“Yes.” I tilt my head.
Honestly, I’m surprisedhe’seven familiar with Alba’s. It’s a small family-owned Dominican restaurant a few blocks down from here. Incredible mangú and their tostones are so good. Almost as good as my mom’s.
He smiles as he nods. “Meet me on the roof in an hour.” He moves toward his door. “Please,” he says as a follow up.
“Okay. Sure.”
I just agreed to have a rooftop dinner with Liam—from one of my favorite restaurants no less. So much for trying to avoid thinking about him.
Every time I pass Alba’s Kitchen on a walk or a run, I think of Demi. I’ve thought about taking her here a thousand times. And it’s the first place that popped into my mind when I suggested we have dinner tonight.
Pulling up the menu on my phone, I skim through the section labeledAlba’s Favoritesand decide to order a handful of different things to try. I haven’t had a lot of the food I just ordered, but I definitely love to try everything at least once. Plus, I know I’ve seen Demi with an empanada in her hand on multiple occasions, and really, you can’t go wrong with an empanada.
After placing the order, I grab two giant blankets from the hall closet and as many pillows as I can carry, shove my phone into my pocket along with my keys, and make my way to the roof.
I come up here a lot in the summer—especially lately. With all my friends coupled up, a lot of my evenings are spent alone. It would be easy to find company, but I don’t want justanycompany. I stopped wanting something casual, meaningless, and unfulfilling. Seeing all the people I love the most find a partner to spend their time with made me realize that’s actually something I want too.
Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled for Ford and Abby—even though she took my number one wingman away from me. And with Nate and Mia, it was only a matter of time for them to get their heads out of their asses. Summer really could’ve had just about any man she laid her eyes on, but I watched how she tirelessly loved Chase—and CeCe—for years, before Chase finally came to his fucking senses.
I’ve sat back for the last few years watching all my friends fall in love. I didn’t think I was ready for it for a while. A long while, to be honest. The only woman I ever really wanted to see me—couldn’t.
But I feel like I have a second chance. A window of time to prove to her that I’m not who people think I am—and I really don’t want to blow it.
“Thank you so much, I’ll be right down.” I end the call after Rob tells me my food is here.
He offered to bring it up, but there’s no way I’m having that man trek up the elevator and then hike up stairs and out here when I’m perfectly capable.
When I glance at my watch, I have about ten minutes until Demi should be up here. That is, unless she completely ghosts me. I hadn’t considered that until this very second, and now I’m fucking spiraling as I head down to the lobby.
“Awful lot of food you’ve got here. Is this what they call carb-loading before a big game?” Rob chuckles when he sees me walking toward him.
I smile, reaching for the bags on the counter and begin hanging them from my forearm so I don’t have to make multiple trips.
“She likes this place,” he says softly, tipping his chin down as he moves back around to the center of his desk. “I’ve seen her order it a couple of times. You did good.”
I’m silent for a moment before he speaks again.
“I’m an old man, Mr. Evans. I can recognize a man enamored by a woman the way you are from a mile away.”
I don’t try to hide the smile as he takes a seat in his chair, leaning back.
“Go on,” he says, flipping his hand at me. “Have a good night, Mr. Evans.”
“Call me Liam.” I nod graciously at him.
He smiles, lifting his glasses from the end of his nose, and directs his attention back to the door.
I swallow hard as I’m standing over the blankets and pillows I’ve set up in the shady corner up here when my phone dings.
Girl of my dreams
Just to clarify… you’re actually on the roof?
I let out a laugh, knowing she’s probably just making sure I wasn’t fucking with her. Instead of a simple yes, I pull up my camera and take a selfie with the downtown skyline in the background and send it to her. The moment it saysRead, I imagine her rolling her eyes, and damn, if that doesn’t get me going.
A few moments later I hear the door close and turn to see Demi walking toward me.
She’s so pretty. The kind of pretty that owns a room whenever she walks in—no matter where she is.
