“I came to see how you were doing.”
I scoffed.“You should’ve let me die this morning.That would have been preferable to my current suffering.I’m disgusted with how I behaved last night.”
“Ah yes, the old wallowing-in-self-loathing-after-a-night-of-debauchery.A classic.I’m well-acquainted with it.”He chuckled, nudging me with his shoulder.“Cut yourself some slack.I’m sure most of us have had nights we regretted the next morning.It’s nothing to worry about, as long as you don’t let it become a habit.”
Why was he being nice to me?He needed to stop being so considerate.I’d been awful to him.
“I thought you were going to text me to check if I was okay?Isn’t this”—I gestured between us—“overkill?”
He smiled, his eyes twinkling.Freakingtwinkling.Did he have to be attractiveandnice?I’d been trying so hard to hate him, but he was making it impossible.
“I was soaking up the sun on my balcony when I saw you walking.You looked miserable, with your head hanging low and your feet kicking at rocks like they pissed you off, so I came to cheer you up.”Leaning back, he narrowed his eyes and examined me.“Looks like it’s working.”
I snorted.“I don’t think you know what cheered up looks like.”
“Oh?Laughing and smiling don’t count?So this”—he waved a circle around my face—“isn’t cheered up?Funny.I could have sworn that’s what that grin meant.”
Damn it.Betrayed by my own smile.“Ugh, fine.You win.”
“Yes!”He pumped his fist and cheered.
I had to hand it to him,I thought with a laugh,he had cheered me up.
Liam sobered, his face becoming a mask of concern.“In all seriousness, though, do you want to talk about it?I’m not as good at deep emotional conversations as I am at cheering people up, but I’ve been told I’m a decent listener.”
DidI want to talk about it?I was not sure.But Iwassure I owed Liam another apology.
I glanced away, watching kids play at the park while their parents supervised from a nearby bench.A pang of jealousy stabbed my heart.I couldn’t remember my parents ever taking me to a park.My eyes pricked with tears, and I turned away before I started sobbing for the second time today.I didn’t have time for tears if I was going to set things right with Liam.
“No, thanks,” I said.“But … I’ve been, uh…” I stumbled over the words, not sure saying sorry would be enough, “kind of rude?To you?”Why did I say that as if it were two questions?“It’s not an excuse, but I was mad about something that was none of my business.Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry for being an asshole.”
He feigned shock, gasping as he clutched at imaginary pearls.“You?An asshole?Really?I hadn’t a clue.”
I smirked.“Right.I know you’ve noticed the abundance of death threats.But Iamsorry.It’s none of my business how often you visit your Nana.Plus, you’re here now, so maybe it doesn’t matter.”
“Want to know a secret?”He leaned in, voice low.“You’re sexy when you’re thinking up ways to kill me.”
I choked back a laugh.
I knew it.He loves the death threats.
twenty-one
waiting for the rapture
Liam
“So,didyoufinallygrow a pair and ask her out, or are we waiting for the rapture?”Kai held out a fist in greeting.When I didn’t oblige fast enough, he fist-bumped himself, a grin stretching across his face.
“Not the friendliest guy, is he?”he asked Greg with a laugh.“What’s his problem?He’s been shooting me dirty looks ever since he went shopping with Maya.”
That was the day he kissed Maya’s cheek and called her babe.Itshouldn’thave awakened the jealous caveman inside me, and yet I still found myself trying to lay claim to Maya.And yes, I was aware of how ridiculous that sounded.Maya had only recently started being civil to me—and we certainly weren’t friendly enough that first day for me to consider her mine.
Of course, now that I knew Kai called almost everyone “babe” and kissed everyone on the cheek, it bothered me less.But the jealousy still hadn’t fully subsided.It shrank a little every time Kai kissed another person’s cheek, though.A few more kisses, and I might not want to punch him in the face anymore.
Maybe.
We’d have to wait and see.
