t anticipate anyone else in the hallwayand I reach toward the buttons, pressing the close door option, and take a step back into the corner.
My phone dings as I do and I pull it out to see a notification from one of those apps I reinstalled. Before I have time to read the entire notification, I feel the abrupt stop of the doors and watch as they reopen, noticing a gold ring on a familiar pinky finger as the doors spread apart.
Liam.
“Hey, Dem.” The greeting rolls off his lips in a smooth tone.
I feel myself swallow as I look at him for a beat. He’s infuriatingly beautiful. And not only that, he’s charming and he’s full of life. He’s quite the opposite of everything I think I emulate these days. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to him more and more lately. Although that’s not something I’m very interested in admitting outside of my own thoughts.
“Liam, hi,” I rush out.
His large body moves into the elevator, taking up half of the space and apparently all the air as my lungs instantly feel constricted.
I inhale a shaky breath as he stands beside me, hands placed over one another in front of him. He smirks as he catches me with a sly side eye and I clench my jaw. Can’t believe I just let him see me react that way.
“How are you?”
I take a tiny step back, forcing myself even more into the corner. “I’m good, how are you?”
A slow smile builds on his face.
“I’m great, thank you,” he says, not looking directly at me.
My fingers fidget on the hem of my shirt as I attempt conversation. “How’s your elbow?”
I saw a recap where he took a nasty sack, and it looked like his elbow took the brunt of the hit.
