I chuckle and place everything back down on the counter. “Okay, with that done, I’m going to take Ollie for a quick walk. I’ll be back in ten minutes, okay?”
Phillip continues to focus on the sauce. “Excellent. I’ll use this ten-minute window as an opportunity to add all my secret ingredients. Not that I don’t trust you completely, but some things are sacred. Specifically fresh basil and garlic.”
“Can’t argue with that,” I answer easily, crossing the room. “Be right back.” I make quick work of securing Ollie’s leash and stepping out of the apartment. After a speedy elevator ride, we’re hitting the pavement, and I take a cleansing breath, happy in the knowledge that I will be on my way back to the pop-up within the hour. Bearing that in mind, we set off for a determined lap around the block.
We’re just returning to the building ten minutes later when I look straight ahead and stop dead in my tracks.
Oh man.
“Hello,” Liam says, approaching me with a grin and stepping away from the entrance of the building.
“Hey,” I answer as he reaches me. I lean in and kiss his cheek without the slightest thought of tormenting him with a horror-inducing hello. “What are you doing here?”
“I swung by the park to wish my aunt good luck and discreetly asked her where you were. She said you were grabbing dinner and taking Ollie for a walk, so I figured I’d come by and wish you good luck as well.”
“Oh, well, that’s...”
Before I can get another word out, he steps even closer and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me forward for a soft kiss. I close my eyes and lean in, inhaling deep and letting his presence wash over me. He pulls back just enough to whisper “good luck” into my ear, and a lazy smile crosses my face as my eyes drift open.
“Thank you,” I answer dreamily.
Liam loosens his hold a bit but keeps his arm around me. “Are you nervous about tonight?”
“Insanely nervous.”
“Are you feeling ill?”
“Violently so.”
“And are you loving it?”
“Completely.”
He smiles and tugs me a notch closer, and I can’t believe how much I adore it. Maybe I’ll need to invest in a weighted blanket when I get back to New York.
Unfortunately, my human weighted blanket then lets me go, stepping back and leaning down to pet Ollie. “And how are you tonight, young sir? Are you giving your mother plenty of emotional support?”
“Of course he is. And don’t pretend like you came over to see me when you’re clearly only using me to get to my dog. I know a puppy gold digger when I see one.”
“Well,” Liam says, standing fully upright once again, “while I do enjoy Ollie’s company more than a majority of humans, you may be the one particular human who has him beat.”
“Such sweet, honeyed lies. Look at that face,” I say, gazing down towards Ollie myself. “Whenever he makes eye contact with me, the chorus for ‘I Will Always Love You’ starts randomly playing every time.”
“In your head or in the physical room?”
“Both, I think.”
“Right,” Liam answers with a little laugh. “Well, true as that may be, it doesn’t change the fact that I like you way more than I probably should.”
I take a shallow breath at his words. They’re scary, but they feel so good.
“You’re only saying that because I’m leaving in a few days. If I lived here, you’d be coming up with a mile-long list of ways to get rid of me.”
“I think that’s what you want to be true,” he says, once again pulling me closer. “But it’s not.”
I place a hand on his chest, pushing him away a foot and stepping back a couple myself. I think distance is going to be key in this conversation.
“Know what it is?” I hear myself say. “It’s that we have this whole secret affair thing going on. If we were allowed to date in the light of day, you’d be over me in a week. Steamy looks and sneakily holding hands are all well and good, but things get significantly less sexy when we’re participating in a fully permitted and encouraged relationship and I’m asking you to unclog my shower drain because, well, you know.” I point to my hair and give it a shake. “This doesn’t go down without a fight.”
