“Fine. What do you want me to do?”
He pulls himself from the pillar and takes a step closer to me.
“I’ll say a word and you tell me the first word that comes to mind.”
“I’ve seen this exercise before.”
“Okay, good.” He puts both hands in his pockets and leans slightly closer to me. “Ready?”
I nod, placing my hands on my hips as my hair blows into my face. Liam doesn’t hesitate when he gently reaches forward and brushes it back away from my eyes.
“Family,” he begins.
“Love.”
“Holidays.”
I scoff. “Stressful.”
“Work.”
“Good.”
“To be happy.”
I open my mouth to answer, but realize it’s so much more than a one-word answer. It’s like an essay. A whole full-length novel. I associate that word with so many different things from different parts of my life—there’s not one word that encompasses all of it.
“Multiple avenues,” I say, after scrambling my thoughts.
His brow twists in confusion but he doesn’t ask me to elaborate and just continues with the game.
“To dance.”
“Couples.”
“Eat.”
“Cookies.”
He chuckles at that before continuing.
“Me.”
My eyes dart to meet his. He’s staring at me so wholly, like he’s seeing so much of me right now, and I don’t find myself wanting to shield anything. While at the same time feeling so exposed and unsure.
I pause and let myself take a step closer to him, very aware that another step from either of us would have us touching.
“Safe.” I relax my shoulders as he stands in front of me.
I’m safe with him. I’m considered. I’m seen.
God, why do I have the urge to kiss him? Or let him kiss me? Why can’t I stop staring at his face and his mouth and his Adam’s apple? It goes against everything I stand for when it comes to professionalism in the workplace.
But Liam Evans looks really kissable right now.
No. I’m stronger than my urges. I’m totally unfazed. Unbothered.
I’ll just repeat that in my head three hundred times until I’m convinced that’s actually the case.
