“So, you moved in next to Liam. I can’t believe he didn’t tell us!” Mia takes a sip of a Shirley Temple.
“I may have mentioned it to the girls,” Abby says, hunching her shoulders in her seat.
I smile. “It’s fine. Actually, I’m surprised he didn’t say anything. I mean, it isn’t groundbreaking news but…”
“But he’s obsessed with you so something like that is obviously eating him alive not being able to scream about it,” Summer interjects as she dips a tortilla chip into the queso.
“He’s a very good neighbor,” I admit.
All three of them exchange looks, and it’s painfully obvious they’re trying to hold back smiles as Mia pulls her lips together, Abby’s nearly biting a hole in her cheek, and Summer’s hand is strategically placed over her mouth.
Sitting with the three of them makes me want to open up. Not anything crazy, but having girls to talk to about things again would probably be fun and I’d bet slightly therapeutic. I’ve never had more than quick conversations with them, but they feel so easy to be around.
“What?” I finally ask, tilting my head as I sip my water.
“Have you guys hung out or anything since you live so close?” Summer is the one to ask and even with just the little bit I know about the group, that feels on brand.
It’d be easy to say yes. Easy to just give them some tiny details because truthfully I’m dying to talk to someone about this.
“We’ve hung out…” I pause. “Yes.” I smile down at the table, feeling their eyes on me.
“Liam’s a really great guy,” Mia says. Her eyes are soft and sincere as she smiles at me. “I know he gets kind of a bad rep sometimes because he can be wild and a little over the top. But he’s Luke’s godfather for a reason.”
I didn’t know Liam is godfather to one of her sons, and that small piece of information is enough to make me smile.
“Yeah, she’s right,” Abby adds. “For us, I think he’s like that brother who really knows how to push our buttons. Right?” She shrugs her shoulders toward Mia. “He’s like a sour patch kid with us.”
The girls both chuckle, and I look at Summer who isn’t laughing, but she does smile at me.
“He’s one of the good ones. I know you didn’t ask, and I have no knowledge of your personal life or your current intentions. Wow, I feel weird wording it that way.” She blinks, holding her glass in her hand. “But I just really want him to be happy.”
I’ve interviewed men about Liam as a football player many times. I’ve talked to coaches, owners, other reporters, and even event organizers. Every last one of them saying exceptional things about the person Liam is. All those people had a professional and vested interest in him. But words from the three women at this table with me mean more than any of it.
They’re in his personal life. They know him on a level most people don’t. Their lives are intertwined in more than just football, and I suddenly feel such an urge to talk to him.
Wanting Liam in the way I’ve grown to has been catching me by surprise. Sure, he’s good company and I’m so comfortablebeing around him, but it’s growing into something of a craving. And I have this thing about cravings.
My time with the girls goes by quickly, and I don’t let too many more details about my time with Liam slip, aside from the fact that we’ve been working on the same puzzle for weeks even though I’m absolutely certain he could finish it in an hour without me.
I like your friends.
Hotshot Quarterback
I like you.
His reply makes me blush as I read it walking through the lobby of our apartment building. It’s almost ten o’clock at night and I honestly don’t know the last time I was out this late if I wasn’t working. I’m sleepy, but I really needed that.
Another notification dings when I’m heading into the elevator, and I smile at the message. Summer and I exchanged phone numbers before I left.
Summer Kincaid has added you toGIRLS ONLYchat.
Summer Kincaid
Hey Demi! We loved hanging out tonight, hope to do it again soon.
also, if Liam’s ever annoying you this is where we lovingly vent about the guys so feel free to chime in at any time haha
I laugh at her second message, double clicking to add a heart to the first. I feel like I just made friends in the last two hours. Actual friends—and it makes my heart so happy.
